Welcome back to the Jesse Tree on the Catholic Sprouts podcast. Make sure that you are coloring and hanging

the ornaments that go along with each day's reflection. You can find the entire set of ornaments for

free by following the link in this podcast notes. Today is Wednesday of the first week of Advent.

Wickedness and sin survived the flood.

In the generations that followed the ark, people continue to ignore God and worship false pagan gods.

But instead of turning his back on us, God set out to redeem us through his chosen people.

This plan started with a single man named Abraham, whom God called out of his homeland.

And despite the odds, God made Abraham the father of a great nation of people. Listen now to the story of God

calling Abraham found in the book of Genesis. Genesis chapter 15 1 and 3 through 6.

After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision.

Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield.

Your reward shall be very great.

And Abram said, You have given me no offspring.

And so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.

But the word of the Lord came to him.

This man shall not be your heir. No one but your very own issue shall be your heir. But the word of the Lord came to him. This man shall not be your heir. No one but your very own

issue shall be your heir. He brought him outside and said, look toward heaven and count the stars if you are

able to count them. Then he said to him, so shall your descendants be. And he believed the Lord,

and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Abraham, who was known as Abram before God changed his name, is the father of our faith,

because he listened to God and believed what God told him. Abraham left his homeland and followed

God out into the wilderness. He entertained angels and regularly

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