January 3: The Second Sunday after Christmas (Epiphany)
God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.” When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. –Genesis 17:19-22
The Apostle Paul uses the Genesis story to illustrate that Jesus Christ is supremely the issue of all the law and the prophets:
In hope Abraham believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. –Romans 4:18-25
What a perfect description of the Christian life: you realize that you are hopeless, but you believe the certainty of God’s promise and make it yours. To any other kind of human effort, God laughs—and it may very well put you in the enemy category for him. Are you self-justified? Is your morality and goodness giving you confidence? He just laughs at you (like he did to Abraham and Sarah for a time). Are you God justified, having righteousness counted to you because Christ was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification? Then he’s laughing with you or over you (Isaiah 62).
And that’s the gospel. Come hear it preached and enacted in the supper with Jesus this Sunday.
The related hymns we’ll sing are:
As with Gladness Men of Old
Angels from the Realms of Glory
Good Christian Men, Rejoice
Sunday school for children (in Genesis) and adults (on Reformed theology) is up and running! Coffee and other treats are served at 9:15, teaching begins at 9:30, and we break to get ready for worship at 10:15.
Visitors are always welcome!