Description
Imagining the Lectionary: Restarting with Abraham (Lent 2C)
Reflection accompanying image “Restarting with Abraham”
When a particular piece of software starts to behave oddly, becomes sluggish or unresponsive or is incapable of being shut down properly - perhaps bringing with it the real danger of the whole computer locking up - the wise move is often to restart the operating system. Windows users are all too familiar with the last ditch response of hitting the Ctrl+Alt+Del key combination in order to try and get themselves out of just this sort of trouble. On a Mac 'Force Quit' may be just what is needed to put an aberrant piece of software in its place, although for peace of mind a full 'Restart' will ensure that the Operating System runs smoothly and everything works as intended.
In the Old Testament passage set for this Sunday we discover that Abraham is in an unstable state and his 'faith operating system' is in danger of locking up. God's response is to go for a Restart too. In Abraham's case this happens through a vision in which he is quite literally reminded, reformed and reinvigorated by the facts of God's love for him.
Continues...