Scripture: Genesis 22:1-2
After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.”
Thought for the Day: There are few stories in the Bible as troubling as this one. Even though God provided a ram to sacrifice instead of a young child, it remains heart-wrenching and disturbing to think that God created this elaborate test (or joke) that manipulated human emotions. With that said, I must realize that I am viewing this story through 21st century eyes. For another people in another time, these words would have been transformative. In its ancient context where children were sacrificed to different pagan gods, the notion that the God of Abraham and Sarah would provide a ram instead of requiring a child would have been glorious news. It would have been a turning point in their faith discovery. We might say God never changes, but the context in which God works is constantly changing. The story of God is always adapting to reveal how grace is always relevant. Maybe it wasn’t God who invited Abraham to sacrifice his son. Maybe it was Abraham’s assumption about God – an incorrect assumption based upon the many gods of other cultures – that God corrected with grace.
Prayer: Come anew, O God, into this moment and into our unique historical setting. Amen.
PRAY FOR THE MEN OF CCCC
WHO ARE ATTENDING
THE REGIONAL MEN’S RETREAT
THIS WEEKEND
