"Have you ever been given a gift you truly treasured and then been asked to give it up?" asked the Story Teller.
The listeners grew even quieter as they thought of such a time. Their thoughts were in many different places. One thought of a bracelet her parents had given her but then was sold to get the money needed for her baby brother's operation. Another thought of the gift of his first sweetheart's love who then moved away. An older couple looked into each other's eyes and smiled, remembering their house that had burned with all their possessions.
"That is the theme of the story tonight," he said.
The Story Teller paused, knowing that each listener would take the story personally. How else could they understand it? He hoped that some would see larger meanings.
"You may remember the story of Abram and Sarai who were escorted to the border of Egypt and asked to leave when Pharaoh found out that Sarai whom he had married was Abram's wife and not his sister as he had been told. This is a story about Abram and Sarai in their later life.
"After they had moved on and settled down elsewhere, God gave them a name change. Abram was now Abraham and Sarai was Sarah. Often in later life, when you no longer go by an earlier name, it means that you are a little more grownup, that you have left those earlier years and their foolishness behind.
"Even though Sarah was older and past child-bearing years, she had a son just as God had promised her. His name was Isaac.
"You may remember from the story of Cain and Abel that long years before Abraham the custom was to offer sacrificial food to God and that God didn't want vegetables. He liked meat. So Abraham was accustomed to burning recently killed animals on an altar to God.
"One day God decided to put Abraham to a test. Would Abraham do whatever God asked? God called out to him, 'Abraham, Abraham.' Abraham said 'Here I am.' God said, 'Take your son, your only child Isaac, whom you love, and go offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain I will point out to you.'"
The Story Teller paused to let that sink in. Before resuming the story he thought to himself, this is probably where God first got the idea that he put to use later in his own transformation.
"We don't know what Abraham thought about the matter. We can presume it caused him some anguish. But maybe not. He was firmly established as a prophet of God by that time and may have figured that God knew what he was doing.
"Abraham got up early the next morning, chopped some wood for the sacrificial offering, loaded it on a donkey, and took off in the direction God indicated with Isaac and two servants. On the third day of travel they arrived.
"Abraham told the servants to stay with the donkey, loaded the wood on Isaac, took some fire and a knife and headed out. Isaac had no idea what was going on. He said, 'Dad, we have the wood, the fire, and the knife. Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?' Abraham said, 'Don't worry. God will provide.'
"They got to the place. Abraham built an altar, arranged the wood on it, then tied up Isaac and put him on top of the wood. You can only imagine what was going through Isaac's mind.
"Abraham took the knife and was ready to do the deed. He was told, 'Stop!' God said, 'Now I know that you fear me and will do what I say. You have not refused me your son, your only son.'
"Abraham put the knife away and untied Isaac. He saw a ram nearby with its horns caught in a bush. He sacrificed the ram to God instead of his son."
Even the people who had heard the story before heaved a sigh of relief. It was a powerful story that raised more questions than it answered. Who is this God who asks so much of people?
The listeners grew even quieter as they thought of such a time. Their thoughts were in many different places. One thought of a bracelet her parents had given her but then was sold to get the money needed for her baby brother's operation. Another thought of the gift of his first sweetheart's love who then moved away. An older couple looked into each other's eyes and smiled, remembering their house that had burned with all their possessions.
"That is the theme of the story tonight," he said.
The Story Teller paused, knowing that each listener would take the story personally. How else could they understand it? He hoped that some would see larger meanings.
"You may remember the story of Abram and Sarai who were escorted to the border of Egypt and asked to leave when Pharaoh found out that Sarai whom he had married was Abram's wife and not his sister as he had been told. This is a story about Abram and Sarai in their later life.
"After they had moved on and settled down elsewhere, God gave them a name change. Abram was now Abraham and Sarai was Sarah. Often in later life, when you no longer go by an earlier name, it means that you are a little more grownup, that you have left those earlier years and their foolishness behind.
"Even though Sarah was older and past child-bearing years, she had a son just as God had promised her. His name was Isaac.
"You may remember from the story of Cain and Abel that long years before Abraham the custom was to offer sacrificial food to God and that God didn't want vegetables. He liked meat. So Abraham was accustomed to burning recently killed animals on an altar to God.
"One day God decided to put Abraham to a test. Would Abraham do whatever God asked? God called out to him, 'Abraham, Abraham.' Abraham said 'Here I am.' God said, 'Take your son, your only child Isaac, whom you love, and go offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain I will point out to you.'"
The Story Teller paused to let that sink in. Before resuming the story he thought to himself, this is probably where God first got the idea that he put to use later in his own transformation.
"We don't know what Abraham thought about the matter. We can presume it caused him some anguish. But maybe not. He was firmly established as a prophet of God by that time and may have figured that God knew what he was doing.
"Abraham got up early the next morning, chopped some wood for the sacrificial offering, loaded it on a donkey, and took off in the direction God indicated with Isaac and two servants. On the third day of travel they arrived.
"Abraham told the servants to stay with the donkey, loaded the wood on Isaac, took some fire and a knife and headed out. Isaac had no idea what was going on. He said, 'Dad, we have the wood, the fire, and the knife. Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?' Abraham said, 'Don't worry. God will provide.'
"They got to the place. Abraham built an altar, arranged the wood on it, then tied up Isaac and put him on top of the wood. You can only imagine what was going through Isaac's mind.
"Abraham took the knife and was ready to do the deed. He was told, 'Stop!' God said, 'Now I know that you fear me and will do what I say. You have not refused me your son, your only son.'
"Abraham put the knife away and untied Isaac. He saw a ram nearby with its horns caught in a bush. He sacrificed the ram to God instead of his son."
Even the people who had heard the story before heaved a sigh of relief. It was a powerful story that raised more questions than it answered. Who is this God who asks so much of people?
I look forward to your answer to "Who is this God who asks so much ...?" There's a question that's haunted the ages.
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