God Calls Us, Transforms Us, and Sends Us

Homiiy for the 2nd Sunday of Lent

Those of you who were with us last week might remember that the first reading came to us from the book of Genesis and told us the story of the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Not only was this a sin of disobedience, but it was also a sin of mistrust – mistrust in what God had told Adam about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden. The serpent had placed this mistrust in the heart of Adam. Immediately after his fall from grace, God initiated a plan in which all humankind would be redeemed. That plan proved to mirror the opposite of Adam’s sin. God called Abram and asked him to move from his homeland. Despite the fact that Abram would lose his family history, his present situation with that family, and his future inheritance, Abram obeys God’s call even though God did not provide a map. However, God did make Abram a promise, and Abram chose to trust that God would be faithful to that promise.

This is the pattern of faith: God calls, we step, and only then do we discover where God is leading us. Every genuine encounter with God disrupts us a little because it loosens our grip, our control, over the course of our life. If we truly have faith in God, we will be able to give up that control, despite the difficulty that it might involve.

We are reminded in Psalm 33 that God’s word is upright, that God’s works are trustworthy, and God’s love is unfailing. We are not asked to walk blindly when we walk by faith, because we walk with a God who sees, loves, and rescues those who are in trouble. This pattern of faith is recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures in many different stories, and it is those stories to which we turn during our own Lenten journey.

The Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent is always the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus leads Peter, James, and John to the top of Mount Tabor where his face and his clothes are turned dazzlingly white. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah were seen with Jesus, and a voice from heaven declared: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” This is not the first time that we have heard that voice. It is the same voice that was heard at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. Last week we heard that immediately after his baptism, the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert where he was tempted by the devil. Like Abram, Jesus did not mistrust. Three times, the devil tried to imply that Jesus was not the Son of God, and each time, Jesus turned the temptation aside.

It is important that we remember that just six days before the Transfiguration took place, Jesus had told his disciples that he would be handed over to evil men who would put him to death. As if this were not disturbing enough, Jesus had gone on to say that if they wished to be his disciples, they too would be called upon to pick up their cross and follow him. The Transfiguration is God’s way of strengthening the disciples for the journey ahead. Jesus is about to turn toward Jerusalem, toward suffering, toward the cross. Before they see Him disfigured, they see Him transfigured. As they are coming down the mountain, Jesus asks them not to reveal what they have seen and heard.

In the reading from St. Paul’s Second Letter to St. Timothy, Paul tells Timothy not to be ashamed of the Gospel and not to fear suffering for it. He writes, “God saved us and called us… Not according to our works but according to God’s own design and grace.” The same is true for us. We have been saved by grace, not by our performance. Like Timothy, our courage must come from our trust in God’s power, not in our own abilities. Both Timothy and we must remember that our purpose as disciples of Jesus flows from Christ, who destroyed death and brought life through that destruction. Like Jesus, who preceded him, St. Paul reminds Timothy that they have nothing to fear. We must remember this as well. Consistently throughout the Scriptures, we hear the words: “Do not be afraid.”

The heart of these readings is simple and profound: God calls us, transforms us, and sends us—always through His grace, never through our strength alone. These readings trace a spiritual journey: Abram shows us the call of faith. The Psalm shows us the God who sustains us. Paul shows us the mission that flows from grace. The Transfiguration shows us the glory that strengthens us for the cross. In other words: God calls us out, God holds us up, and God sends us forth. And like the disciples, we may want to stay on the mountain—where things are clear, beautiful, and safe. But Jesus leads us back down into the world because that is where love must be lived.

Every one of us has a “leave your homeland” moment—some invitation from God that asks us to trust more deeply. Every one of us has a “mountain moment”—a glimpse of God’s presence that strengthens us. And every one of us has a mission—some way God wants to shine through us for others. The question is not whether God is calling. The question is whether we will listen to the Beloved Son and follow.

As we continue our Lenten journey, we must ask, “Where is God inviting you and me to take a step of faith right now—something that may feel uncertain, but is rooted in His promise rather than our comfort? At the end of this Lenten journey, we will once again be asked to renew our baptismal promises. The Sunday Scriptures during the Season of Lent, help us to reflect on our journey so that we can make those promises with conviction. Each Sunday, we hear the word of God, just as the apostles heard God on the top of Mount Tabor. Each Sunday we receive the Eucharist, food for our journey. Let us walk with confidence as Abram walked. Let us remember that God has promised us a new homeland. Finally, let us remember the love with which God has loved us, a love so strong that God was willing to ask Jesus to die on a cross, and through that death, release us from our sins.