The Descendants of Abraham

The Daily Prayer of the Church continues today with Stephen’s defense before the Jewish leadership where he speaks of salvation history:

 

And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

 

Then the high priest asked him, ‘Are these things so?’ And Stephen replied:

 

‘Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, “Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.” Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this country in which you are now living. He did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and maltreat them for four hundred years. “But I will judge the nation that they serve,” said God, “and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.” Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

 

‘The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions, and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan, and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit. On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all; so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors, and their bodies were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.  (Acts 6:15-7:16).

 

Stephen’s face was like a messenger of God, an angel, and he spoke of God’s intimate involvement with His people.  God calls Abraham not in his youth, but when Abraham is already on in years.  Abraham is a poster child for what can be done by senior citizens!  He moves his entire household, extended family, servants, possessions, to a new place, because Abraham placed his trust in the God who called him.  Stephen recounts how God continued to develop and to keep the promise that He made to Abraham. 

 

It is good for us to remember how God has been intimately involved in our lives.  You and I are descendants of Abraham in faith; we are the descendants promised by God to Abraham, a people bound together in faith and love of God.  When we gather together to worship on Sunday, we are a family tied together not by our blood, but by the Blood of Christ, where we form One Body.

 

Let us pray:  Gracious God, you take people from every race and tribe and bind them together in your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ; send your Holy Spirit to breath your life into us.  Amen.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550