Genesis 32:1-21
We pick up the thread of the conflicted brothers as if nothing has happened in the years since Jacob fled his home – except now Jacob has a wealth of assets to send before him in appeasement. The combination of careful planning and strategy and fervent, humble prayer before God probably rings true with a lot of us. We do what we can when we find ourselves in a ‘spot’, but also pray, “Lord just get me out of this one and I’ll …”
Jacob’s insecurity comes even though he once again has encountered angels (verses 1-2; compare 28:10-22 and 31:10-13). Behind this is a cosmic view that assumes God’s messengers are constantly at work behind the scenes of our lives. That dimension is cracked open for Jacob on these several occasions, revealing to him something of the heaven-directed purpose of his trials. This should be of immense assurance to us. Such revelation and assurance is enough for us to get on with things, but not necessarily enough for us to feel entirely confident. So don’t feel you lack faith because of such confusion of feelings. Jesus himself was wrought with turmoil before his greatest trial, and he knew exactly where he was from and what it was all about.
The mixture of belief and unbelief, confidence and insecurity is part of all of our lives. We just need lots of prayer, time with God’s Word, real fellowship and renewing worship to have enough to go on – one sense of the “daily bread” we pray for, i.e. enough to go on for the day. It keeps us directed toward our true Strength (vertical) and those with whom we share mutual support (horizontal). And it works in such a way that confidence (in God) and peace of mind can be the overwhelmingly dominant characteristic of our experience.
Prayer:
Lord, give us this day our daily bread. Through Christ, who has traveled before us the road of life to death to greater life. Amen.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
The Committed Lord
Genesis 31:36-55
The indignant speech of Jacob reveals much of the character and rights of the shepherd life. Now that Laban and Jacob have each had their speech against the other, they enter into a covenant. The Lord is present in this in such a way that he doesn’t just oversee things, but is actually a third party to the covenant. It is understood that God’s role is to take action against either human party who violates the deal. (God is often acknowledged as the third party in the covenant made between a man and woman in marriage – but hopefully in a little more positive sense; as the one who is acting in their promises and in their lives and will empower them to “be a sign of God’s kingdom on earth” as the preamble to the vows says.)
I find myself fast-forwarding to the highest form of covenant, in which Jesus pledges himself to us with his own blood. In this he is not just a third party but the main party, the initiating party, the one who is present with us and empowers us to fulfill our part (discipleship in every sense), until he comes again and fulfills the covenant himself. Sometime when we are revising our congregational calendar, we should make a point of making the last Sunday of the year a high point instead of the ‘low Sunday’ it usually is. And we should celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper as a reminder of who will be present and ahead of us in the year to come, and all time to come.
Prayer:
I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
before the "gods" I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
When I called, you answered me;
you made me bold and stouthearted.
May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.
May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.
- Psalm 138:1-5 NIV
The indignant speech of Jacob reveals much of the character and rights of the shepherd life. Now that Laban and Jacob have each had their speech against the other, they enter into a covenant. The Lord is present in this in such a way that he doesn’t just oversee things, but is actually a third party to the covenant. It is understood that God’s role is to take action against either human party who violates the deal. (God is often acknowledged as the third party in the covenant made between a man and woman in marriage – but hopefully in a little more positive sense; as the one who is acting in their promises and in their lives and will empower them to “be a sign of God’s kingdom on earth” as the preamble to the vows says.)
I find myself fast-forwarding to the highest form of covenant, in which Jesus pledges himself to us with his own blood. In this he is not just a third party but the main party, the initiating party, the one who is present with us and empowers us to fulfill our part (discipleship in every sense), until he comes again and fulfills the covenant himself. Sometime when we are revising our congregational calendar, we should make a point of making the last Sunday of the year a high point instead of the ‘low Sunday’ it usually is. And we should celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper as a reminder of who will be present and ahead of us in the year to come, and all time to come.
Prayer:
I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
before the "gods" I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
When I called, you answered me;
you made me bold and stouthearted.
May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.
May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.
- Psalm 138:1-5 NIV
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
No Contest
Genesis 31:17-35
The visible drama is between Jacob and Laban. Laban has all the rights here. He would have every right to come down on Jacob, except for one thing: God, the real God, has spoken to him. That brings us to the real drama here, but the parties to the drama, God and Laban’s household gods, are so unevenly balanced as to make it no drama at all. The God of Jacob is directing things, even speaking directly to Laban. Laban’s family gods are hidden away, powerless, even sat on. They do not impact events. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is directing this scene, and all of history.
Prayer:
Lord, this year is approaching its end. All kinds of human dramas are being played out, for the most part oblivious to your oversight. Many gods are worshiped. They have no power except to add to misdirection, confusion and pointless contests. We resolve to point more passionately and compellingly to you, in living, acting, and speaking. Through Christ. Amen.
The visible drama is between Jacob and Laban. Laban has all the rights here. He would have every right to come down on Jacob, except for one thing: God, the real God, has spoken to him. That brings us to the real drama here, but the parties to the drama, God and Laban’s household gods, are so unevenly balanced as to make it no drama at all. The God of Jacob is directing things, even speaking directly to Laban. Laban’s family gods are hidden away, powerless, even sat on. They do not impact events. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is directing this scene, and all of history.
Prayer:
Lord, this year is approaching its end. All kinds of human dramas are being played out, for the most part oblivious to your oversight. Many gods are worshiped. They have no power except to add to misdirection, confusion and pointless contests. We resolve to point more passionately and compellingly to you, in living, acting, and speaking. Through Christ. Amen.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Bless You
Genesis 31:1-16
Jacob leaves out a bit of information about the cattle when talking to Leah and Rachel in the field. But I suppose he would say, “O yeah, look what Laban has done to me over the years,” and he does (more so in the next section). He knows he is touching on a legal issue here, in that everything is Laban’s. It would be nice to think that the women have a choice about going away with Jacob because of some freedom gained on their part. Not so. It’s because they were considered part of the property. They are not worried about going against custom in breaking that connection with their “father’s house” since it appears they are not going to inherit anything from their father. So they see their place, and their material well-being, as having transferred to Jacob. We know that at a deeper level this is because the blessing is with Jacob.
Prayer:
God, do you still do this? Do you give a blessing to some that makes everything go their way, even if not for their own sake? You made the Holy Spirit available to everyone, so maybe part of the answer to this today is that we are to be blessings to one another. So show me how I can make the way better for someone today. Through Christ. Amen.
Jacob leaves out a bit of information about the cattle when talking to Leah and Rachel in the field. But I suppose he would say, “O yeah, look what Laban has done to me over the years,” and he does (more so in the next section). He knows he is touching on a legal issue here, in that everything is Laban’s. It would be nice to think that the women have a choice about going away with Jacob because of some freedom gained on their part. Not so. It’s because they were considered part of the property. They are not worried about going against custom in breaking that connection with their “father’s house” since it appears they are not going to inherit anything from their father. So they see their place, and their material well-being, as having transferred to Jacob. We know that at a deeper level this is because the blessing is with Jacob.
Prayer:
God, do you still do this? Do you give a blessing to some that makes everything go their way, even if not for their own sake? You made the Holy Spirit available to everyone, so maybe part of the answer to this today is that we are to be blessings to one another. So show me how I can make the way better for someone today. Through Christ. Amen.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Full Tank of Blessing
Genesis 30:25-43
This is very much the same story as the previous one, only now the contest is between two guys and it’s over sheep and goats. And again with the comedy. And there’s this sly, oriental polite bargaining going on, as there was between Abraham and Ephron in chapter 23.
Overarching all these dealings there is God’s call. Recent activity has been very ‘worldly’ with little mention of God. Through these developments of wives, children, and now livestock, Jacob is being prepared for return. The stolen blessing has had its effect. Laban acknowledges the blessing (verse 27), and Jacob echoes the observation (verse 30).
Jacob is now rich with the blessing, and the time has come for return to his homeland.
Prayer:
Half empty or half full? Neither; my cup overflows with blessings from you, Lord. Through the ups and downs of this day, let me see that I am blessed for a purpose. Through Christ. Amen.
This is very much the same story as the previous one, only now the contest is between two guys and it’s over sheep and goats. And again with the comedy. And there’s this sly, oriental polite bargaining going on, as there was between Abraham and Ephron in chapter 23.
Overarching all these dealings there is God’s call. Recent activity has been very ‘worldly’ with little mention of God. Through these developments of wives, children, and now livestock, Jacob is being prepared for return. The stolen blessing has had its effect. Laban acknowledges the blessing (verse 27), and Jacob echoes the observation (verse 30).
Jacob is now rich with the blessing, and the time has come for return to his homeland.
Prayer:
Half empty or half full? Neither; my cup overflows with blessings from you, Lord. Through the ups and downs of this day, let me see that I am blessed for a purpose. Through Christ. Amen.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Prelude to Joseph
Genesis 30:1-24
As God has done before, he remembers and has compassion on the forgotten woman. So he gives Leah children (29:31-35). Now Rachel is upset, because, although the one loved by Jacob, she has no children. This sets off a kind of contest. I reckon the first hearers of this story must have found some humour in this. The names alone would bring some smiles, because here are these famous tribal names, with meanings attached to them stemming from the rivalry of the two sisters. It is a reflection of the human comedy in which we fancy our planning and manipulation to be so very clever, while God will have his way one way or another. Especially here there is the greatest truth buried in Jacob’s rather insensitive words in verse 2: It truly is God who brings new life, in every way, and particularly here in the gift of a son, Joseph, to Rachel. We will hear more of him.
Prayer:
Hear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God; save your servant
who trusts in you.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
Bring joy to your servant,
for to you, O Lord,
I lift up my soul.
You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
- Psalm 86:1-5 (NIV)
As God has done before, he remembers and has compassion on the forgotten woman. So he gives Leah children (29:31-35). Now Rachel is upset, because, although the one loved by Jacob, she has no children. This sets off a kind of contest. I reckon the first hearers of this story must have found some humour in this. The names alone would bring some smiles, because here are these famous tribal names, with meanings attached to them stemming from the rivalry of the two sisters. It is a reflection of the human comedy in which we fancy our planning and manipulation to be so very clever, while God will have his way one way or another. Especially here there is the greatest truth buried in Jacob’s rather insensitive words in verse 2: It truly is God who brings new life, in every way, and particularly here in the gift of a son, Joseph, to Rachel. We will hear more of him.
Prayer:
Hear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God; save your servant
who trusts in you.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
Bring joy to your servant,
for to you, O Lord,
I lift up my soul.
You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
- Psalm 86:1-5 (NIV)
Friday, December 15, 2006
And we're part of it together
Genesis 29:13-35
The deceiver is deceived. Not only that, the trick on Jacob involves supplanting the younger with the older. Jacob had tricked his father and brother into giving him, the younger brother, the rights and blessing intended for the first-born son. Now the older daughter takes the place of the younger one. Once again we will understandably be troubled at the wheeling and dealing here involving human beings, and nowadays we frown on being married to more than one person at once (it’s tough enough being married to one, my wife would say). The deception on Jacob is all the more poignant because of the lengths of time he commits to, and because of his genuine love for Rachel.
From the union of Jacob and Leah came, eventually, a guy named Moses, a descendant of Levi (Exodus 2:1-10); and also King David, and Joseph, the husband of Mary, through Judah (Matthew 1:1-16).
Sometimes I just marvel at what a great story God writes.
Prayer:
Yes, God, you write a great story. But in the midst of it we have real experience, real pain, real fear, but also real love. Give us also real hope. We see you working in a timeline involving generations. Give us a real sense of fulfilling your purpose in the slice of time you have entrusted to us. Through Christ. Amen.
The deceiver is deceived. Not only that, the trick on Jacob involves supplanting the younger with the older. Jacob had tricked his father and brother into giving him, the younger brother, the rights and blessing intended for the first-born son. Now the older daughter takes the place of the younger one. Once again we will understandably be troubled at the wheeling and dealing here involving human beings, and nowadays we frown on being married to more than one person at once (it’s tough enough being married to one, my wife would say). The deception on Jacob is all the more poignant because of the lengths of time he commits to, and because of his genuine love for Rachel.
From the union of Jacob and Leah came, eventually, a guy named Moses, a descendant of Levi (Exodus 2:1-10); and also King David, and Joseph, the husband of Mary, through Judah (Matthew 1:1-16).
Sometimes I just marvel at what a great story God writes.
Prayer:
Yes, God, you write a great story. But in the midst of it we have real experience, real pain, real fear, but also real love. Give us also real hope. We see you working in a timeline involving generations. Give us a real sense of fulfilling your purpose in the slice of time you have entrusted to us. Through Christ. Amen.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
First Impression
Genesis 29:1-12
From angels ascending and descending we come to a very down-to-earth story. Well, OK, a long period of time has passed, but it’s next in the story; Jacob has now made his way to his mother’s home area. He evidently is quite eager to make a good impression on his cousin, Rachel. “When he saw Rachel” he proceeds to roll the stone off the well all by himself, so that the sheep over which Rachel is shepherd can drink. The others there weren’t necessarily lazy, as Jacob seems to suggest. These wells, with a stone covering them, were shared by several shepherds, and it was custom to wait until all were there to water their flocks together, to avoid even the suspicion of anything unfair happening. This was also a practical necessity since the stone was so large. So this was quite a feat by Jacob.
Life reflects Scripture in that we can go from sublime moments to very down to earth behaviour. Yet in Jacob’s display (or maybe he was just moved by the need) he connects with one he is destined for. Once again we can see God working in and through very ordinary, everyday conduct.
So what significant thing is God working through your next human encounter today? Maybe something, maybe nothing much. Who knows? We can’t get tied up dwelling on it. Our perception of God in things is generally a matter of hindsight, and presently a matter of trust.
Prayer:
God, who knows what you are working through the events of this day? Shall I follow my heart in things? Yes, but thank you for the vast experience of people with you in Scripture as my guide, along with the accountability afforded by good Christian friends. Through Christ. Amen.
From angels ascending and descending we come to a very down-to-earth story. Well, OK, a long period of time has passed, but it’s next in the story; Jacob has now made his way to his mother’s home area. He evidently is quite eager to make a good impression on his cousin, Rachel. “When he saw Rachel” he proceeds to roll the stone off the well all by himself, so that the sheep over which Rachel is shepherd can drink. The others there weren’t necessarily lazy, as Jacob seems to suggest. These wells, with a stone covering them, were shared by several shepherds, and it was custom to wait until all were there to water their flocks together, to avoid even the suspicion of anything unfair happening. This was also a practical necessity since the stone was so large. So this was quite a feat by Jacob.
Life reflects Scripture in that we can go from sublime moments to very down to earth behaviour. Yet in Jacob’s display (or maybe he was just moved by the need) he connects with one he is destined for. Once again we can see God working in and through very ordinary, everyday conduct.
So what significant thing is God working through your next human encounter today? Maybe something, maybe nothing much. Who knows? We can’t get tied up dwelling on it. Our perception of God in things is generally a matter of hindsight, and presently a matter of trust.
Prayer:
God, who knows what you are working through the events of this day? Shall I follow my heart in things? Yes, but thank you for the vast experience of people with you in Scripture as my guide, along with the accountability afforded by good Christian friends. Through Christ. Amen.
Monday, December 11, 2006
With Us
Genesis 28:10-22
In a zone between departure and destination, in the vulnerability of sleep and the receptiveness of dream, Jacob sees a stairway – probably more like a ziggurat (What kind of ‘stairway’ would they have in those days, anyway?). Angels, messengers of God, are going up and down this ramp. If they’re using a ramp they probably don’t have wings, right? So there’s this six-lane, broadband thing going on between heaven and earth. It all sets the scene for the Lord himself to speak. The speech suggests we should think of this more as a down-ramp than an up-ramp. The Lord doesn’t say, “Come on up,” but “I am with you” (verse 15). And he will bless Jacob and his progeny from heaven.
It’s probably fair to observe that heaven is more concerned with earth than earth is with heaven. That is underlined with the last bit, where the place that had been a kind of twilight zone now becomes a place of great significance and remembrance because the Lord was experienced there. God doesn’t just make his presence known as the one we hope one day to come to, but as the one who comes to us, who enters this world and all our experience, coming to scoundrels like Jacob and you and me, and promising to be with us. That was the message to Israel and to us. The eras are transcended with that message and reality in one of the most beautiful of Advent carols, celebrating Emmanuel, “God with us":
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Words: Combined from various texts by an unknown author, possibly in the 12th Century (Veni, veni Emanuel); translated from Latin to English by John M. Neale in 1851.
Music: Veni Emmanuel, from a 15th Century processional of French Franciscan nuns
Prayer:
Are you with us, Lord? Yes more than we know. Thank you. In Jesus, our Emmanuel. Amen.
In a zone between departure and destination, in the vulnerability of sleep and the receptiveness of dream, Jacob sees a stairway – probably more like a ziggurat (What kind of ‘stairway’ would they have in those days, anyway?). Angels, messengers of God, are going up and down this ramp. If they’re using a ramp they probably don’t have wings, right? So there’s this six-lane, broadband thing going on between heaven and earth. It all sets the scene for the Lord himself to speak. The speech suggests we should think of this more as a down-ramp than an up-ramp. The Lord doesn’t say, “Come on up,” but “I am with you” (verse 15). And he will bless Jacob and his progeny from heaven.
It’s probably fair to observe that heaven is more concerned with earth than earth is with heaven. That is underlined with the last bit, where the place that had been a kind of twilight zone now becomes a place of great significance and remembrance because the Lord was experienced there. God doesn’t just make his presence known as the one we hope one day to come to, but as the one who comes to us, who enters this world and all our experience, coming to scoundrels like Jacob and you and me, and promising to be with us. That was the message to Israel and to us. The eras are transcended with that message and reality in one of the most beautiful of Advent carols, celebrating Emmanuel, “God with us":
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Words: Combined from various texts by an unknown author, possibly in the 12th Century (Veni, veni Emanuel); translated from Latin to English by John M. Neale in 1851.
Music: Veni Emmanuel, from a 15th Century processional of French Franciscan nuns
Prayer:
Are you with us, Lord? Yes more than we know. Thank you. In Jesus, our Emmanuel. Amen.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Marrying Wal-Mart
Genesis 28:1-9
The issue of who you marry and cultural and religious purity is not the issue for today’s world that it was at the time of Jacob and Esau. Spiritual partnership in marriage is of course a very live issue, but it is not so much now a question of identity as it was then. That issue has shifted to a broader landscape. It seems to me it has more to do with the Christian’s involvement in the world. How does it actually work to be “in the world but not of it”?
There could be a separate blog just on that. But for the Christian church the issue is one of distinctiveness versus sharing the world with other religions. In recent centuries western civilization has identified itself as the Christian world. We can no longer get away with that. Today’s Christianity is closer to the Christianity Christ founded and the Paul celebrated, in that it can no longer be identified with any one culture. That leads us to recognize what is truly distinctive about Christianity, and that is person of Christ.
Couldn’t that be partly why the church is on fire with growth in parts of the world where there is not the baggage of Christ tied to a culture, and particularly our culture? The world’s perception of our Lord is being liberated from too close association with our highly materialistic and resource-gorging lifestyle.
For reasons that were pertinent to the time and culture of this Bible passage, there was concern about who your sons married (again with the patriarchy), as a matter of the survival of a people.
What are we married to?
Prayer:
God, you know I am talking about things that I need to change myself. We are pretty much all identified with what we own, acquire, control. Let the Christ who had nowhere to lay his head and owned nothing be our Lord in new ways. Amen.
The issue of who you marry and cultural and religious purity is not the issue for today’s world that it was at the time of Jacob and Esau. Spiritual partnership in marriage is of course a very live issue, but it is not so much now a question of identity as it was then. That issue has shifted to a broader landscape. It seems to me it has more to do with the Christian’s involvement in the world. How does it actually work to be “in the world but not of it”?
There could be a separate blog just on that. But for the Christian church the issue is one of distinctiveness versus sharing the world with other religions. In recent centuries western civilization has identified itself as the Christian world. We can no longer get away with that. Today’s Christianity is closer to the Christianity Christ founded and the Paul celebrated, in that it can no longer be identified with any one culture. That leads us to recognize what is truly distinctive about Christianity, and that is person of Christ.
Couldn’t that be partly why the church is on fire with growth in parts of the world where there is not the baggage of Christ tied to a culture, and particularly our culture? The world’s perception of our Lord is being liberated from too close association with our highly materialistic and resource-gorging lifestyle.
For reasons that were pertinent to the time and culture of this Bible passage, there was concern about who your sons married (again with the patriarchy), as a matter of the survival of a people.
What are we married to?
Prayer:
God, you know I am talking about things that I need to change myself. We are pretty much all identified with what we own, acquire, control. Let the Christ who had nowhere to lay his head and owned nothing be our Lord in new ways. Amen.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
One Way or Another
Genesis 27:41-46
It’s a strange way to enjoy a blessing: immediately going into exile, even if it’s to a relative’s place. There don’t appear to be any winners here. And yet it is Jacob, the deceiver, after whom a nation will be named. The mundane expression of verse 46 contributes to the plot shifting back to the land of Rebekah’s family, where Jacob’s family will take shape. Given the strength of Rebekah’s desire to have Jacob marry elsewhere, you even suspect that her motive in the Jacob/Esau deception was leading to this! She could have tried to persuade him to go, but this way he has to. But that’s speculation.
At any rate, this episode of deception, and what we’ll find leading to it, leads me to fast forward to Paul writing to the Thessalonians when he said to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, emphasis mine). It may be a matter of relief to know that you are not expected to be thankful for all circumstances. That would be an impossible burden.
Prayer:
God, we have this old expression about you; that you move in mysterious ways. There are a lot of things we can’t like at the time they are happening. Don’t let the things that bother us consume us. They are not the whole story. Thanks for that. Through Christ. Amen.
It’s a strange way to enjoy a blessing: immediately going into exile, even if it’s to a relative’s place. There don’t appear to be any winners here. And yet it is Jacob, the deceiver, after whom a nation will be named. The mundane expression of verse 46 contributes to the plot shifting back to the land of Rebekah’s family, where Jacob’s family will take shape. Given the strength of Rebekah’s desire to have Jacob marry elsewhere, you even suspect that her motive in the Jacob/Esau deception was leading to this! She could have tried to persuade him to go, but this way he has to. But that’s speculation.
At any rate, this episode of deception, and what we’ll find leading to it, leads me to fast forward to Paul writing to the Thessalonians when he said to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, emphasis mine). It may be a matter of relief to know that you are not expected to be thankful for all circumstances. That would be an impossible burden.
Prayer:
God, we have this old expression about you; that you move in mysterious ways. There are a lot of things we can’t like at the time they are happening. Don’t let the things that bother us consume us. They are not the whole story. Thanks for that. Through Christ. Amen.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
God is good, not nice
Genesis 27:1-40
The pain of this passage is excruciating. I find it very hard to read. There are a ton of adjectives for describing our Lord, but one of them is not “nice.” Wouldn’t it sound odd to pray in church, “God you are so nice.” It should sound odd.
God wasn’t nice to anyone in this story. I said this is a painful story. The circumstances hardly need explaining why. You read it, you feel the pain too. An old, blind man, for heaven’s sake, tricked by his own son at the prompting of a conniving mother, favoring one son in this way over the other. I mean, the whole thing is just heart and gut wrenching.
What a painful way to see that the blessing to be given isn’t really Isaac’s to give after all. And this is so even though he has a lot invested in it. He recognizes the responsibility of passing it on. He asks for the food to give him the strength to do it. There’s a lot riding on what he does and how he does it. But it’s not his. Neither are Rebekah in her scheming, or Jacob in his wimpy following, the actors they think they are. The blessing came from God to Abraham and passes through Isaac, but it’s not his blessing to give. On the human level of tradition, everything screams out that this is all wrong. No! Take it back, do it again. Cut. Rewind. Let’s have the DVD interactive version and go back a couple of scenes, just like you get to tell Timon and Pumbah which trail to take.
Nope. Not just because even the human understanding of the bestowing of blessing means it’s like an arrow that can’t be called back; it’s because it’s what God has arranged.
A generation will run a faith community. But it’s not really us. There is a coming generation. The blessing must be passed on. They should take our ways. They should learn what we do. We’re putting an awful lot of effort into this. Missing family time. Dealing with conflict. Trying to do a lot with a little. Loving "Blessed Be Your Name" and "He Reigns." We’re putting so much into this we’d better work hard to pass it on. We even see who it should be passed on to.
But maybe God has something different in mind. Maybe God will turn it in some other direction. Bless someone else. Use means we know nothing about instead of the things we have loved. If we’re smart the difference from Isaac is that we’ll know all along that what God does isn’t what we’ll expect. So we’ll find peace in the God who isn’t nice.
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven. May your name be honoured. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And just use whatever I’m working at to do what you really want done. Yes, you will anyway, but let me be a willing participant. Through Christ. Amen.
The pain of this passage is excruciating. I find it very hard to read. There are a ton of adjectives for describing our Lord, but one of them is not “nice.” Wouldn’t it sound odd to pray in church, “God you are so nice.” It should sound odd.
God wasn’t nice to anyone in this story. I said this is a painful story. The circumstances hardly need explaining why. You read it, you feel the pain too. An old, blind man, for heaven’s sake, tricked by his own son at the prompting of a conniving mother, favoring one son in this way over the other. I mean, the whole thing is just heart and gut wrenching.
What a painful way to see that the blessing to be given isn’t really Isaac’s to give after all. And this is so even though he has a lot invested in it. He recognizes the responsibility of passing it on. He asks for the food to give him the strength to do it. There’s a lot riding on what he does and how he does it. But it’s not his. Neither are Rebekah in her scheming, or Jacob in his wimpy following, the actors they think they are. The blessing came from God to Abraham and passes through Isaac, but it’s not his blessing to give. On the human level of tradition, everything screams out that this is all wrong. No! Take it back, do it again. Cut. Rewind. Let’s have the DVD interactive version and go back a couple of scenes, just like you get to tell Timon and Pumbah which trail to take.
Nope. Not just because even the human understanding of the bestowing of blessing means it’s like an arrow that can’t be called back; it’s because it’s what God has arranged.
A generation will run a faith community. But it’s not really us. There is a coming generation. The blessing must be passed on. They should take our ways. They should learn what we do. We’re putting an awful lot of effort into this. Missing family time. Dealing with conflict. Trying to do a lot with a little. Loving "Blessed Be Your Name" and "He Reigns." We’re putting so much into this we’d better work hard to pass it on. We even see who it should be passed on to.
But maybe God has something different in mind. Maybe God will turn it in some other direction. Bless someone else. Use means we know nothing about instead of the things we have loved. If we’re smart the difference from Isaac is that we’ll know all along that what God does isn’t what we’ll expect. So we’ll find peace in the God who isn’t nice.
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven. May your name be honoured. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And just use whatever I’m working at to do what you really want done. Yes, you will anyway, but let me be a willing participant. Through Christ. Amen.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Turbo Blessing
Genesis 26
The power of blessing to Abraham shapes Isaac’s life and experience. It seems strange that he goes through the same sister/wife charade that his father did. But then you get this same sense from an ‘outsider’ that you don’t mess with this family. They are blessed because of the purpose God has for them. The crops spew up. They are so blessed they are deemed dangerous and asked to leave. No matter. They find water. The Lord reiterates his blessing on them. The outsider seeks them out again because he sees that God is with them and wants to make sure he’s good with them.
It seems to me the equivalent of this kind of blessing for the church is the anointing of the Holy Spirit – anointed for a purpose. Too often a church family exudes no sense of being so filled with the Spirit they are deemed dangerous.
It might be a worthwhile exercise for a church family to come up with one word they would like ‘outsiders’ have come to mind when they have some awareness of that family. It would reveal how much we want to give over power and control, truly, to the one who blesses. Call me cantankerous or something but I would hope the word would not be just “loving” or “friendly” or something that equally would come out sounding so innocuous. I should hope we are loving and friendly, but that doesn’t really say anything. Of course we should be loving and friendly. Duh. But what else? Jesus and the disciples after him shook their world. What would it take to shake our community and area? What would it take?
Prayer:
Lord, fill us with love and friendship so powerful we might even be considered dangerous. Through Christ. Amen.
The power of blessing to Abraham shapes Isaac’s life and experience. It seems strange that he goes through the same sister/wife charade that his father did. But then you get this same sense from an ‘outsider’ that you don’t mess with this family. They are blessed because of the purpose God has for them. The crops spew up. They are so blessed they are deemed dangerous and asked to leave. No matter. They find water. The Lord reiterates his blessing on them. The outsider seeks them out again because he sees that God is with them and wants to make sure he’s good with them.
It seems to me the equivalent of this kind of blessing for the church is the anointing of the Holy Spirit – anointed for a purpose. Too often a church family exudes no sense of being so filled with the Spirit they are deemed dangerous.
It might be a worthwhile exercise for a church family to come up with one word they would like ‘outsiders’ have come to mind when they have some awareness of that family. It would reveal how much we want to give over power and control, truly, to the one who blesses. Call me cantankerous or something but I would hope the word would not be just “loving” or “friendly” or something that equally would come out sounding so innocuous. I should hope we are loving and friendly, but that doesn’t really say anything. Of course we should be loving and friendly. Duh. But what else? Jesus and the disciples after him shook their world. What would it take to shake our community and area? What would it take?
Prayer:
Lord, fill us with love and friendship so powerful we might even be considered dangerous. Through Christ. Amen.
Friday, December 01, 2006
When things get petty
Genesis 25:19-35
Rebekah and Isaac were brought together by divine guidance, but that doesn’t mean everything will go smoothly, and it doesn’t. There is a sign of trouble during the pregnancy. Esau would be born ahead of Jacob and so would have the rights of the first born. But God has more in mind than adherence to human conventions, and he will work through the strangest of ways, or so it seems to us.
There is here a sign of something that will become very clear in the New Testament, and is a prominent theme in Advent readings: God has a preference for working through those without natural or institutional entitlement. That has not to do with their goodness or lack of it. It is all part of this plan for bringing all together in the Living Word. Jacob and Esau had no awareness of the larger scene of which their petty struggle was part. May we trust, in any of our present struggles, that there is the kind of providence at work that Mary was able to see, in hindsight, on behalf of Abraham’s children’s children:
“He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.” (Luke 1:53-55)
Prayer:
God, you have graciously brought me to this day. You have not promised it will be easy. But you have given me the resource of prayer, and the commitment of your presence and purpose. Just give me this day my daily bread of sustenance to do your will. Through Christ. Amen.
Rebekah and Isaac were brought together by divine guidance, but that doesn’t mean everything will go smoothly, and it doesn’t. There is a sign of trouble during the pregnancy. Esau would be born ahead of Jacob and so would have the rights of the first born. But God has more in mind than adherence to human conventions, and he will work through the strangest of ways, or so it seems to us.
There is here a sign of something that will become very clear in the New Testament, and is a prominent theme in Advent readings: God has a preference for working through those without natural or institutional entitlement. That has not to do with their goodness or lack of it. It is all part of this plan for bringing all together in the Living Word. Jacob and Esau had no awareness of the larger scene of which their petty struggle was part. May we trust, in any of our present struggles, that there is the kind of providence at work that Mary was able to see, in hindsight, on behalf of Abraham’s children’s children:
“He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers.” (Luke 1:53-55)
Prayer:
God, you have graciously brought me to this day. You have not promised it will be easy. But you have given me the resource of prayer, and the commitment of your presence and purpose. Just give me this day my daily bread of sustenance to do your will. Through Christ. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
