Our legacy

Laura Digan September 10, 2022 0 0

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Genesis 24: 1-9 (NRSVA)

1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all that he had, ‘Put your hand under my thigh 3 and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred and get a wife for my son Isaac.’ 5 The servant said to him, ‘Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land; must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?’ 6 Abraham said to him, ‘See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and swore to me, “To your offspring I will give this land”, he will send his angel before you; you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.’ 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.

Reader note: This week Laura takes us through the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar with some hard-hitting monologues and reflections that explore some darker and more sensitive themes of the stories of these complex characters.

God promised Abraham: ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ That land is the land of Canaan. In trying to find Isaac a suitable wife he is protecting his son and his descendants’ legacy.

Abraham takes the protection of this legacy so seriously that he makes his trusted servant Eliezer of Damascus swear an oath that he will try and find Isaac a wife not from Canaan where they lived but from Abraham’s homeland. To secure Isaac’s legacy, the promise of the Lord, this wife-to-be needs to come back to Canaan with Eliezer. Isaac cannot return to Abraham’s homeland.

This year the effects of climate change seem to be stronger and greater than before. It seems that the effects of climate change are escalating. Extreme heat and fires in Europe. Drought and famine in Africa. In the past few weeks we have seen on the news the unprecedented flash flooding in parts of Pakistan. It has been described as a climate catastrophe.

I worry about the world we are leaving our grandchildren. When it is our time to meet our maker, what legacy are we leaving behind for our descendants?

What are we doing to secure their future?

PRAYER:

Lord God,

We live in challenging times,

Families throughout our land are under pressure financially,

Meaning we focus on the here and now and our own households and families.

Help us Lord to see beyond this moment and the immediate future and to consider the legacy we are leaving to our descendants.

You created this beautiful planet, Lord and all life upon it.

Give us insight Lord

Inspire us Lord

So that we desire to care for your planet

Ensuring we leave behind a world that is habitable for future generations of humanity, all wildlife and plant life

Help us to cherish your creation

Amen