Our reflection today is from Perry Mullins.

[God] said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” — Genesis 22:2

The story of the sacrifice of Isaac is one of the hardest in the Bible for me to read, especially now that I have a son of my own. The thought God would ask Abraham to murder his son as a test is horrific. How spiritually and psychologically scarred would Abraham have been by this — or Isaac?

When we read the New Testament, we find another story of a Son being sacrificed, Jesus. And His Father is so distraught darkness covers the land and the earth quakes; the curtain of the temple is torn in two.

God has first given everything for us. God asks for no more than God has already offered.

Moving Forward: God doesn’t ask you for a burnt offering but a living sacrifice. What can you give to God that you have been holding back?

Mullins is rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in McKinney, TX. Father to Lucas and husband to Sarah, Perry enjoys cooking and being outside with his family. This reflection appeared in the popular daily devotional Forward Day by Day, which provides daily meditations based on scripture readings appointed by the lectionary and Daily Office from the Forward Movement, a ministry of the Episcopal Church, to counter a period of anxiety, distrust, and decline in the Episcopal Church with a “forward movement” charged to “reinvigorate the life of the church and to rehabilitate its general, diocesan, and parochial work.” Forward Day by Day is published in English, Spanish, large print, audio cassette, and Braille editions, and the daily meditation is available online. Since 1935, the Forward Movement has produced pamphlets, booklets, and books on such topics as prayer, liturgy, pastoral concerns, evangelism, stewardship, church history, and introductions to Anglicanism and the Episcopal Church. You can view all publications on their website, or request a catalog by writing to Forward Movement, 412 Sycamore St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. You may also call (800) 543-1813. For this new age, the Forward Movement is offering e-books, other digital resources, and smartphone apps. Just as pamphlets were cutting-edge in 1934, they are always changing to meet the needs of our day. If you have a suggestion for a new product, publication, or service, they are always glad to hear from you. Eight full-time and several part-time staff in Forward Movement’s offices in downtown Cincinnati edit and design the publications, market them, fill orders, and respond to the diverse concerns of those who call and write with comments and questions. It welcomes suggestions from congregations and readers on how they can be of more use and offer better service. Contact with comments, questions, or concerns at (800) 543-1813 or orders@forwardmovement.org. Forward Movement receives no subsidy from the Episcopal Church and operates with a balanced budget. Click here to donate to its ministry and mission. You can also follow us online on Facebook and Twitter.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: It’s not what we have in life, but who we have in our lives that matters.