Abraham was born approximately 2100 years before the angel-heralded, midnight manger birth in Bethlehem, so when Joseph and Mary’s firstborn revealed this startling truth to some Jewish leaders: “I have existed long before Abraham was born, for I AM!” (John 8:58 TPT), John tells us the immediate, violent reaction was to put Jesus to death by stoning, for blasphemy (they failed to bring him down, that time). Jesus cited the beloved Patriarch partly because of the Jews’ veneration of their ancestors, their lineage, their vital connection to genealogy, their heritage, but mostly to encourage them to reach for God’s metastory, the big picture. Abram, as he was first named, was the son of Terah, an idolater, living in distant Mesopotamia. He was catapulted into God’s mission, the scope of which stretched past all known boundaries and required a dizzying, near-insane degree of trusting, loving submission to this God who was calling him. I’m convinced he obeyed because he was able to hear it - The Song.