Happy Friday!

Whew! It is chilly this morning! No dilly-dallying for me and Rocky as we went for our (brief!) morning walk. I hope you're bundled up and staying warm! It sounds like more snow is coming tonight, so be careful!


Yesterday's question and answer:
Thurs, Jan. 8: How does Matthew tell us that we are to pray? (Matt 6)
Matthew 6:5-6 5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:7-8 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:9-13 9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'"

And today's question of the day:
Fri, Jan 9: What does Sarah do when, as she eavesdrops, she overhears
God telling Abram that she will give birth to a son? (Gen 18)


And today's Scripture reflection:
Collective Bargaining (Gen 18)
This morning, in Genesis 18, we see Abraham doing a little collective bargaining on behalf of the people of Sodom. Even though THEY don't realize it, Abraham is doing ALL he can to save the both cities.

It all started when the Lord comes to visit Abraham, along with three mysterious strangers, and drops the "baby bomb" on Abraham and Sarah. And perhaps knowing God has great plans for him bolstered Abraham's courage. So when God mentions (rather casually, I think), "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know" (Genesis 18:20-21), Abraham speaks up tentatively at first, then with growing boldness, pleading that surely God will not "sweep away the righteous with the wicked" (Gen 18:23). Abraham bargains God down from 50 righteous to 10.

If you've read Genesis 19, you know the very unpleasant ending of this story. And I'm sure you have a lot of questions about the details of the story. (You can click on the comment box below this post and leave your questions there if you'd like.) But what I want to know is how do feel about Abraham's collective bargaining? God seems to allow Abraham to change his mind--how do you feel about that? Are you relieved? Does it make you a little anxious?

When faced with such an odd story like this, I think the best question to ask is, "Why is this story in the Bible? What does this have to do with the story of God and humans?" I think the answer to that question is that this is a story about sin. It is a story of the obedience of Abraham and the disobedience of humanity in general. If you look at it like this, Abraham seems to foreshadow Jesus Christ, the One who is perfectly faithful. Jesus intercedes on our behalf (more collective bargaining!) with God, taking the punishment for our sin on himself.

May your faith be as bold as Abraham's. May you pursue God with your prayer requests with the same tenacity as Abraham. And may you have a heart as big as Abraham for your neighbors and their welfare.

And may you have a productive day!
Allison