Fearghal Kelly - February 8, 2026
Does God see me?
Genesis 16 This is the first time in the Bible we see a marriage conversation, the first angel, and the first name a person gives to God. The first speech the Bible records in a marriage is Adam’s poetry he shares with Eve (Genesis 2). But sadly by Genesis 16, we get both sides of a conversation and it’s a marriage argument. Sarai feels the pain of childlessness. She tries to ease the pain her own way, even if it costs someone else, rather than trusting God. Hagar becomes a surrogate mother for them. This was normal in the culture of their homeland, but out of line with God’s design for sex and marriage. Back in Egypt, Abram compromised the sacredness of his marriage to Sarai for his own sake. Now with an Egyptian servant, Sarai compromises the exclusivity of their marriage in a different way. Hagar is utterly voiceless, overlooked, and alone. She is used and discarded rather than loved. Except, an angel visits her and names her child (like how an angel names Mary’s son Jesus). Well, actually, he first appears as an angel, but by the end it seems like this is God himself. God sees Hagar and God listens (‘Ishmael’ means ‘God listens’). For more about Christ Central Church Portsmouth visit: https://christcentral.church Or via socials: www.facebook.com/christcentral.ch www.instagram.com/christcentralchurchportsmouth To connect with us email: hello@christcentral.church or give us your details at https://www.christcentral.church
From Series: "Genesis - God's people in God's plan"
The Bible has clear instructions in parts, but most of it is story. Stories of people messing up. Stories of people discovering God’s grace. Stories we can learn wisdom from. The middle bit of Genesis tells the story of three generations who discover what it means to be God’s people in God’s plan for his world. And they don’t always get it right. Their stories include: marriage problems, death and grief, parenting struggles, choosing a spouse, sexual immorality, deception, reproductive ethics, unjust employers, relationships that distort God’s design, the strength of friendship, birth, infertility, abuse, betrayal, forgiveness, aging, value of life from womb to tomb, loneliness, racism, politics, war, buying land, wealth management, and learning wisdom from all the ambiguity of ordinary life trying to trust God in a fallen world. We face many issues in life where we have to ask: What does it mean to be God’s people in this? What’s God’s plan for it?
