The story of Abraham and Isaac is powerful and disturbing. If you are familiar with this story, recall the circumstances under which you first encountered it. What meaning was ascribed to it? How did it make you feel?

Read the story with fresh eyes, paying attention to the emotions and images the story evokes in you.

Reflect on how you responded (or might have responded) to the story as an eight-year-old child, a fourteen-year-old youth, or a young adult making your way in the world. Envision the way you will think about this story when you are an elder, looking back on your life.

Bring each person in your group into your mind and hold them in appreciative thought and/or prayer.