Abram, prior to his name change to Abraham, is blessed by God to be a blessing.
The responsibility of his favored status is apparent from the beginning. God grants greater gifts not to be hoarded but to ensure that the world is transformed.
This idea has influenced much of Wesleyan theology including the sacrament of baptism where we understand that this blessing by God calls each of us into some kind of Christian ministry to the world.
Jesus understands this at his baptism as he sees God's favor. He immediately journeys to the desert to fast in preparation for his public ministry.
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Youth are participating in a relay race
where some are given disadvantages. All must
cross the finish line to win. We practice being
a blessing at a young age!
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I wonder if the journeys of Abram and Sarai influenced the itinerant ministry of Jesus? If he saw himself in this role of blessed-to-be-a-blessing, did he seek to travel widely in order to touch as many lives as possible? His ministry definitely transformed each part of the world he touched.
Another interesting tie between Abram and Jesus from today's chapter is the journey to Egypt.
Jesus flees to Egypt as an infant in Matthew 2:13-23. Of course, Joseph, son of Jacob, rises to power later in Genesis and is the key reason for the Israelites ending up in Egypt as a people. When Hosea 11:1 states, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." he is referring to the people called out during the Exodus. By including this quote in 2:15, Matthew is referencing Jesus as the new Moses. Just as Moses leads his people to eventual freedom, Jesus frees us from the bondage of sin and death.
As we continue on our own Lenten journeys, today's passage may allow us to hold up the mirror to our own lives and ask, "What gifts have I received from God?" Am I utilizing these gifts to share with others? How does my life bless the people I encounter?
O Lord, baptize our hearts into a sense of the conditions and needs of all people. Amen.
Prayer by George Fox, 17th Century, England, founder of the Quakers
Photo taken by Quent Wheeler on June 14, 2017 at Canyon Camp, Oklahoma.
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