Look Up to the Stars

Look Up to the Stars
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

So, the picture may be a bit of a stretch... but I'll try to make the connection. I've been thinking about the Old Testament text for the week, Genesis 15, since I first read it on Monday. God promises to make Abraham into a great nation, but Abraham wonders how this can happen since he has no children of his own. God tells him not to worry. Look up to the heavens. You'll have descendants like the stars in the sky. Honestly, Abraham makes me a bit angry in this passage. So he doesn't have children by blood. But there is adoption. There is a child with a servant. I realize it was a different time and place, but still. It is a painful reminder for those of us who can't or don't have children
While God's answer in this passage focuses on granting Abraham a son with his wife, Sarah, I am grateful that in Christ the answer moves far beyond that initial promise. In Christ, we are all children of Abraham and heirs to God's promises. Ironically, often our churches carry Abraham's same concern and focus. We think of family only as those who are related by blood or marriage. May we at Lent remember that we are all a part of the family of faith by adoption.