“Father Abraham”


BIBLE READING: Galatians 1-3
DISCUSSION                                                                
 “Father Abraham…had many sons…had many sons had Father Abraham…I am one of them and so are you…So let’s all praise the Lord….”
                That song haunted me as a Youth Minister for years.  How is it, that the one song you can’t stand the most is the one song the kids always want to sing?  It was redundant, it was annoying, and you always seemed to lose control after it.  Although the song is not one of my favorites, the concept of the song is.  Ever since the first grade I became infatuated with the Promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12.  In that Promise, God had told Abraham that every nation of the earth would be blessed through him.  He promised him, in a vision, that he would have descendants that would number the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore.  As a kid I never understood how that would be possible; it would be impossible for one man to have that many children.   Well, just as Jesus said in Matthew 19.26 "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."   Paul does a good job at explaining how this can be possible in his letter to the Galatians. In Galatians 3.27-29 he reveals to us that when we are baptized into Christ, we have put on Christ.  Once we have put on Christ, we become adopted into His family through His blood.  Once we are part of Jesus’s family, we then become a “blood” (of Jesus) relative of His, making us part of His family.  His ancestor is Abraham, therefore making us an “heir according to Abraham’s Promise” (Galatians 3.29).  I do have an opportunity to lead that song occasionally, and although it isn’t my favorite song, I thank God for its meaning every day!!
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