Sunday, 3/12Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 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.’ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. When was the last time you moved? Was it to a new church? New school? New town? New job? New state? New country? Moving, regardless of how positive and exciting it may be, is always stressful. There is always uncertainty, anxiety and things beyond our control involved. I have moved more times than I even want to try to count. My most challenging move - and the move that has shaped all others - was my move to college. I went from a laid back Southern California surfing town to NYU right in the heart of Greenwich Village in New York City. It seemed great in theory, but when it became reality, I suffered from a summer of panic attacks and debilitating anxiety. For some reason, I went anyway. I sort of put all my eggs in one basket when I stepped into that terrifying unknown. A girl I met at orientation early in the summer was really nice. She was from Long Island. And she was almost as scared as I was. We decided to request to be roommates. This one small line of support and hope of friendship helped me step into that uncertainty. I am always in awe of how Abram/Abraham has this amazing faith in God to uproot his life and establish a nation. He was not 18 years old. He was 75!! He could not take a flight back home if things got too difficult. He stepped into the unknown and discovered the promises of our almighty God who did not leave him alone. This is not to say Abram/Abraham did not have his moments of fear and doubt. He most certainly did, quite infamous moments, at that. In the various changes and chances in our lives, we learn in the earliest stories of our faith that we can trust in God’s eternal changelessness. This is sometimes revealed to us in scripture. It is sometimes revealed to us in the steadfastness and faithfulness of friends and family who help us along when our own footing and faith fails us. In our Lenten journeys this year, discover God’s unchanging faithfulness to us, even in the midst of our own fear and doubt. - The Rev’d Jenny Owen
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