Second Sunday in Lent

"God Calls Us Out So He Can Call Us Up."

~ Shane Bryant

 

The Collect

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Call us out from the places that are harming us. Give us courage to leave what is familiar when You are leading somewhere better. Birth within us a faith that trusts Your promises more than our fears, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

 

The Lessons

Book of Genesis 12:1–4, God tells Abram, “Go from your country… to the land that I will show you.” No map. No timeline. Just a promise.

Epistle to the Romans 4, Paul reminds us that Abraham was justified not by achievement, but by belief. Faith, not performance.

In the Gospel of John 3, Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night and hears the unsettling words: “You must be born from above.”

And in the Book of Psalms 121, we lift our eyes and remember: “The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in.”

 

The thread is clear:

God calls us out — so He can call us up.

A Personal Reflection

     Four months ago, my body was in bad physical health — much of it due to stress from my career. I was comfortable there… although it was quietly killing me. Isn’t that strange? To be comfortable in a place that will ultimately lead to your demise? There’s an old saying: “I’ll take the devil I know over the devil I don’t.”

     Most of us have lived there at least once. The familiar misery feels safer than the unknown freedom. But Abram had to leave. Nicodemus had to unlearn. Abraham had to trust a promise that made no logical sense.

     Through prayer and fasting, I began sensing the Holy Spirit nudging me: Do not return to the same level of stress. Do not rebuild what was harming you.

Choose differently.

     For me, that means pursuing consultative roles rather than the high-stress territory work I once carried. It also means finishing the novels stirring in my spirit — stories that wrestle with moral questions, where characters must decide whether truth and honesty will win the day. The novels I'm  writing actually  have clear moral lessons in them. It is a call to a different  life, a new career, and a different  type of ministry. 

     There is fear in stepping into writing more fully. Fear of the unknown. Fear of rejection. But salvation — healing — wholeness — belongs to those willing to step out. It also means repentance,  repentance  in the form of letting go. Let go of what we think is right  for us because  it feels safe or comfortable,  but may very well be bringing  harm into our lives. When we let go of whatever has a grip on us, we make room in our lives to be "born  again" like Jesus told Nicodemus. 

Another  Story of Courage

     Before her novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe became a beloved book and later the film Fried Green Tomatoes, author Fannie Flagg faced repeated rejection. The manuscript was reportedly turned down numerous times before finally finding acceptance through a major publisher. What once seemed like closed doors became an open highway.

     Imagine if she had stopped at rejection number five. Or ten. Or eighteen. Sometimes the “no” is simply God strengthening your legs for the journey ahead.

Abram didn’t know where he was going.

Fannie didn’t know who would say yes.

Nicodemus didn’t understand rebirth.

But God calls things into existence that do not yet exist.

 

For Lent — And Beyond

     Lent is the season where we examine what is killing us slowly: Stress we call security. Habits we call comfort. Fear we call wisdom.

God may be asking you to leave something familiar.

Not to harm you —

but to heal you.

Not to diminish you —

but to raise you.

 

Reflection Questions

Where am I comfortable but slowly declining?

What fear keeps me from stepping into the unknown?

What promise is God asking me to trust without seeing the full map?

 

The Charge

Lift up your eyes. If God is calling you out, it is because He intends to call you up. Let go of what is harming you. Step onto the road you cannot fully see. Trust that the One who watches your going out will also guard your coming in.

 

Closing Prayer

Lord,

Give me courage to leave what is familiar when You are leading me forward.

Heal what stress and fear have wounded.

Teach me to trust Your promises more than my plans.

Birth in me what only Your Spirit can bring to life.

And as I step out, remind me that You are watching over every mile of the journey.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

 

Footnote

Biographical accounts of Fannie Flagg describe the repeated rejections of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe prior to its eventual publication and success.