Ramble for Kirwan Uniting Church Keeping in Touch pew sheet 25 February 2024

 A few weeks ago, I told you that my balance - or lack thereof! - has become worse. It’s all part of getting older. So my heart was gladdened when I looked at this Sunday’s OT reading from Genesis 17:

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

Abram fell facedown …


Abram (let’s fast forward and call him Abraham) has a few years on me at ninety-nine. So blessed as I already am, it’s encouraging to know that there isn’t an upper age limit for God’s covenantal blessings. And it’s further encouraging to know that the covenant is from thoroughly dependable God to unreliable me, not the other way round. By the way, Abraham wasn’t quite the paragon of virtue which “be blameless” suggests. He had married his step-sister, and was in the habit of not letting on that she was his wife if a useful or dangerous ruler took a fancy to her.


And the falling down bit? Well, if it’s in Coles (where I’m off to once I’ve despatched this to Chitra), I expect that a kindly passing shelf-filler or fellow shopper will hoist me to my feet. But when it’s me not keeping my end of a covenant with God, then:


You rescued me, and picked me up,

A living hope of grace revealed.

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