Embracing Holy Indifference: Abraham and Sarah

Warm-up Question

When have you had to step out into the future, not knowing what was ahead? Give examples. 

Reflection Questions

• What do you see in this image?
• What do you feel looking at this image?
• What stories from your own life does this image bring to mind?
• What stories of the world does this image bring to mind?

So Abram Went

Genesis 12:1-9

Bible Story Reflection 

Don’t you wonder what went through the minds of Abram and Sarai as they packed up everything they owned and prepared to leave behind all that was familiar? When I think about this story, I often find myself in awe and wonder that they actually left. All they had was the three-fold promise of God about descendants, land, and blessing. There were no guarantees. There were no written contracts. There was nothing to go on but a holy promise, and with that holy promise they set out into a yet-to-be-realized future. It had to have been unsettling at the best and terrifying at the worst, and still they went. 

In many ways, this story is a watershed moment in the biblical narrative: there is everything that came before it – creation, rebellion, Noah, Babel, and there is everything that comes after it. This story is the beginning of a new beginning, a new, God-initiated long-term project, a project that through struggle, challenge, and much difficulty will eventually lead to Jesus. In light of that, this story is certainly about Abram and Sarai, but it is also about so much more. 

The call of Abraham and Sarai is a call to be open to the future that God was spreading before them. It is a call to trust. It is a call to imagine something new. It is a call to hope. Through this call, we begin to perceive and understand that God is indeed trustworthy: what God says God will do, God does. 

Through this story, we are invited to consider God’s call upon our own lives, to reflect upon – and then act upon – how God is calling us to be open to both the literal and metaphorical places that God would have us “go.” It provides us the opportunity to consider what God is calling us to “leave behind” so that God’s promise of blessing can be realized again and anew for us – and through us – in our own unique time and place. 

Discussion Questions 

1. Where is God calling you to “go” today, either metaphorically or literally? 2. What is God calling you to “leave behind” today, either metaphorically or literally? 3. Is it easy or difficult for you to imagine God’s future for you? 
2. How would you describe God’s promises for you? 
3. What sometimes makes it difficult to trust God’s promises for you? 6. What are the voices in your life that help you hear the call of God upon your life? 7. How can you be the voice of God for others, assuring them of God’s promises for them? 
4. How is the church being called to “go” to God’s places of promise? 9. What is the church being called to “leave behind? 

Activity Suggestions 

Write down just one thing that God is calling you to “leave behind” today. Develop a personal strategy to do it. 

Make an “Openness Journal.” Commit to writing down at least one thing each day that you are being invited to be open to. Include your reflections on how you respond to each invitation. 

Get into pairs and generate a list of ways to practice trusting God at home, work, church, in your community. Come together and make a master list. 

Prayer Concerns 

Travelers, those beginning new jobs or new lives in new communities, those for whom trust is difficult. 

Closing Prayer 

Open me to where you are calling me, O God, that I might go out in trust and hope. In the name of +Jesus, Amen 

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