Lent 2C.2022
The Rev. Karen A. Calafat
You know when a fox and a hen show up in the same story, danger is surely lurking.
Luke’s gospel has Jesus calling Herod a fox, not exactly a term of endearment. In Greek thought, like in our own context, the fox is regarded as clever but sly and unprincipled. The Old Testament associates the fox with destruction. Then Jesus likens himself to a hen gathering her chicks, her brood, under her wings.
Scholar Daniel Defenbaugh points out that the Hebrew word in Genesis, the creation story, is: God “brooded” over the waters as a hen might brood over her young. An interesting fact about hens brooding over their young is that it begins even before the chicks hatch. The hen makes peeping sounds to the babies in the eggs which eventually peep back even before they hatch. It is reminiscent of Ps. 139, “For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” God knew us even before we were born; brooding over us to bring us into being.
Defenbaugh explains, “Jesus’ reference to the brooding hen likely points to a new creation, a creation to be born of the resurrection. A creation where the blessed ones are not the ones, like Herod, who wield power and strength, but the ones who come in the name of the humble and faithful God of creation.”
Today’s readings tell us something of the character of this God of creation. In Genesis, we hear the familiar exchange between God and Abram, soon to become Abraham. God’s greeting is familiar, we hear it throughout scripture: “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid is usually followed by Good News. God says to Abram, “Do not be afraid, Abram,” followed by the good news, “I am your shield; your reward will be very great.”
Abram is not convinced and asks God several questions about how this can possibly be. It was comforting to me that even a spiritual great like Abram had questions about what God was up to. “But wait, how is that going to work?” or “I have another question. It is unclear to me, God, how are you going to fix all these obstacles?” God promises to make Abram’s descendants outnumber the stars. Abram seems to reach the place of, “Okay, I believe, help my unbelief” and trusts what God is promising him.
What happens next in Abram’s vision is a scene of sacrifice, a means of validating a covenant. The slaughter and splitting of animals was a covenant ritual in the ancient Near East where the covenanting parties walk between the halves of the animals, symbolically taking upon themselves the fate of those animals if they break the covenant. But what happens in this instance reveals something more about God’s character. The firepot and fire represent God’s presence. It is God’s presence alone that passes between the divided animals, not God and his covenant partner, Abram, thus signifying that God alone is responsible for fulfilling the covenant with Abram. There is nothing Abram can do or fail to do that will keep God’s blessing from him.
Biblical scholar Dan Debevoise says, “Lent offers us an opportunity to think about our discipleship in light of how others have lived in response to God’s call and command. Like Abram, we have questions that will not be silenced as we try to walk in faithfulness to God. Like Abram we can question God as part of our faithfulness and trust. We also live expectantly that God’s promises of life, hope and future are extended to us….”
I remember learning that it is a strong faith that can question God. It was when I was in
Clinical Pastoral Education, CPE, in seminary. I thought having doubts was a sign of weak faith. I certainly didn’t understand a lot about God or how God showed up in people’s lives, in the midst of tragedy or illness, but I was afraid to question it. I had a fabulous mentor who invited me to ask my questions, instructing that expressing doubts could strengthen faith, rather than diminishing it. And she was right!
That was a gift to me that I was later able to pass on to the interns I supervised. God knows our doubts anyway, so why not express them? I have encountered situations that heighten my questions of God, usually serving to humble me and remind me that God is God and I am not. Questioning is part of discernment, of listening and wondering where God is – and sometimes discovering God in the most unlikely places.
Our psalmist has doubts about God, too, even questions where God is, expressing what
seems like more longing for God than hope in God. But eventually moves from the place where there is no light to a place of light, a place of hope, faith and conviction.
Psalm 27 shows us that doubt and faith go hand in hand, that fear and trust go hand in
hand. It tells us of the need for patience, the need to “wait for the Lord.” And waiting for the Lord implies that God will show up. And how do we know this? We know from our lived experiences, both individually and communally. Life throws things our way that may propel us into doubt and uncertainty, but we’ve gotten through them all, haven’t we? We are here. Even in challenge and uncertainty, you are here, “waiting on the Lord,” “standing firm in the Lord,” living with doubts, yet with glimpses of hope; living with doubts, yet keeping the faith.
There are certainly things in life worthy of fear – things that are usually out of our
control. This week marked the 5 th anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic. It taught us many things, including the limits of our control. It was a frightening time when it was hard to heed God’s call, “Do not be afraid.” And now we have a measles outbreak that heightens fears, especially fears for those most at risk. How do we find God in these circumstances? With patience and attentiveness like the psalmist, “O tarry and await the Lord’s pleasure; be strong, and God shall comfort your heart; wait patiently for the Lord.
In this season of Lent, we focus on Christ’s suffering and sacrifice. It is a penitential
season. It is a time we give extra focus to our spiritual well-being and spiritual disciplines. It is a time we draw near the crucifixion, near the darkest event in our faith story, but we don’t dwell there because we are people of hope. We are people of hope, even in the darkest days, because we know resurrection is coming. Without hope, we would only be crucifixion people. But we are resurrection people, God’s children who have the capacity for hope even when all seems lost.
We are people of hope who proclaim,
God is our light and our salvation…
God is the stronghold of our lives…
So when fear creeps in and questions arise, what do we do?
Wait. Wait for the Lord. Snuggle under the wings of God to be cared for, protected, and nurtured until your heart finds comfort and your way is made clear.
May it be so!