{"id":3412,"date":"2020-07-17T15:42:35","date_gmt":"2020-07-17T05:42:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=3412"},"modified":"2020-07-17T15:42:35","modified_gmt":"2020-07-17T05:42:35","slug":"sunday-sermon-19-07-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=3412","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Sermon 19-07-2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

Service July 19, 2020\u00a0 <\/span>Leighmoor Uniting Church<\/strong><\/p>\n

-Rev Barbara Allen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hymn suggestions<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 134: Praise my soul, the king of heaven<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 128: Sometimes a light surprises<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 398: Come down, O love divine<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 564: O God of Bethel, by whose hand<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 651: Take, take off your shoes<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIS 547: Be thou my vision<\/strong><\/p>\n

Call to Worship<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob woke from his sleep and said, \u201cSurely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it!\u201d (Genesis 28:16).\u00a0 <\/span>God is indeed in this place\u2026wherever we are during lockdown.\u00a0 <\/span>We may offer God our praise, and listen to God\u2019s word-wherever we are.\u00a0 <\/span>God is indeed in your living room, or in your kitchen, or sitting outside with you in the garden. The Lord is in those places too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prayers of Adoration, Thanksgiving and Confession<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eternal God, how great you are!<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the first day of the week, we commemorate your creation of the world, and all that is in it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We also praise you for raising Jesus from the dead, on the first day of the week.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We give thanks that you sent your Holy Spirit on your disciples, on the first day of the week.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This day is, indeed, special: from Genesis to the Gospels, to the book of Acts\u2026remembered by the church, making this day, Sunday, our Sabbath.<\/strong><\/p>\n

O God, you are our holy parent.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We, your children, are thankful that you gather us around you, that you cover us with your love.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We come trusting in you, as we quite often struggle, trying to live together as human family-in the home, in church, in our community, and in the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As we reflect on the biblical family story-seeing it as our own story too-help us to be aware, and then thankful for, your patient, forgiving love.<\/strong><\/p>\n

O God, you are a dream maker.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You have shown us your vision and spoken your word through prophet and angel, and you have revealed the fullness of your dream for all of us in Jesus Christ.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Help us to grow into the dream you have for each one of us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And yet, O God, we confess that we do not always want to hear you, or listen to the dreams you have for each one of us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

At times we prefer to follow our own desires.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forgive us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes we run away to avoid hearing you, in case your dreams for us are different from what we want, in case you ask of us that which might make us uncomfortable, or risk unsettling our comfortable lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forgive us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forgive us when we return your love with apathy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forgive us when we return your dreams and hopes for us with a sense of unworthiness.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forgive us when we neglect our neighbours, when we have become self-consumed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And in a time of silence, we remember other things for which we seek forgiveness\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

God is love.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Through Christ, our sins are forgiven<\/strong><\/p>\n

(thanks be to God<\/i>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take hold of this forgiveness and live your live in<\/strong><\/p>\n

in the power of the Holy Spirit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bible Readings<\/strong><\/p>\n

Genesis 28: 10-19a<\/strong><\/p>\n

Psalm 139: 1-12, 23-24<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sermon: Dreams are more than just wishful thinking<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Genesis 28: 10-19 \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

[It was hard to choose between the Genesis reading, and Psalm 139, which is one of my favourite psalms.\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe I will preach on it another time.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

A student went to a famous old rabbi and said,<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMaster, in the old days there were people who could see God.\u00a0 <\/span>Why is it that nobody sees God nowadays?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The old man answered- \u201cMy child, nowadays nobody can stoop so low.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

-\u201cnowadays nobody can stoop so low!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

v.16 \u2018Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, \u201cSurely the Lord is in this place-and I did not know it!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The story of Jacob\u2019s dream at Bethel is remarkable, all the more remarkable when one considers the character of Jacob.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-from birth-Jacob is a \u2018grabber\u2019. \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In last week\u2019s reading:\u00a0 <\/span>\u2018Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau\u2019s heel; so he was named Jacob.\u2019 (\u2018he takes by the heel\u2019, or \u2018he supplants.\u2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n

He has duped his brother Esau out of his birthright-Esau sold his birthright -for a bowl of red lentil soup.\u00a0 <\/span>Now, I think my lentil soup is pretty tasty, but would I expect someone to give me their inheritance<\/i>-that\u2019s what Esau\u2019s birthright meant-for a bowl of soup-or even for the recipe?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob is a shrewd, conniving, trickster!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob isn\u2019t named \u2018Heel\u2019 or \u2018Grabber\u2019 -for nothing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob also deceived his father Isaac; when Isaac was blind and on his deathbed, Jacob dressed up in animal skins and tricked his father into blessing him-giving him the blessing, or the inheritance that is for the eldest son<\/strong><\/p>\n

–grabbing<\/i> the inheritance that should have gone to Esau.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not a likeable person<\/strong><\/p>\n

A shady character<\/strong><\/p>\n

A trickster.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Poor Esau-the not so smart brother.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We feel for him-<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Genesis 27, after he realizes what Jacob has done:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018 \u2026he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, :Bless me, me also, father!\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>and\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHave you only one blessing, father?\u00a0 <\/span>Bless me, me also, father!\u201d And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Later,<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Esau said to himself. \u201cThe days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.\u2019 (Gen 27:41)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob gets out in time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-slips out the back door.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob, a shrewd, conniving trickster- flees his homeland, pursued by his estranged brother.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A fugitive.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He had wanted, more than anything-<\/strong><\/p>\n

-to inherit the estate<\/strong><\/p>\n

-to have it all<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

-to supplant his older brother in the process.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s \u2018out there\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

-out between Beersheba and Haran-<\/strong><\/p>\n

Which is another way to say<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018nowhere\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Between the \u2018known\u2019-his family<\/strong><\/p>\n

And the \u2018unknown\u2019- the future.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-He is without family protection<\/strong><\/p>\n

-He is without family support<\/strong><\/p>\n

-banished, alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alone.\u00a0 <\/span>Vulnerable.\u00a0 <\/span>Nowhere.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is night, time when wild beasts roam.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob prepares to sleep with nothing but a stone for a pillow.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In an interview with the actor Richard Pryor, Pryor told of his lifelong struggle with drug addiction and depression.\u00a0 <\/span>The interviewer asked \u201cWhat do you dream of doing now?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

He answered: \u201cI try not to dream.\u00a0 <\/span>Dreaming is too painful for a man in my condition.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI try not to dream.\u00a0 <\/span>Dreaming is too painful for a man in my condition.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The sleep of the exile is a restless sleep.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A long night-vulnerable.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Between nowhere-and no place.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Far from home-with a stone for a pillow,<\/strong><\/p>\n

With his defences down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, not the striver, the grabber, the heel-but the naked, defenceless one alone in the night.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob sleeps, tosses and turns and dreams!<\/strong><\/p>\n

And what a dream.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s an old Afro-American spiritual: \u2018We are climbing Jacob\u2019s ladder.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some of you might know it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Freud noted that one of the functions of dreams is to recall past events in our lives, especially painful events which tend to bubble up from our subconscious as we sleep.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If that\u2019s true-what a dream Jacob should have had!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yet-he sleeps like a baby, and has a magnificent, awe-inspiring dream.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A great ladder, or stairway is thrown down from heaven right to where Jacob sleeps.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Angels: messengers of God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-ascending and<\/i> descending.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was a two-way staircase with angels travelling from earth to heaven and from heaven to earth.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These messengers are not only carrying messages from earth to heaven (we call that prayer<\/i>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

but also from heaven to earth (words from God<\/i>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Much of our<\/i> dreaming is a one-way street-we are trying to catch an angel who will take a message up to God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are told to have a dream-and to follow it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-we hear this at school, when we attend graduation ceremonies and the like.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Woodrow Wilson said: \u2018We grow by dreams. All big people are dreamers. Some of us let dreams die, but others nourish and protect them, nurse them through the bad days-to the sunshine and light which always comes.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Patch Adams said: \u2018When a dream takes hold of you what can you do?\u00a0 <\/span>You can run with it, let it run your life, or let it go and think for the rest of your life what might have been.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

And yet-there are times when we stop and say<\/strong><\/p>\n

-dreams are only wishes<\/strong><\/p>\n

-dreams are only wishes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the film Cinderella<\/i>, Cinderella says \u2018A dream is what your heart wishes\u2026when you are fast asleep.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a sweet little film from the 1980s called \u2018Electric Dreams\u2019<\/i>.\u00a0 <\/span>It has a great sound track. \u00a0 <\/span>It is about a computer who has a malfunction, and becomes human like.\u00a0 <\/span>As he turns off the light in order to go to sleep, the man says to the computer , \u201cSweet dreams.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then he has to try to explain to the computer what a dream is-and he uses this quote from Cinderella:<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018A dream is what your heart wishes\u2026when you are fast asleep.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

And<\/i> if that is so<\/i>-then even our best dreams<\/i> are only projections of our best wishes<\/i>. (repeat)<\/strong><\/p>\n

–still<\/i> the longing of ourselves as we are-as we are at best<\/strong><\/p>\n

(we can only hope to achieve<\/i> such dreams-not to be transformed<\/i> by them) -repeat<\/strong><\/p>\n

So that\u2019s why<\/i> it is important to note that in Jacob\u2019s dream there are angels ascending AND DESCENDING!!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob already had a dream.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-from the moment of conception, still in the womb-he\u2019s had a dream-<\/strong><\/p>\n

-to be running the family<\/strong><\/p>\n

-to gain the inheritance, the blessing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob\u2019s been sending heaven that message for a long time-<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGod get me\u2026God make me\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

God give me\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t that a little like ourselves at times?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When we pray, we talk mainly about ourselves and our needs<\/strong><\/p>\n

-the fulfillment of our dreams and desires<\/strong><\/p>\n

-and that\u2019s part of valid prayer<\/i>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

BUT the angels were descending <\/i>on that ladder.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-God will not let Jacob go until he has his way with him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-until Jacob is transformed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob is a dreamer<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

BUT\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

SO is God!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob had thought that he was alone<\/strong><\/p>\n

-fleeing from Esau<\/strong><\/p>\n

-a stranger in a strange land<\/strong><\/p>\n

BUT NO!<\/strong><\/p>\n

God is with him.<\/strong><\/p>\n

God speaks to Jacob-not a word of rebuke-but, instead, words of hope<\/i>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

A promise, almost identical to that which grandfather Abraham, was given.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob\u2019s descendants will be as numerous as the specks of dust.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob is overcome-by the promise and by God\u2019s blessing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He creates a shrine there-as a memorial.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bethel-\u2018house of God\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

God\u2019s steadfast commitment to him,<\/strong><\/p>\n

God\u2019s promises.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-the descending<\/i> angels, messengers of God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob said \u201cHow awesome is this place!\u00a0 <\/span>This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s a nice, fitting ending.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-where the story ends, in today\u2019s reading.<\/strong><\/p>\n

BUT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vs 20-21, which were not included in the lectionary are: \u2018Then Jacob made a vow, saying, \u201cIf<\/i> God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father\u2019s house in peace, then<\/i> the Lord shall be my God\u2026\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

If<\/i>\u2026then<\/i>!!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is Jacob grasping again?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is Jacob grabbing God\u2019s<\/i> heel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-putting conditions on God\u2019s promises to him?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-requesting proof?<\/strong><\/p>\n

But-for Jacob-there will be another night<\/strong><\/p>\n

-beside a dark river<\/strong><\/p>\n

-when Jacob shall encounter -not a dream about a ladder of angels<\/strong><\/p>\n

-but God!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob wrestles with God!- but that\u2019s another story!<\/strong><\/p>\n

For today-let us note how the story reminds us that God is always<\/i> present.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-we are not abandoned-even the worst of us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-there is always two-way<\/i> traffic going on<\/strong><\/p>\n

-earth-heaven<\/strong><\/p>\n

Heaven-earth.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some of us are in church today because of reaching out<\/i> to God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But God is also reaching out to us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our dreams are more than just wishful thinking.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes our dreams are notions that only God could put into our heads.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Only dreams, even the best of them-are subject to divine intervention.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-to God\u2019s intrusion-to re-orientate our dreams to God\u2019s dreams.<\/strong><\/p>\n

-to be transformed<\/i> by our dreams rather than to achieve<\/i> our dreams.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob was to be transformed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Jacob wakes with a shudder, realizing that here<\/i> earth and heaven meet<\/strong><\/p>\n

-he is not alone on this journey.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Somewhere on our own journey through life, we have had a similar experience.-that heaven has invaded our ordinary life, letting us know<\/strong><\/p>\n

-that we are not alone in our world, but that we are accompanied on our pilgrimage by a mysterious presence<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus Christ, and by God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We get or receive the message:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018I am with you, I will keep you, I will bring you home, I will not abandon you\u2026\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

-might be late at night at home, by the hospital bed of a loved one, at a grave site, or at the kitchen sink.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Heaven descended to earth in a special way in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, and now he walks the road with us, as we go on our journey.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do we believe that God descends to us?<\/strong><\/p>\n

-that God has plans\/dreams for us?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Remember the opening story-<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Why is it that nobody sees God nowadays?\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018My child, nowadays nobody can stoop so low.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Be transformed by God\u2019s dreams for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

To lie down, to wait prayerfully is to stoop-and to be surprised-for<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018The Word has become flesh and dwelt among us, and we have its glory.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Or, as Jacob said,<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Surely the Lord was in this<\/i> place and I didn\u2019t even know it.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amen.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Prayer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lord, give us the grace to awaken to your intrusions among us, the eyes to see clearly those holy moments when you stoop to us, and touch us, and bless us with a vision.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the tug and pull of everyday life, while sitting in church, while standing over the kitchen sink, while at work-you come to us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Help us to expect, to look for, and to celebrate your gracious disclosure of your will for our lives. How often have we been moved to exclaim, with our ancestor Jacob, \u201cSurely the Lord was in thus place, and I did not know it!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Above all, give us the courage to hold fast to our dreams, the dreams we have for ourselves, the dreams we have for a better world-dreams planted in our hearts by your love. \u00a0 <\/span>Amen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prayers of the People<\/strong><\/p>\n

(today I have incorporated a prayer from the World Council of Churches, which addresses the covid-19 pandemic)<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Loving God, we pray for the world, for all countries struggling with covid 19:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"pastedGraphic.png\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

In prayerful silence, we remember other issues in the world which weigh heavily on our hearts, or people we know who need our prayers\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

(time of silence)<\/strong><\/p>\n

And in the words our Saviour taught us, we are confident when we pray to say\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Our Father in Heaven\u2026\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blessing<\/strong><\/p>\n

May the blessing of the Holy Trinity be upon you:<\/strong><\/p>\n

the fire of the Spirit ignite you,<\/strong><\/p>\n

the love of God encircle you,<\/strong><\/p>\n

and the wisdom of Christ enliven you,<\/strong><\/p>\n

today and always,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amen<\/strong><\/p>\n

19.7.20 \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

-Rev Barbara Allen, Leighmoor Uniting Church<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Service July 19, 2020\u00a0 Leighmoor Uniting Church -Rev Barbara Allen Hymn suggestions TIS 134: Praise my soul, the king of heaven TIS 128: Sometimes a light surprises TIS 398: Come down, O love divine TIS 564: O God of Bethel, by whose hand TIS 651: Take, take off your shoes TIS 547: Be thou my vision Call to Worship Jacob woke from his sleep and said, \u201cSurely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it!\u201d (Genesis 28:16).\u00a0 God is indeed in this place\u2026wherever we are during lockdown.\u00a0 We may offer God our praise, and listen to God\u2019s word-wherever we are.\u00a0 God is indeed in your living room, or in your kitchen, or sitting outside with you in the garden. The Lord is in those places too. Prayers of Adoration, Thanksgiving and Confession Eternal God, how great you are! On the first day of the week, we commemorate your creation of the world, and all that is in it. We also praise you for raising Jesus from the dead, on the first day of the week. We give thanks that you sent your Holy Spirit on your disciples, on the first day of the week. This day is, indeed, special: from Genesis to the Gospels, to the book of Acts\u2026remembered by the church, making this day, Sunday, our Sabbath. O God, you are our holy parent. We, your children, are thankful that you gather us around you, that you cover us with your love. We come trusting in you, as we quite often struggle, trying to live together as human family-in the home, in church, in our community, and in the world. As we reflect on the biblical family story-seeing it as our own story too-help us to be aware, and then thankful for, your patient, forgiving love. O God, you are a dream maker. You have shown us your vision and spoken your word through prophet and angel, and you have revealed the fullness of your dream for all of us in Jesus Christ. Help us to grow into the dream you have for each one of us. And yet, O God, we confess that we do not always want to hear you, or listen to the dreams you have for each one of us. At times we prefer to follow our own desires. Forgive us. Sometimes we run away to avoid hearing you, in case your dreams for us are different from what we want, in case you ask of us that which might make us uncomfortable, or risk unsettling our comfortable lives. Forgive us. Forgive us when we return your love with apathy, Forgive us when we return your dreams and hopes for us with a sense of unworthiness. Forgive us when we neglect our neighbours, when we have become self-consumed. And in a time of silence, we remember other things for which we seek forgiveness\u2026 God is love. Through Christ, our sins are forgiven (thanks be to God) Take hold of this forgiveness and live your live in in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen Bible Readings Genesis 28: 10-19a Psalm 139: 1-12, 23-24 Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43 Sermon: Dreams are more than just wishful thinking \u00a0Genesis 28: 10-19 \u00a0 [It was hard to choose between the Genesis reading, and Psalm 139, which is one of my favourite psalms.\u00a0 Maybe I will preach on it another time.] A student went to a famous old rabbi and said, \u201cMaster, in the old days there were people who could see God.\u00a0 Why is it that nobody sees God nowadays?\u201d The old man answered- \u201cMy child, nowadays nobody can stoop so low.\u201d -\u201cnowadays nobody can stoop so low!\u201d v.16 \u2018Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, \u201cSurely the Lord is in this place-and I did not know it!\u201d The story of Jacob\u2019s dream at Bethel is remarkable, all the more remarkable when one considers the character of Jacob. -from birth-Jacob is a \u2018grabber\u2019. \u00a0 In last week\u2019s reading:\u00a0 \u2018Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau\u2019s heel; so he was named Jacob.\u2019 (\u2018he takes by the heel\u2019, or \u2018he supplants.\u2019) He has duped his brother Esau out of his birthright-Esau sold his birthright -for a bowl of red lentil soup.\u00a0 Now, I think my lentil soup is pretty tasty, but would I expect someone to give me their inheritance-that\u2019s what Esau\u2019s birthright meant-for a bowl of soup-or even for the recipe? Jacob is a shrewd, conniving, trickster! Jacob isn\u2019t named \u2018Heel\u2019 or \u2018Grabber\u2019 -for nothing. Jacob also deceived his father Isaac; when Isaac was blind and on his deathbed, Jacob dressed up in animal skins and tricked his father into blessing him-giving him the blessing, or the inheritance that is for the eldest son –grabbing the inheritance that should have gone to Esau. Not a likeable person A shady character A trickster. Poor Esau-the not so smart brother. We feel for him- In Genesis 27, after he realizes what Jacob has done: \u2018 \u2026he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, :Bless me, me also, father!\u201d\u00a0 and\u00a0 \u201cHave you only one blessing, father?\u00a0 Bless me, me also, father!\u201d And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. Later, \u2018Esau said to himself. \u201cThe days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.\u2019 (Gen 27:41) Jacob gets out in time. -slips out the back door. Jacob, a shrewd, conniving trickster- flees his homeland, pursued by his estranged brother. A fugitive. He had wanted, more than anything- -to inherit the estate -to have it all -to supplant his older brother in the process. Now he\u2019s \u2018out there\u2019 -out between Beersheba and Haran- Which is another way to say \u2018nowhere\u2019 Between the \u2018known\u2019-his family And the \u2018unknown\u2019- the future. -He is without family protection -He is without family support -banished, alone. Alone.\u00a0 Vulnerable.\u00a0 Nowhere. It is night, time when wild beasts roam. Jacob prepares to sleep with nothing but a stone for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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