God sure knows how to pick 'em

Hey everybody…
 
Well, that’s a bunch of real winners, eh? Adultery, jealousy, fear, lying, favoritism. A perfect set of people for God to select as His model family of those who know and relate with God. The foibles of Abraham and Sarah’s family—chosen by God to bless the world with their witness of intimacy with God—reads more like a psychologist’s severe family counseling notes than it does a record of holy people. So, why did God pick them? Oh, and He picked me, too. Huh. Wonder why He did that. Let’s talk in Deeper Thoughts below….
 
But first… some quick updates:
                                                                                                                 
·      Mt Hope’s biggest day in nearly 200 years is coming up!!! Join us for Mt. Hope’s 190th Anniversary celebration NEXT Sunday, August 24, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.– a great day of worship, fellowship, southern pot-luck yummies, historical experiences, and gratitude to our God for all He has done through Mt. Hope for nearly two centuries. Click here to sign up for your potluck dish!
 
·      Teens: Check out this BIG STUFF!!
o   Fire Pit worship and hang out: TONIGHT, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. John Dively will lead us in worship and share his story.  Rain or shine! If it's good weather, we'll be in the fire pit area out back. If we get a pop-up t-storm, we'll move into the church sanctuary.
 
o   Youth Group: THIS Sunday, 11:30 – 1:00 p.m. Samuel Sierra will join us to encourage us with his faith journey. Snacks will be provided. Let us know if your teen needs a ride home.
 
o   To get plugged into our growing and awesome youth group, email Jessica Sauder: [email protected].
 
·      Men: Our “next up” get together: Cookout and hang out at Gordon Albert’s house--Saturday, August 30, 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. Plan to bring some stuff to grill… details and RSVP to come. Click here to email Gordon, or text him at 703-628-1870!
 
·      Ladies: Mark your calendars for Women’s Bowling at “The Branch,” Saturday, September 13, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. More details to come!!
 
·      Join me for “The Daily Six” – six minutes each morning in the Word of God, Monday through Friday, on our YouTube channel. If you’d like to receive daily email reminders and you’re not already getting them, click here to sign up!
 
OK…that’s it today for you email skimmers and you who are so perfect you understand completely why God put you in the royal family… BUT…
 
 
Some Deeper Thoughts…
 
Hasn’t your reading through Genesis been a little depressing thus far?
 
She told her husband to have an affair with her assistant so she could have a child; then she got super-jealous and abused the lady. He told everyone his wife was his sister so that the lustful fellas in town wouldn’t kill him and steal her. That brilliant idea didn’t work out so well—she got taken as a concubine for the local leading politician. Oh, and when they finally had a child of their own, that kid turned out to repeatedly follow in his dad’s footsteps and do the same foolish things.
 
What a family! And yet, God promised to bless the entire world through them for ages and ages to come. They would eventually be known as the people of Israel—the Jewish people—from whom the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would someday emerge. But for now, all the reading we have done thus far reveals Abraham, Sarah, and their son Isaac as totally “normal,” whacked-out people.
 
God’s goal with this troubled family, as we will much later come to recognize, was to model for all of humanity how to relate with God. Sounds like a pretty important role. So, why would God choose such unhealthy people to model the “perfect” family? Shouldn’t He have chosen some better folks? 
 
This Sunday, let’s step back and take a broad, high-altitude look at who these people are and why God was so in love with them. Let’s see if we can pick up any patterns between who they are, how they relate with God, and us. Maybe there is something we can learn from them. Maybe there is indeed something God wants to reveal.
 
I have a hunch it will be very encouraging. And challenging.
 
Do a little bit of advance reading, would you? Jump into Hebrews 11:8-22 and see if you can figure out what God saw in them. You might also want to contemplate how you fit into the picture through one of Mt. Hope’s most often referenced New Testament revelations: Ephesians 1:4-8.
 
Much love to you all… can’t wait to “Sabbath” together with you on Sunday and see where we belong in this wildly dysfunctional family known as Israel!!
 
Chris Eads
Mt. Hope Pastor
Friend