Advent Devotional  |  November 30, 2020

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  Genesis 12:1-3

It was in Haran where Terah settled his family. This devotion begins with Abram, his son. They were on the way to Caanan, where God had called Abram to. Both Ur (where they started the journey) and Haran (where they stopped and where Terah died) were centers of pagan worship. God showed up in Abram’s life, calling him from paganism to Himself. This call was unexpected. An idol-worshipping man beckoned by the God of this universe? Yes, God called him. 

God has of way of calling people from death to life. From meaninglessness to meaning. He does not let “what is” cast a shadow on “what could be.” He is the God of unexpected calls. The surprise of being called is a significant hurdle to many, but not Abram. The text says it all in Genesis 12:4 “So he went, as the Lord had told him…” 

Abram was far from perfect. He came from a pagan background, lied about his wife to Pharoh, took terrible advice from his wife, and married her servant. But where he failed, Jesus succeeded. Our Savior, purposed by God, came through the line of Abram. He came to show us a called life. It was unexpected yet expected. He was the Sent One, the Holy One of God. And in Jesus, we too are called. The blessing promised to us through Abram is Christ. In Jesus, we are made new. His arrival means real hope that we can rightly live the called life.  

Pastor Dave Mergens