Our Great Ancestor--Lent Two

• Great Ancestor
• Abraham
• Ancestors
• The Apostle Paul
• Faith and Trust

In his Epistle to the Romans, Paul raises the issue of trust. Today we live in a time where trust has failed. Everyone has faith because everyone trusts in something, even atheists. It costs about 2 cents to print one unit of paper money regardless of what the monetary value, but we trust that a twenty will be treated as such and not as a one or five dollar bill.

An act of faith is as simple as buying sunscreen. Yes, buying sunscreen is an act of faith and trust--trusting that the sun will shine again and that there will be summer weather again. It is also an act of faith and trust that it will block the sun and not burn your skin.

To the emperor Trajan 33. While I was making a progress in a different part of the province, a most destructive fire broke out at Nicomedia, which not only consumed several private houses, but also two public buildings; the town-house and the temple of Isis, though they stood on contrary sides of the street. The occasion of its spreading thus wide, was partly owing to the violence of the wind, and partly to the indolence of the people, who, it appears, stood fixed and idle spectators of this terrible calamity. The truth is, the city was not furnished with either engines, buckets, or any single instrument proper to extinguish fires: which I have now, however, given directions to be provided. You will consider, Sir, whether it may not be advisable to form a company of firemen, consisting only of one hundred and fifty members. I will take care none but firemen shall be admitted into it; and that the privileges granted them shall not be extended to any other purpose. As this corporate body will be restricted to so small a number of members, it will be easy to keep them under proper regulation. Trajan to Pliny 34. You are of opinion it would be proper to establish a company of firemen in Nicomedia, agreeably to what has been practiced in several other cities. But it is to be remembered, that societies of this sort have greatly disturbed the peace of the province in general, and of those cities in particular. Whatever name we give them, and for whatever purpose they may be instituted, they will not fail to form themselves soon into political clubs. It will, therefore, be safer, to provide such equipment as is of service in extinguishing fires, enjoining the owners of houses to assist in preventing the mischief from spreading; and if it should be necessary, to call in the aid of the populace.

Living under a dictatorship or empire, the freedom of self-thinking and self-organizing does not exist. There is no faith and trust. Abraham lived in the age of empires. For 3000 years empires raised and fell in in this time of tyranny, Abram heard and listened to God's voice. That just didn't happen under imperial rule. Yet, he heard God's voice and acted. God told him if you leave and go where I tell you to go, I will make you a great ancestor; the nations will be blessed through you. The nations, that is the people will be blessed, not the empires.

Even if we are not Jewish, we have a great ancestor because of Abraham's faith in the midst of ruling empires. The name, Abraham, means great ancestor.

Any system built on greed will fail; we let our system fail. Taking up a cross and following Jesus--doing something different. You have to be able to say that the authority who has the cross are dealing in death not life. Jesus shows us that the the cross is a means to life, ressurection and new life.