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Welcome to
Devotions for Worship where we meditate on the appointed Scripture readings for
the upcoming Sunday. I am Pastor Eric Tritten from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
in Hudson, OH.
Thank you for
being with me today.
Yesterday we read
from Mark 8 when Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” As
you know, that conversation led to Peter’s great confession, “You are the
Christ.” Today we turn to Jesus’ ancestor, Abram, who was not asking about who
people said he was, but to whom God gave a new name that reflected the plans
God had for him.
The Old Testament
lesson for the 2nd Sunday of Lent is from Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 and
I will read it from the English Standard Version Translation.
The Reading:
Genesis 22:1-18
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to
Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be
blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may
multiply you greatly." 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God
said to him, 4 "Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall
be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name
be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father
of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful,
and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7
And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after
you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you
and to your offspring after you.
15 And God
said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name
Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and
moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become
nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."
Comments
If God were not
the one speaking in this passage, it would be full of irony. Abram was
ninety-nine years old when God said he would be the father of a multitude of
nations. He was ninety-nine and had one, illegitimate, son. The irony would be
found in the names in the passage. Abram means, “Exalted Father.” Abraham
means, “Father of a Multitude.” He is barely a father, and hardly of a
multitude.
But God is the
one speaking here. There is no irony here; only God’s plan to bless the world
through Abraham and his seed. Abraham would be the father of a multitude and
Isaac would carry on in God’s promise, then Jacob, and then the Tribes of
Israel, until a little baby named Jesus was born. From Jesus everything would
change. In Him we understand that Abraham’s offspring are not merely those who
descend from him genetically, but those whose DNA reflects the faith of
Abraham, trusting in Jesus as the promised Messiah – the promised Christ.
So Sarai became
Sarah. Both names mean, “Princess.” And through her and Abraham, and through
their children the Christ would be born. The seed of Abraham who would bless
the whole world. And in him, we ourselves receive a new identity – a new name.
We become Christians – those who believe in and follow Jesus as our Savior and
God.
Meditate on this
today: God changed Abram’s and Sarai’s names to indicate that He was at working
bringing salvation into the world through them. He changes your name to
Christian to indicate that He is at work in your life to bring Christ’s salvation
to you and through you to others.
Prayers
O God, you
changed Abram and Sarai’s names to show that you were working in and through
them in Your great plan of salvation. We thank you that you turned them into a
multitude of nations, and especially that You brought the Christ into the world
through them. Abraham and Sarah waited a long time for You to fulfill Your promises
to them, and we ask for forgiveness for times that we have grown impatient
waiting for You and for Your salvation. Grant us faith like Abraham’s to trust
You fully. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Memory Verse:
Joel 2:13 - Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious
and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents
over disaster. (Joel 2:13 ESV)
Thank you so much
for using Devotions for Worship, I pray that our time together has blessed you
and given you something to meditate on – some reminder of God’s grace to rattle
around in your brain – for the rest of the day.
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God bless you!
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