March 23, 2025
3rd Sunday
Lent
FOCUS: The Lord is kind and merciful.
Today’s psalm is a joyful song of thanksgiving and remembrance. We know the history of Moses’ role in God delivering the Israelites from bondage, and we have heard the story of the barren fig tree, but the psalm allows us that moment of connection to God in our own particular way. He has pardoned us; he has healed us; he redeems us from destruction; he is merciful and gracious and surpassing in kindness. Our story is not just what happened then, but what is happening now, and the Lord indeed is kind and merciful.
What's in Your Heart
God tells Moses: “I am who am”—I AM, for short. God needs no point of reference, no proof. God is, period. We either accept it or we don’t. For us, as preachers, we first must ask ourselves:
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Do I really believe that God exists? When do I experience the greatest doubt? What brings me the most assurance?
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And second, like Moses, we must consider how best to persuade others of God’s loving existence. Do I show it in my actions? Am I bearing fruit? Do I live in right relationships and cultivate a spirit of openness and hospitality? Am I willing to acknowledge my mistakes and repent my wrongdoings? Do I show mercy on those who sin against me? Do I seek justice and show solidarity with all members of the community? Most of all, do I find joy in loving and serving God?
Homily Stories
When I was a college student I visited Ireland, the land of my ancestors. The spiritual highlight of my trip was when my Irish cousins brought me to the town of Raer Cross to stand among the ruins of a stone hut where my grandmother was born.
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I was surprised that I was so deeply moved. The house wasn’t much to look at; the slate walls were crumbling and it was astonishingly small. But I knew in my bones that this was holy ground. I stood in silence and let the stones speak. I wondered about my grandmother’s life as a girl, one of many children living in this small hut. I wondered what she thought, at age 16, when she had to leave her home, never to set eyes on it again. I wondered how it felt to board a ship to travel an ocean away to an unknown land without any certainty about what would await her in her new land.
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I’ve since learned that a lot of people who visit their ancestral homeland experience the place as sacred. Which makes me wonder about my own life. Why am I so unaware of its sacredness? Moses had the blessed experience of knowing that, as he was tending his flock, he stood on sacred ground. We should all be so lucky to have such awareness. After all, God dwells among us. And no matter where we spend our days, we dwell in God.
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