26- THE THREE PATRIARCHS: ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB
		
		
		The Epistle to the Hebrews presents the Patriarchs Abraham,
		Isaac, and Jacob to us as examples of men of faith. They 
		lived in hope. They lived with the promise of God's 
		faithfulness. 
		
		
		By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called, and went forth
		to the place he was to receive as a heritage; he went 
		forth, moreover, not knowing where he was going. By faith 
		he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
		dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same 
		promise; for he was looking forward to the city with 
		foundations, whose designer and maker is God. 
		
		
		By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac; 
		he who had received the promises was ready to sacrifice 
		his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall 
		your descendants be called." He reasoned that God was able
		to raise from the dead, and so he received Isaac back as 
		a symbol. By faith Isaac invoked for Jacob and Esau 
		blessings that were still to be. (Heb. 11: 8-10; 17-20) 
		
		
		This classical tribute to the great Patriarchs of the Old 
		Testament honors them, above all, for their faith. Firm 
		and unyielding in the midst of all obstacles, these 
		Patriarchs are celebrated by the Church on the Sunday of 
		the Forefathers, the second Sunday before Christmas. In 
		the Vespers we honor them: 
		
		
		O Faithful, let us sing a hymn of praise to all the 
		Ancestors who preceded the Law: Abraham the friend of God,
		Isaac, who was born of a promise, Jacob and the Twelve 
		Heads of the Tribes. Let us ask forgiveness of our sins 
		from Christ our God, Who is glorified in His Saints. 
		
		
		Christian prayers continually recall the posterity of 
		Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the Patriarchs of our 
		Christian inheritance. Their role in God's plan points 
		out many of the ways which God chose to make Himself known
		 to His people. Abraham is a model, for he is a father to 
		 us as he shows the right attitude among those to whom 
		 God spoke. When called to offer his only son, Isaac, in 
		 sacrifice, Abraham placed his faith in the one true God. 
		 Like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob both personify the tensions
		 existing among the earliest Patriarchs. Among many 
		 unbelievers, they attest to a history of God-in-action. 
		 Like the Patriarchs, we are called to witness our faith 
		 in the Lord God before men of our time. 
		 
		
		TROPARION -Through faith You justified the Patriarchs, 
		and through them You made a commitment to a Church with 
		gentiles. The Saints in glory rejoice because from the 
		seed of these Forefathers has come forth the blessed fruit
		which gave birth to You without seed. Through their 
		prayers, O Christ God, have mercy on us.