Lent 2, 2026
Genesis 12:1-4a
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
John 3:1-17
Psalm 121
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today I want to focus our attention on what gets left out. And, specifically, what gets intentionally left out, in order to drive a harmful narrative. Because—when it comes to God’s work in the world—the part that gets left out is often the best part. You could say, God’s grace is reliably bigger than we want it to be, and we reflexively try to hide that for some reason. But let’s start here . . .
Religion and politics are often in tension. And I think it’s safe to say this tension has never been higher in our lifetimes than it is right now. Religion and politics are not supposed to mix, or so they say. But when it comes to staying in our lanes, it’s been something of a one-way street. Religious leaders are often told to avoid politics, but we seldom hear the reverse about politicians staying out of religion. And if it’s true that we clergy should stay in our lane, then it only seems fair that we expect the same of politicians. Two recent examples come to mind.
First, in defense of the horrendous actions of ICE officers, I heard someone say that we need to have a secure border because heaven itself has a secure border. They don’t let just anyone in, you see? And I’ll just say, even if I grant you that—which I definitely do not!—the most basic tenet of Christianity is that heaven has a pathway to citizenship for everybody in Jesus Christ. Every human being who has ever lived has universal access to that pathway to citizenship. It’s a core principle of our faith. And a Christian politician saying that heaven has a closed border to make their political point is leaving out the best part of the story, which is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Again, God’s grace is reliably bigger than we want it to be.
Example number two. Perhaps you saw last year’s interview with a prominent politician who made the claim that we should support Israel based on what we just heard in the reading from Genesis. When asked why the United States should stand with Israel no matter what, the politician said he was taught in Sunday school that God will bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse Israel. That’s why our country should support Israel: to be blessed rather than cursed.
The first problem with this is the naked transactionalism of it, but whatever. Secondly, as we heard, God was talking to and about Abram, thousands of years ago, not the geographical country that was founded in 1948. Thirdly, the politician didn’t finish the quote! He left out the best part. What God says in Genesis is: I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. ALL. That’s the best part! And he left it out! Again, God’s grace is reliably bigger than we want it to be.
And so let me just say, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, in pointing all this out, I am staying in my lane. It’s the politicians who are swerving out of their own lane and into mine. Just as I should not be trying to do politics, they should not be trying to do religion. Especially when they’re leaving out the best parts! But enough of that. On to Paul’s letter to the Romans, where he also talks about God’s promises to Abram.
Paul’s focus here is that the righteousness of Abraham is a gift, and not payment for his actions. This is a radical thing to say, especially since we are always so focused on rewards and payment being based on work and effort. As Paul notes, “. . . to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.” In other words, it is faith in the gift of God’s grace that leads to righteousness. Not our efforts, not our strength, not our adherence to the law. No, what makes us righteous is faith in God’s unmerited grace. But it gets even better!
Because as Paul says, For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham. To ALL his descendants. To everybody! To all who share the faith of Abraham in what God has done. And I’ll say it again: God’s grace is reliably bigger than we want it to be.
And then we turn to Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night. (Metaphor alert!) I find it interesting that Nicodemus only shows up three times in the scriptures. There is the story we just heard, and then he speaks up for due process when his fellow Pharisees want to arrest Jesus, and then he shows up at the end, to help prepare Jesus’ body for burial. He doesn’t get a prominent role in the life of Jesus, but he comes in darkness seeking truth, and he argues for the rights of the unjustly accused, and he makes sure that religious burial customs are followed. You could say he’s always there in the background, but never makes the leap of faith. And he is not rejected.
But that’s a conversation for another time. In the conversation we just heard, Nicodemus and Jesus go back and forth, talking past each other, as people are want to do in John’s gospel. And at the end of their conversation, Jesus says something you’ve heard many times in your life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” You’ve heard that before, I’m sure. John 3:16. You’ve seen it at sporting events, and maybe heard it referred to as “The Gospel in a nutshell.”
However, many people use this very verse to explain why other people are not welcome in the kingdom of God. I’ve heard them do it. It takes a little bit of reverse engineering, but they get there by saying that this verse implies that those who do not believe in Jesus will perish and will not have eternal life. Of course, Jesus doesn’t say that at all, but if you’re looking to exclude people, inverting any announcement of grace will do the trick. And how much better if you can use a verse that everybody already knows, whether or not they’ve ever set foot in a church.
Which bring us to the part that gets left out. Which is John 3:17: “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus did not come to condemn, but rather to save. Save who? Zealous believers? Committed Christians? Nope. The world. The world! Not to condemn the world but to save the world. That’s the part that gets left out of the “gospel in a nutshell,” and it’s the best part. And the reason we don’t focus on that part is because—again—God’s grace is reliably bigger than we want it to be.
We want a very carefully defined system that assures us we are loved and redeemed by God, while also wanting a system that says some other group or individuals are not loved and redeemed by God. It’s just how we’re wired, I’m afraid. And so, unfortunately, we tend to leave out the good parts. We leave out the part where heaven has a pathway to citizenship. We leave out the part where God will bless all the families of the earth. We forget that grace is a free gift to all Abraham’s descendants. And we ignore what follows the gospel in a nutshell, which proclaims that Jesus came into the world not to condemn the world but to save the world.
Though God’s grace is reliably bigger than we want it to be, may God daily remind us that that is a good thing. Because if God can welcome the ones we want to exclude, then it means God can welcome us as well. No matter what you believe or where you are on your faith journey, there is someone who wants to exclude you, to turn you away, to keep you out. Thanks be to God that God is bigger than that, that Jesus’ love is wider than that, that God’s mercy goes beyond what we could ask or imagine. Because even though God’s grace is reliably bigger than we want it to be, it is still big enough to include you and me. And please, don’t ever leave that part out.
Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment