HOMILY OF THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
Genesis 12:1-4, 2 Timothy 1:8-10, Matthew 17:1-9
THEME: CONNECTING TO ABRAHAM’S BLESSING
QUOTE: To break new ground, we must be adventurous, regardless of the uncertainty that awaits us
Abraham’s blessing is a product of a deep journey of faith. It is journey out of our comfort zone, through a special reliance on God even when things seem to be meaningless.
This blessing is for only those who can dare. Having his own kind of passion, one can break new grounds, because the blessings of God upon him is the blessing of dominion. To share in his own kind of blessing, one must be open to be led by God. It will merely amount to curiosity or being ambitious if we delve into what successful people do without getting to know their personal history.
“The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you.”
Similarly, Psalms 45:10 says, “Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father’s house. The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift, men of wealth will seek your favor.”
The call of Abram is a call to a renewed identity. It is a call to leave his old ways and follow the voice of God. It is a call to leave behind old patterns to live for God alone. To break new ground, we must be adventurous, regardless of the uncertainties that await us. Faith in God remains the key. If God directs us, he blesses us and prospers our ways. He simply wants to take the lead.
“I will bless those who bless you:
I will curse those who slight you.
All the tribes of the earth
shall bless themselves by you.’
So Abram went as the Lord told him.”
God promised to take Abram to where he did not know. The journey into this unknown has a special blessing attached to it. Though he did not the intricacies of this journey, he believe in the blessings of the covenant keeping God.
More so, the messianic invasion of Jesus into the world is not the type that the disciples had expected. The mountain experience gave them the kind of Messiah they were expecting, but Jesus had to tell them how he must suffer and die like a criminal. This was unheard of a messiah. On the mountain of transfiguration, Peter, James, and John saw an experience which they think they should settle for until the Lord Jesus, change the narrative. God came to change their mindset. He configured their thinking.
On the mountain of transfiguration, Jesus took the disciple to see the end of the journey before he told them the necessary steps to this glorious ending. Abraham did not know how the journey would look like. He simply heard God speaking to him, and he believed.
Therefore, whether we encounter God in what he has shown us or in what he has told us, all we need is deep faith in him and what he wants to do in us and through us. He is taking us somewhere but not without some trials. We must accept that fact that the world is filled with a lot of conflict of opposites. And the law of nature goes with different stages of birth pangs. But for those who rely on God, their path will be straight.
As we journey through this Lenten season, let us think less of our own ways and focus more on where God is leading us. May the Lord lead us to our rightful destination and may we never lose track of his daily promptings. Amen.
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