2nd Sunday of Lent 2026: March 1

Our Lenten journey continues on this 2nd Sunday of Lent 2026, as we explore the call to faith and the promise of new life. Today, we hear God’s call to Abram to leave everything familiar behind and trust in His promises. We also encounter Nicodemus, who comes to Jesus at night seeking understanding and learns that entering God’s kingdom requires being born from above. Join us for Morning Prayer as we reflect on what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.

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The Collect for the 2nd Sunday of Lent 2026

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Readings for the 2nd Sunday of Lent 2026

Old Testament: Genesis 12:1-4a

1 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. 2 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. 3 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.”

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.

Psalm 121

The Epistle: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

1 What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift, but as something due. 5 But to one who, without works, trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.

13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

16 For this reason it depends on faith, inso thathe promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

The Gospel: John 3:1-17

1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but inso thathe world might be saved through him.”

Reflection on the Readings for the 2nd Sunday of Lent 2026

Join us for Morning Prayer as we explore the journey of faith!

Old Testament – Genesis 12:1-4a

God calls Abram to leave everything—his country, his relatives, and his father’s house—and go to a land that God will show him. This call leads into the unknown and requires complete trust. God makes extraordinary promises: Abram will become a great nation, his name will be made great, and he will be a blessing. Through Abram, all the families of the earth will be blessed. The scope of God’s promise goes far beyond one individual or a single people; it encompasses a universal blessing.

Abram’s response is striking in its simplicity: “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.” There are no questions, no negotiations, and no requests for more information—just an obedient faith that steps forward into God’s promise without knowing the destination.

Psalm 121

This cherished Song of Ascents is a psalm that expresses trust for travelers and pilgrims. The psalmist looks up to the hills and wonders where help will come from, possibly concerned about the dangers in the mountain passes ahead. The response is both immediate and confident: help comes from the Lord, who is the maker of heaven and earth. God watches over His people and does not slumber. He provides shade at our right hand, protecting us from the sun by day and the moon by night.

The Lord guards us against all evil and watches over our going out and coming in, now and forevermore. This promise sustains those who, like Abram, journey into the unknown—God Himself is our keeper, our protector, and our unfailing guardian.

Epistle – Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

Paul uses Abraham as the prime example of justification by faith rather than by works. If works had justified Abraham, he could have boasted, but not before God. Scripture states that Abraham believed God, and that belief was credited to him as righteousness. Paul contrasts wages (earned through work) with gifts (received through faith). The promise made to Abraham and his descendants was not based on the law, but on the righteousness that comes from faith.

If inheritance depended on following the law, then faith would become meaningless, and the promise would be void. However, the promise is grounded in grace and is guaranteed to all of Abraham’s descendants—both those under the law and those who share Abraham’s faith. Abraham is considered the father of many nations because he believed in the God who brings the dead to life and calls into existence things that do not exist.

Gospel – John 3:1-17

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and leader of the Jews, comes to Jesus at night—possibly to avoid being seen or because his questions are too profound for daylight. He acknowledges Jesus as a teacher sent from God. In response, Jesus makes a startling statement: no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above. Nicodemus takes this literally and asks how someone can be born again when they are old. Jesus explains that entering God’s kingdom requires being born of water and the Spirit. While flesh gives birth to flesh, the Spirit gives birth to spirit. The Spirit moves like the wind—unpredictable, mysterious, and powerful.

Nicodemus then asks, “How can these things be?” Jesus challenges him, saying that as a teacher of Israel, he should understand these concepts. Jesus then shares profound theology: the Son of Man must be lifted up so that believers may have eternal life. The Gospel reaches its climax with one of scripture’s most beloved verses: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” God sent the Son not to condemn the world but to save it.

Overview for the Readings for the 2nd Sunday in Lent 2026

The central theme of these readings is faith as trust in God’s promises and openness to His transforming work. Abram walks by faith into the unknown, trusting in God’s promise. The psalmist assures us that God watches over our journey. Paul teaches that righteousness comes through faith in the God who creates life from death. Jesus tells Nicodemus that entering God’s kingdom requires spiritual rebirth, not through human effort, but through divine transformation.

As we continue our Lenten journey, we are challenged to trust like Abram, to believe like Abraham, and to be born anew by the Spirit. We may not understand how these things are possible, but we trust in the God who loved the world so much that He gave His only Son. Our help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, who watches over our going out and coming in, now and forevermore.