March 1, 2026
Revised Common Lectionary
Genesis 12:1-4a
Psalm 121
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
John 3:1-17
Lectionary for Mass (RC)
Genesis 12:1-4a
Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 (22)
2 Timothy 1:8b-10
Matthew 17:1-9
The following reflection is based on today’s Hebrew Scripture reading from Genesis. For a reflection on John 3:1-17, click here.
A friend recently recounted—with evident delight—how on Christmas morning this past year, she and her husband had a big surprise for their children. Still rubbing their eyes from sleep, the kids were greeted by the news that their “big” Christmas present was a trip to Disney World and that the whole family would be leaving that very afternoon. While they were totally surprised by this unexpected news and would need to get ready quickly, the kids were also very excited and couldn’t wait to get moving.
When God told Abram and Sarai in today’s reading from Genesis, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Gen 12:1), they were undoubtedly as surprised as my friend’s children—but far more uncertain. After all, they were simply told to get up and go to an unknown place that would only be identified later. The contrast is stark: not an announced destination but a journey into unknowing.
This Lenten season invites us into precisely this kind of discomfort. The forty days stretch before us like Abram and Sarai’s unmarked path—a time of spiritual journeying without guaranteed outcomes, of trusting God’s promises even as we relinquish our need for certainty and control.
Abram and Sarai would set out on a journey that would not only take them to a new location but would transform their very identities. They would become Abraham and Sarah, blessed and chosen, their descendants destined to become a great nation and—more radically still—a blessing for “all the families of the earth” (Gen 12:3).
Those of us who walk the journey of Christian discipleship can look to Abraham and Sarah as models. Each of us has received the call to set out without knowing the destination or the path that we will need to follow. For some, the call to follow Christ leads to supporting a child with special needs or caring for an ailing parent. For others, it means standing with neighbors who face unjust threats or treatment or making difficult choices about how we use our resources and privilege.
Like Abraham and Sarah, we are called to respond in trust without knowing the destination.
For persons in our communities who are preparing for Easter baptism and for all of us already claimed by the water, Abraham and Sarah’s story is our story. We too have been called out of comfortable certainty to follow the path of discipleship—a journey that transforms our lives. We receive God’s blessing in baptism not for ourselves alone, but to become a blessing for “all the families of the earth.”
A Hymn for Today: “We’ve come this far by faith”
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews portrays Abraham as one who trusted God’s promises even when they seemed impossible. He is thus a model of persevering obedience and faith. Disciples of Christ are likewise called to trust in God’s faithfulness, not only during the Lenten season, but also as we walk the journey of the Christian life.
“We’ve come this far by faith” was written by African American Gospel musician Albert A. Goodson, whose roots were in the Pentecostal church. It reflects the experience of people who have lived with hardship yet have continued to trust in God. It was originally published as a choral octavo in 1956 but soon appeared in the hymnals of African American churches and is now included in the hymnals of many mainline denominations as well. Listen here for a choral arrangement composed and directed by the late James Abbington, FHS.
Refrain
We’ve come this far by faith,
leaning on the Lord,
trusting in his holy word;
he never failed me yet.
O, can’t turn around,
we’ve come this far by faith.
Verses
Don’t be discouraged
when trouble’s in your life,
He’ll bear your burdens
and move all misery and strife.
That’s why we’ve come this far . . .
Just the other day I heard someone say
he didn’t believe in God’s word;
but I can truly say that God had made a way,
and he’s never failed met yet.
That’s why we’ve come this far . . .
Text and Tune: Albert S. Goodson, b. 1933. © 1965, renewed 1993, Manna Music, Inc./ASCAP (admin. By ClearBox Rights). Used by permission under OneLicense #A-729857.
Image: Departure of Abraham, Jacopo Passano and Francesco Passano the Younger, c. 1570, National Gallery of Canada, Wikimedia commons
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