It's a bit cold and snowy here in PA. While the cold winds are howling around, the warmth of God's love calls us from the pages of Sacred Scripture.
1) Hagar and Ishmael - although it makes no real sense to us why this is the right thing to do, it's worth noting that God condones this action. Even when they are struggling in the desert, it seems like we should remain upset that Abraham listened to Sarah and cast the mother and son out of his life. And yet, God protected and blessed Ishmael, providing a well in the desert. Maybe there are times where God calls us to do difficult things or places us in situations where life makes little sense in the moment. In those moments, it is so vital to trust the guidance of God, who has the power to see the final outcome of the path to which he has called us.
2) The Sacrifice (er... near-Sacrifice) of Isaac - this has always been a troublesome story for many Christians. Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? Does this an indictment against God's lovingkindness, that he would as a man to do this? It seems implied that God was doing this to test Abraham's faith - but the question is, why does God need to test Abraham's faith any more? The author of Hebrews in the New Testament believes that Abraham offered up his son, recognizing that God could raise even Isaac from the dead and even figuratively received Issac from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19). Most Christians, therefore, see the story of Isaac as a "type" of Jesus Christ. That is to say, Isaac is representative of us, and how we should have to give up our own lives for the sins we've committed. The ram that God provides instead is symbolic of Jesus Christ, who gave up his life in our place at just the right time (Romans 5:6).
3) Isaac and Rebekah - this is just a really neat story of how God works out His plan to bring a wife to Isaac. It's very romantic. Although I often hear the dangers in talking about finding a wife/husband as a part of God's plan for us, I do really think that God does often work like this, to bring the intimate love of another into our lives at the right time and in the right way. It doesn't mean that we should always wonder, "Is she/he the only one" when we do fall in love with someone, but rather that we should see our spouse as a gift to us from God. Further, I really love the way God makes everything work out perfectly. I also love how, when meditating and praying, Isaac's wife first appears to him, and he is comforted by her. It's just such a neat story, I think. Well, that's yesterdays readings. I will post the readings for today later in the day. God bless!
Pastor Nathan
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