Abraham Had a Knife - 2nd Sunday of Lent

(Readings)

Have you ever watched a river? The river keeps coming, just like life.  

Like the river, life brings different things with it thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

Our thoughts come floating down. Those thoughts say, “Think about me. Think about me. Think about me.”

Our emotions and feelings come down the river. “Feel me. Feel me. Feel me.”  Or maybe it’s an experience of love or tragedy, “It’s about me. It’s about me. It’s about me.”

Some are good and some are bad. All we see is what is on the surface, thoughts, emotions, experiences of love, and tragedy that can bring fear and doubt.  

We don’t see everything, only see what is above the surface, the part we experience. We fail to see what is pushing it to the surface; the good or bad or both.

We live our lives on the surface. It is the same with faith because our life mingles with our faith like the waters of a river. 

It carried the call of God to Abraham.  Not knowing where life and faith would take him, Abraham listened and obeyed. God blessed him.  

Abraham was following God blind. All Abraham saw was what was on the surface. He knew the promise God made: An abundant blessing with descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and sands of the seashore.

 Abraham still had thoughts “Think about me. Think about me. Think about me.” And emotions – “Feel me. Feel me. Feel me.” And, he had life experiences of love and tragedy, “It’s about me. It’s about me. It’s about me.” He was told "Take your only son Isaac, whom you love, and offer him as a holocaust.”

Abraham’s life and faith came at him like a river. Even though he only saw the surface, He followed God in faith until God allowed him to see what was below the surface.

That river of life and faith kept flowing on the path of salvation. Soon, Peter, James, and John and the rest of the disciples are sitting and watching. They’re following one baptized in a river Jordan, the man called Jesus.   

Jesus told them he would go to Jerusalem and suffer, be killed and on the third day be raised. The disciples saw only the surface.

Thoughts - “Think about me. Think about me. Think about me.” Emotions - “Feel me. Feel me. Feel me.”  Experience – “It’s about me. It’s about me. It’s about me.”   

They saw everything Jesus did: preaching, miracles, and casting out demons. They saw the surface and failed to realize what was underneath.

But, they knew something was there. On the surface, the apostles knew Jesus was a man. They knew him as the son of Mary. They knew he lived and shared their everyday life. They knew He was something more.

Jesus took Peter, James and John to pray on the mountain. God opened their eyes to see below the surface. On the mountain, Jesus was transfigured before their eyes. On the mountain, they learned He was the Son of God. They learned He was the messiah. They learned He was God himself.

God the Father repeated the words said at a river: “This is my beloved son, listen to him.”

Stop living on the surface - look deeper.  

The disciples still looking at the surface questioned “what rising from the dead meant.”

Today our faith is no different. Too many want to live life and faith only on the surface. Many forget God said listen to Jesus. That would mean look to see more than just the surface. It means ignore “me thoughts and me emotions and me experiences.”  

Listen to Jesus. Look deeper. Recognize there is good and there is evil. There are thoughts, emotions, experiences, love, and tragedy that bring fears and doubts. 

Abraham had a knife in his hand. The Apostles ran away.

Remember, watch the river in life and faith pray “Here I am Lord.” Our Lord, Jesus Christ who is at the right hand of God will indeed intercede for us. Remember, God is with us. If God is with us, who can be against us?

Yall be good, yall be holy and preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.