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The Story of Abraham and Isaac
We meet in the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Hymn: O Jesus I have promised - https://youtu.be/trs17OEHe7E
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
We come to say sorry to God:
My brothers and sisters,
as we prepare to celebrate the presence of Christ
in word and sacrament,
let us call to mind and confess our sins…
Father, you come to meet us when we return to you:
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
FATHER FORGIVE
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,
FATHER FORGIVE
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
FATHER FORGIVE
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
FATHER FORGIVE
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,
FATHER FORGIVE
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,
FATHER FORGIVE
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,
FATHER FORGIVE
Be kind to one another, tender- hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgives you.
Amen.
The Collect
God our Saviour
Look on this wounded world
In pity and in power
Hold us fast to your promises of peace
Won for us by your son,
Our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
Song: Oceans - https://youtu.be/6GGFb6LcX3U
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 22:1-14 Read by Antoinette
The Sacrifice of Isaac
22 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy[a] will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”;[b] as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”[c]
Song: Be still for the power of the Lord - https://youtu.be/ZugvUQ4m90U
Gospel Reading: Matt 10:40-42 read by Jennie
Rewards
40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
The Talk……ABRAHAM AND ISAAC
I know the church does not celebrate Father’s day which was last Sunday, but there is something to be said about this particular father…Abraham. God said he would be the father of a great nation. To do that he gave up just about everything he ever had to follow God- to keep the faith. The price of that faith nearly cost him his beloved son- or at least that is how it seemed. So how did it go so wrong…let’s recap.
Quiz time....(live)
This week we are looking at how we got from this…
To this…
Abraham never had it easy- he has already uprooted his family to follow God to a new land.
He has had to say goodbye to his other son and his mother and really had to rely on God to keep them safe.
And now God sends his most trying test of faith.
Let’s visit this story once more… https://youtu.be/N5aP78z9CxU
Abraham’s test of faith will stand throughout all history. All that God had promised Abraham now stood in jeopardy. What was God up to? Had he changed his mind?
This whole test of faith was appalling emotionally and theologically because it was only through Isaac that all God’s blessing would be fulfilled.
When the call came to Abraham, he didn’t outwardly argue and his obedience was prompt and complete. They had to travel 50 miles to Moriah to this place appointed by God for the sacrifice. Abraham didn’t delay, this was a response from the heart for not only the love of God but also a sense of duty. Had he delayed for any length of time, his mind would have hardened his heart to God’s command and instead dwelt on his love for his son.
I expect he didn’t tell Sarah.
This was to be a sacrifice of the heart and spirit.
Having arrived at Moriah, Abraham went on further with Isaac to the appointed place. He gave him the wood to carry for the sacrifice.
And they journeyed on.
Isaac was well versed in the ritual of sacrifice and asked the key question
“My Father…Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
To which Abraham replied “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son”
These very words- my father and my son, must have cut Abraham’s heart to the core. They were the last words Abraham heard or spoke to his son before the sacrifice took place. What is surprising in this account, is the lack of argument from Isaac- he seemed to just comply with what his father wished as Abraham bound him and laid him upon the wood. Isaac was to die at the hand of his own father and the light of the promise was to be extinguished.
BUT...
God only required a sacrifice of the heart not of the flesh. God abhorred the pagan sacrifices. He wanted Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in his heart to show that Abraham loved God more than Isaac.
Of course, Isaac was not sacrificed. God stopped the whole proceeding and a ram, caught in the thicket was used instead.
So what does this tell us about God?
God wants us, to put God first and right at the heart of everything that we do.
That following God is not easy, he does not always lead us down the direct road. There will be twists and turns along the way- there will be sideroads that we should avoid. The journey will have challenges, but God will never leave us to face them alone.
That the only sacrifice God wants is our hearts.
Ps 51:16-17
For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
This whole episode actually deepened Abraham’s capacity to obey God and developed his character. Abraham faced agonising choices. Step by step faith and hope triumphed over fear and doubt.
So what does it tell us for today?
We are Christians who follow a God who knows something of personal sacrifice. He himself, sacrificed his only Son on a cross of wood, his Son was made to carry to Golgotha. Unlike in Abraham’s case, there was no intervention to save him. And in return, his only Son Jesus, never argued when the time came but gave his life willingly to die for the sins of everyone.
Following such a God will cause all sorts of inner turmoil- bringing challenges we never expected.
Often God’s action in our lives is compared to refining a metal ore, dug out from the ground. The beauty of the metal is held hidden within. Life’s challenges are like the ore being heated up and the metal being extracted and refined until its true beauty is revealed. The whole process allows the true nature of the metal to be seen in a new light.
Life’s challenges, especially when very difficult, can make us feel insecure and alone. But we are never really alone, because we have faith. We believe that God walks with us. It is these challenges that bring out the true nature of our faith, an ongoing process, refinement after refinement, until at last its beauty can be truly seen in the light of God.
Finish with a prayer…
The Creed
Let us declare our faith in God.
We believe in God the Father,
from whom every family
in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith,
and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens us
with power from on high.
We believe in one God;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Prayers led by Margaret
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
Song: Here I am to worship - https://youtu.be/CoxopsRSfdU
Holy Communion - https://youtu.be/fHVmDKTUAmg
The Lord be with you
and also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
It is right to praise you, Father, Lord of all creation;
in your love you made us for yourself.
When we turned away
you did not reject us,
but came to meet us in your Son.
You embraced us as your children
and welcomed us to sit and eat with you.
In Christ you shared our life
that we might live in him and he in us.
He opened his arms of love upon the cross
and made for all the perfect sacrifice for sin.
On the night he was betrayed,
at supper with his friends
he took bread, and gave you thanks;
he broke it and gave it to them, saying:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
Father, we do this in remembrance of him:
his body is the bread of life.
At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine,
he gave you thanks, and said:
Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins;
do this in remembrance of me.
Father, we do this in remembrance of him:
his blood is shed for all.
As we proclaim his death and celebrate his rising in glory,
send your Holy Spirit that this bread and this wine
may be to us the body and blood of your dear Son.
As we eat and drink these holy gifts
make us one in Christ, our risen Lord.
With your whole Church throughout the world
we offer you this sacrifice of praise
and lift our voice to join the eternal song of heaven:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
We continue with the words of The Lord's Prayer:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen
We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.
Every time we eat this bread
and drink this cup,
we proclaim the Lord’s death
until he comes.
God’s holy gifts
for God’s holy people.
Jesus Christ is holy,
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Prayer of Spiritual Communion
Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally,
I ask you to come spiritually into my heart.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen
The Blessing
The peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds
in the knowledge and love of God,
and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.
Song: The blessing. Even if you do not wish to sing….please join in with the actions. https://youtu.be/va048-XxFTI
The Dismissal
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Notices
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