Hello Advent Family,

One of my favorite Biblical characters is Abraham or Abram when the story begins.  He jogs back and forth between extreme faithfulness and taking matters into his own hands.  I’d like to take some time to walk through his life together.  We will pick up the story at its beginning in Genesis 12.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

It is interesting that we do not know much about Abram before this point other than that he comes from the line of Terah.  God’s call to Abram is extremely impressive and yet also demanding.  He asks Abram to leave everything that he would have depended upon up to this point in his life.  He promises to bless him.  To make a great nation out of him and even to bless all people through him.  We don’t seem to have a moment of pause of lack of faith Abram simply goes.  When God promises land to Abram’s offspring who do not even exist yet, Abram builds an altar to worship God and to remember.  To worship and remember are two important aspects of our faith.  We worship God because of who He is and we remember His faithfulness to us.  Today may we all worship and remember the goodness of God.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave