Father Abraham

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your very great reward.”
But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless…
You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood.” God took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Abram believed the Lord, and God credited it to him as righteousness.
-Genesis 15:1-6

Happy Father’s Day!  This Sunday, we begin our summer sermon series with a country flair, “Trouble in the Old West-ament”.  These lesser-known stories of the Old Testament bring insight and challenge our understanding of God’s work in the world.  We begin on Father’s Day with the story of Abraham, the “father of many nations” (Genesis 17:4).

Abraham’s journey to fatherhood was fraught with conflict, bad decisions, and years of heartbreak.  When he finally did become a father, he ended up sending his first son, Ishmael, away with his mother, Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid.  The story we will explore is the relationship Abraham had with Isaac.  The hopeful news is God has a plan.  We often need to be patient rather than taking matters into our own hands.  We also see through the story of Abraham that even imperfect fathers can do great things.  Please join us in worship this summer as we look back to these perhaps unfamiliar stories from the Old Testament.

God our Father, we give you thanks and praise for fathers young and old.
We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their vocation; may they find courage and perseverance to balance work, family and faith in joy and sacrifice.
We pray for fathers around the world whose children are lost or suffering; may they know that the God of compassion walks with them in their sorrow.
We pray for men who are not fathers but still mentor and guide us with fatherly love and advice.
We remember fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love. Amen