Heroes From Genesis

Greetings in the Name of our Lord,

For the next five Sundays, we will be following the key characters of the Genesis saga. Each of these persons are known for their part in the beginning of the Hebrew nation of Israel. Their faith in the one God, Yahweh, sets the stage for the ultimate salvation event in Jesus Christ. 

As we follow the lives of these first leaders of the faith, we learn that there is nothing special about them. They were ordinary individuals who dared to put their whole trust in God. It is their faith that sets them apart. Each had their faults. Each was flawed. It was their faith and trust in God that set them apart.

This Sunday, we begin with the life of Abraham. I love the story of Abraham. At seventy-five years old, God calls Abraham to leave his home and move to another land – Canaan. God promises Abraham that he will be the father of many nations. This promise seemed impossible for Abraham and his wife Sarah to believe, given their advanced age. Waiting for a son and heir is hard for Abraham as years passed without the birth of a son. Twenty-five years later, the promise is fulfilled with the birth of Issac to Abraham and Sarah. 

Waiting is hard. I often struggle with God’s divine promises. My impatience gets the best of me. I want God to work on my schedule – my way. It is easy for us to trust God for things when we are in control, but it is hard to trust God for the things we don’t control.

The apostle Paul speaks to the divine promises of God in his letter to the Ephesians. God has blessed us… “who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…” (Ephesians 1:3) Through Jesus Christ, the doors of heaven are open to us as the new promised land. In Ephesians, Paul calls the followers of Christ “blessed”, not because of who we are but because of whose we are. 

Let’s make worship a priority each Sunday. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we explore the possibilities of God’s promises.

See you Sunday!

Pastor John Allen