182 Abraham unites Jews and gentiles in Romans 4

The lectionary for Lent 2 in Year A is Romans 4.1-5, 13-17. The structure of Paul's argument here is complex, but the main idea is simple: Abraham is father of both Jews and Gentiles, and the order of events in his life teaches us about the nature of grace. He trusted God as was justified, and only then was he circumcised and obeyed God.

This teaches us about the nature of grace, the nature of the God of grace, and how we should respond to his invitation.

We include near the start a reflection on making use of AI in study and preparation for preaching.

The gospel reading this week is John 3.1-17, Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus; the written commentary for this is here: https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/nicodemus-encounters-jesus-in-john-3/

and the video discussion is here: https://youtu.be/kuKC-VhgH-A