2nd Sunday in Lent

Last week, we spent some time reflecting together on the word “cultivate.”
We explored the different ways that the word is used,
We thought about the kinds of emotions it strikes in us,
And we thought about it in the context of the Bible and Theology.

Today, you each received a little “Word cloud” with pieces of our reflection
together.
I invite you to take it home, hang it up somewhere, and continue to reflect
on this word and what it means for you personally, and for us as a church.

We’ve been talking about what we might want to cultivate,
And how we might cultivate it.
(I want to continue talking about that)
But today I also want us to consider how God cultivates US.
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Because I think that God cultivates:
God nourishes, gives growth, and enriches us in ways that are sometimes
surprising, unpredictable, creative, and even shocking.

And I got to thinking about it, thanks to the story of Abraham and Sarah,
which is in our readings for today.
The story of Abraham and Sarah, is a story of surprise.
They have made a logical assumption that they wont be able to have kids
of their own together.
They live their lives as faithful Jews.
And then.
God moves.
God cultivates them.

They are changed and transformed.
God blesses Abram and Sarai in ways that no one could have predicted.
Not only with children, but with the blessing of a covenant:
Something like a marriage, a religious vow, or even a sacred contract.

God solidifies a relationship with them through a covenant and a promise,
and they are transformed.
They are SO Transformed,
To the point that they even receive new NAMES:
The name Sarai means “lady” or “princess” of one family.
Her new name, Sarah, however, is expanded to “lady or princess for the
MULTITUDE.”

And we see the same phenomenon with Abraham.
Abram means “exalted father”
But Abraham means “Father of a multitude.”
Their new identities are expanded in a way they never could’ve imagined.
This is how god plants, and grows, and cultivates.
Turning something old into something new that is beyond what we could’ve
imagined.

What would happen if we were open to the impossible?

Open to being surprised,
Open to being transformed?
How would our lives change if we walked around,
Open to meeting God in ways that are unexpected and surprising,
And then let God cultivate us into something new?
And maybe even a new thing that we haven’t ever anticipated or even
considered.
(Like randomly getting a new name at 99 years old!)

Like Abraham and Sarah,
God cultivates us out of love,
But not always in ways that are predictable.

The Apostle Paul understands this.
In his letter to the Romans, he hearkens back to Abraham and Sarah.
Paul is trying to teach the romans, these first generation of Jesus followers
about inclusion and expansion:
That God’s covenant with Abraham can include ALL people:

Jew and Gentile.
(Which wasn’t something any Jew previously thought could be possible)
Paul teaches the Romans that God’s promises to Abraham and Sarah were
not because they were following the right rules, or were the right kind of
person.
Instead, it was because they were faithful.
It was not about what Abraham and Sarah did or didn’t do.
It was their faithfulness to let God Cultivate them:
Their TRUST that God was in control,
And letting go of their own control, could lead them in unpredictable places.

In our Gospel today,
Jesus says we must lose our life in order to save our life.
Maybe that means giving up predictability,
A sense of control,
In order to surrender to God’s mysterious cultivation.

After all, Jesus’ entire ministry reflects the surprising ways that God works
in the world, the way God takes human assumptions, and turns them on
their head.
In this scene, when Jesus reveals that he will suffer:
That he will be rejected and defeated by his political rivals, the disciples are
shocked.
The savior is supposed to be a great king, a warrior, a super-human.

Throughout generations, the Messiah was predicted to be a king
descending from David.
Instead, Jesus assumes a posture of humility:
And allows himself to suffer:
Like the real true human that he is.

It’s a shocking twist:
That the savior messiah:
Would be cultivated by God to suffer death.

But in God’s surprising unpredictability,

Jesus expands our understanding of God to include the experience of
humanity:
From birth to death.

Jesus’ entire life is a testament to God’s covenant and blessing.
God loves us so much that God sent Jesus as a human.
A human who cried, got angry, got hungry, fought with his friends, and even
died.
It’s a twist that both challenges our assumptions,
And personalizes God in a way that builds intimacy and personal
relationship.

Sometimes, it’s really hard to accept God’s twisty-turny way of working.
The disciple Peter really gets that.
Peter releases his own confusion and anger, perhaps his own loss of
control by arguing with Jesus.
And Jesus rebukes him directly and openly.
He reminds Peter and all of his disciples:
Including us today:

That God’s story isn’t ours to have as we will.
We don’t get to choose what the final cultivation will look like:
Or what the plant we’re cultivating will ultimately grow into.

As soon as we look for the convenient, comfortable, cozier way to follow
God in our lives,
We have lost the power of Jesus’ death and ultimately his resurrection.

Because death and resurrection—and the surprising unpredictability of
God’s cultivation—is what it means to be a Christian.
It’s not convenient, and its not easy.
It’s not a get out of jail free card,
And it’s not a ticket to heaven.

Being a Christian means holding on for dear life:
Holding on to God’s love while faithfully allowing God to cultivate his love in
us.
Being a Christian means a willingness to be transformed,

A willingness to admit that we don’t know everything,
And that God can AND WILL constantly surprise use.
Let’s be willing, faithfully, to be cultivated by God.

Amen.