Abraham the Father of Both Uncircumcised and Circumcised

Abraham the Father of Both Uncircumcised and Circumcised
ROMANS 4.9-12

One of the most solemn moments of a wedding ceremony comes when the bride and groom give or exchange rings. I have taken many weddings in my time. I have also stood there as a proud father for the weddings of two of my own children. Such moments are etched in my memory. The ring declares to the wearer, to the spouse, and to the whole wide world that a new relationship has come into being. A new covenant has been made. (Marriage is indeed a ‘covenant’, a binding agreement between the two parties. The Old Testament prophets sometimes used the image of a marriage covenant, including its stresses and strains, to highlight the nature of YHWH’s covenant with Israel.) The ring is a sign and seal of the covenant. It speaks of an endless love, going on and on and on. In my own case, it is many years since I was last able to take my ring off – a further sign, I trust, of the unbreakable bond between my wife and myself...