{"id":3437,"date":"2020-07-31T12:32:59","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T02:32:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=3437"},"modified":"2020-07-31T12:34:58","modified_gmt":"2020-07-31T02:34:58","slug":"sunday-sermon-02-08-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=3437","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Sermon 02-08-2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sermon and Service: August 2, 2020 Leighmoor Uniting Church<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Suggested Hymns<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

TIS 156: Morning has broken<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

TIS 157: O Lord of every shining constellation<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

TIS 114: Blessed be the everlasting God<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

TIS 602: O Love that wilt not let me go<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

TIS 604: Make me a captive, Lord<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

TIS 151: The love of God is greater far<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

TIS 447: Lord your almighty word<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

O Creator God,<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

you spoke, and the world came into being.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

From towering cliff faces\u2026to our own faces.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You spoke, and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

From a babe named Jesus, helpless as any newborn is\u2026through to an adult, with trials and struggles, from a cluster of mix-matched disciples, educating them about you through miracles\u2026and love\u2026 and then to a risen Christ, leading those scared and scarred disciples out in love to form small communities of faith-which became the early church.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You spoke, and we were comforted.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You never leave our sides, or indeed, our hearts.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

And yet, mysterious God, we confess that we would rather relate to the gentle comforting aspects of your being than to the disturbing, gripping aspects of your nature.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Forgive us when we make you in the image of the God we want-a tame-able, \u2018soft\u2019 divine.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We know that sometimes we need a shocking word, an unsettling experience, a night of struggle or wrestling, to bring us to our senses- a journey into the dark night of the soul-for us to be enclosed by your arms-and blessed.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Forgive us when we try to hide from you.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We know that your love is such that you will not let us go until you fulfil your plan for each one of us.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Forgive us when we have turned away from our neighbours, when we have switched off the cries of the needy.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In a time of silence, we bring before God other things for which we seek forgiveness.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

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

Take hold of this forgiveness and live your life in the power of the Spirit.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

Genesis 32: 22-31<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Psalm 17: 1-7, 15<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Romans 9: 1-5<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Matthew 14: 13-21<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Sermon: Wounds of Love\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(Genesis 32: 22-31)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob-a cheat-one of the great patriarchs<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-a deceiver-given the name Israel<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-a supplanter or heel-loved by God.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob-a universe-disturber-yet human<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-a dreamer-seeking the sacred, filled with a sense of wonder and awe.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He bargained with God-his response to the sacred.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

And now?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He had wrestled all his life-with his father, Isaac, his twin brother, Esau, his father-in-law Laban.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-but here was the struggle that changed him.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-indeed-the change was so marked he could no longer go by the name Jacob<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-he needed to be renamed Israel \u2018the one who strives with God,\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The fight for the blessing.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In Chapter 27 he had fought for his father\u2019s blessing-he tricked Isaac, disguising himself as Esau<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-a blessing cannot be retracted.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

But in this encounter, this wrestle,<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

he does not gain God\u2019s blessing by deceit, or in an underhanded manner-<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

but by being open and honest about it.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

v.26: \u201cLet me go, for the day is breaking\u201d.\u00a0 <\/span>But Jacob said \u201cI will not let you go, unless you bless me.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

There was a young man who approached a hermit with this request: \u201cShow me how I can find God.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow great is this desire of yours?\u201d asked the saintly man.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMore than anything in the world\u201d came the reply. The hermit took the young man to the shore of a lake and they waded into the water until it was up to their necks.\u00a0 <\/span>Then the holy man put his hand on the other\u2019s head and pushed him under water.\u00a0 <\/span>The young man struggled desperately, but the hermit did not release him until he was about to drown.\u00a0 <\/span>When they returned to the shore, the saint asked, \u201cSon, when you were under water, what did you want more than anything in the world?\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAir\u201d he replied, without hesitation.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWell then, when you want to find God as much as you just then wanted air, your eyes will be opened to the wonder of God.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018when you want to find God as much as you just then wanted air, your eyes will be opened to the wonder of God.\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob wanted to find God.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-to encounter God<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-even to wrestle with God.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For Jacob, it wasn\u2019t enough to meet God in a dream (though most of us would have been quite content with the dream of a ladder of angels linking heaven and earth!)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He wanted to meet God face to face.-with all the risk that involved.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(it was thought that to see God face to face involved death-it was a fatal experience-remember Moses, having to veil his face?)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob wanted this encounter so badly-to confront God-not in a dream, lying down, but upright, with his eyes open.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Abraham and Isaac both submitted to God-the idea had come from God, whereas Jacob provoked this confrontation.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s pause for a moment, to consider the possible reasons for such a desire.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-why Jacob was willing to force such an encounter-to risk his life.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Is anything worth that much?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob was scared about meeting his brother Esau.\u00a0 <\/span>After dispatching his embassy to Esau, hoping to appease Esau\u2019s anger with presents, Jacob was still deeply troubled.\u00a0 <\/span>That very night, without waiting for daylight, he decided to move his family across a nearby ford of the Jabbok river, to a place on the other side.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob-left alone-with his fears and doubts.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019s scared about meeting Esau(and no wonder-Jacob stole his birthright and the blessing reserved for the elder son-he\u2019s got a lot to lose)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier in this chapter Jacob expressed some of his fear, asking God to<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

v. 11: \u201cDeliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob, in his fear, surrounded by doubt-alone, in the dark, in solitude-rethinks his life.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-the promises of his ancestors-Isaac and Abraham<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-his frustrations with life.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps he thought God had rejected him.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He may have been considering his life:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat have I done with my life so far?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

What have I done with the promises my father and grandfather received from God?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Have I accomplished anything worthwhile?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing transcends me-except my dreams, but they were only dreams.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Where are my adventures?\u00a0 <\/span>Where and what is my destiny?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

God was active in the lives and experiences of Abraham and Isaac-but not in mine-only in my dreams.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Am I worthy of my parents?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

What about a name of my own-rather than being known as the son of Isaac, the grandson of Abraham-<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-or the deceiver, the trickster, the heel, the cheat!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m the grandson of a pioneer-the son of a survivor-alright-I don\u2019t necessarily want to go to Mt Moriah and be bound as a sacrifice and see my father raise his knife above my throat (thank God for the ram!) but I want my own ordeal<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-my own destiny.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I am ordinary.\u00a0 <\/span>My life is ordinary, lived in the shadows, the light of my ancestors\u2019 experiences have eclipsed mine.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

During his contemplation-in the midst of his fears and doubts-he is confronted by someone, who will not let him pass.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The ford of the Jabbok.\u00a0 <\/span>Jabbok is a Hebrew word meaning to wrestle-\u2018wrestling ford\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The scene is set for a wrestle, a struggle<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-an encounter like no other.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We can assume that Jacob thought the \u2018man\u2019 was human-but later realized the \u2018man\u2019 was God.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob has wrestled with others all his life-but this wrestle is different<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-it lasts until daybreak<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-until the horror of the night has subsided.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yet the struggle is undecided-because of the approaching daylight, the struggle is interrupted.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Neither gains mastery-yet God puts Jacob\u2019s hip out of joint.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

By now, Jacob has guessed the true identity of his opponent.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When his opponent asks to be released<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(perhaps, because, since it was getting light, Jacob would be able to see him)-Jacob demands to be blessed.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Before-with Isaac\u2019s blessing-it was disgracefully won-and-maybe-taken for granted.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This blessing-God\u2019s blessing-is different.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob -battered, bruised and limping-<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

will not let go-until he is blessed<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-and in this lies Jacob\u2019s greatness.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Here we see Jacob as a hero.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He will not take \u2018no\u2019 as an answer.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This Jacob has not changed to become a \u2018good\u2019 Jacob-but he is desperate<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-this blessing from God is for the desperate.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-the desperate will struggle at any cost.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This demand is the answer to his prayer earlier in the chapter, where he asks God to save him from Esau.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

His prayer is answered in the struggle, in the wrestle-yet not in terms of Esau, but in terms of God.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob is persistent-because he is desperate.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

And in that desperation, in that persistence-<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

he is changed.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He has courage-courage to ask for God\u2019s blessing-he doesn\u2019t try to deceive or cheat God.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-he has, with all the risk it involves-the courage to demand a blessing.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The blessing is not there for the taking.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is costly.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob knew he could not earn God\u2019s blessing-but he knew how desperately he needed it.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He did not hesitate to demand it, though he risked death by doing so.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

God blesses Jacob with the wound of love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Faith is costly.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Like Jacob, faith-encounters with God-change us.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We are never the same again.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob has a name<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-he has a name which speaks of his encounter with God-Israel \u2018the one who strives with God\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(though it can also mean \u2018God strives on behalf of God\u2019s people\u2019)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

After his wrestle, (which could have ended with his death)-with his new name, having been blessed-<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob is a changed man.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob is overcome by the experience-<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He knows he has been allowed to live-<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

So he calls the place Peniel- that is, \u2018the face of God.\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

v.30: \u201cFor I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t just that his life has been spared (which is exceptional)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It could also mean that he is now unable to live as before.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018he is now unable to live as before.\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Peniel: the turning point for Jacob, who becomes Israel.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Bethel: gave him a sense of the sacred, a sense of wonder and awe<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Peniel marked him for life<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-from now on, he would live life differently<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He had his own name, had survived his own ordeal<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-he\u2019s aware that the promises of Abraham and Isaac were his also.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

His life has meaning<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-encounters with the divine are costly<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-blessings should never be taken for granted.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Peniel marked him.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

remember-his hip had been put out of joint.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This limping, battered, bruised Jacob is now Israel.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

God had blessed Jacob with the wound of love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A God of relationship.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A God who will bless.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob\u2019s persistence points us towards a robust faith.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Belden Lane wrote: \u2018Biblical faith is that which limps like Jacob, bearing with it the wounds of its wrestlings with God\u2026It is a faith admirable only in retrospect. In the moment, it smells of sweat and grins in unhallowed silence before the pain.\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Encounters with the divine change lives.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We cannot live as before.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Like Jacob, we too may demand God\u2019s blessing.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We cry out \u2018bless me!\u2019 and God does.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When the going gets tough, and the things we have put our trust in seem to slip away-<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We hold on to God<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We will not let God go<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We are desperate-like Jacob.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

And God will not leave us alone.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We cry out,<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

And God hears us.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is costly.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is also part of our calling-to bless.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

God\u2019s love is a great mystery.\u00a0 <\/span>It transcends our own diminished capacity for love and blessing.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

God\u2019s love can transform our love-as we turn our hearts to blessing-we share in Heaven\u2019s blessing.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We are to bless-not curse.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

To bless means to be free to bear God\u2019s love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t always easy to bless (it took a lot out of Jacob to get God\u2019s blessing!)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to bless people you like, or love-but not so easy to bless those you don\u2019t like very much.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

But to bless, no matter how little we may feel like it-is to participate in love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We are unworthy.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We are not perfect.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We are human-flawed.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yet-because of God\u2019s love for us-we are blessed.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Those who crave our blessings are unworthy, imperfect, flawed human beings.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

But to bless them, however hard it may be-is to participate in love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes we need God to start wrestling with us, to turn aside from the questions which have easy answers to those which cause us to grow-no matter how painful that growth may be.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

-we may limp with Jacob-in pain, but blessed, changed forever.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob\u2019s limp was a wound of love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

God\u2019s love and blessing does not protect us from further pain.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For Jacob, God\u2019s blessing did not protect him-his beloved Rachel died in childbirth, his elder son betrayed him with Rachel\u2019s maid, for many years he thought that his favourite son, Joseph, was dead.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yet-with the gift of pain, of growth-he was also given the gift of vulnerability.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

To be truly human.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For Jacob-wrestling with God changed him forever; from a cheat to Israel, from a fearful man to one who was able to meet his brother with remorse-with honesty.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He was aware of his destiny, his calling.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Are we aware of our calling?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Are we ready, maybe unwilling but ready, to bless, to participate in God\u2019s love?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Are we willing to opt for a robust faith, though we may limp?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Are we willing to go through pain in order to grow?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Childbirth-pain-to new life.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Are we nearing the end of the darkness, the end of the night, when we, like Jacob-can truly recognize each other as brothers and sisters?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The light is breaking through.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Be like Jacob-kindle a sense of wonder and awe.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Realize the importance of God\u2019s blessings-they are costly-yet given in love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Participate in God\u2019s unconditional love-by blessing others.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Peniel marked Jacob.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

May our encounters with God mark us,\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

with the wounds of love.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

O Caring Christ,<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We know that the world is less than it should be.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Help us to know what to do, help us to remember that praying is \u2018doing\u2019, through prayer we participate, and partner with You, in bringing hope and healing to a troubled world.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We know beautiful things are happening, help us to hold on to those heart-acts, so that we do not despair.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

During these weeks and months, may we continue to help those affected by the December-January devastating bushfires, recover.\u00a0 <\/span>May we not become so caught up in the pandemic, that we neglect other issues that need tending.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We pray for the sick, not only those with covid 19, but also for those with cancer, with diabetes, people recovering from surgery, people struggling with mental health.\u00a0 <\/span>Be with those who have had to put off having surgery during this time.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We pray for the dying, for those who have died, and for their families, especially Jean Raynor, and Rob Weir\u2019s uncle.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We give thanks for the life of Joy Cutriss and her life in the church community.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

And now, in a time of silence, we remember other issues which weigh heavily on our hearts, which we bring to you\u2026)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Lord, you know us and love us.\u00a0 <\/span>As you taught your disciples, we are confident when we pray to say\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

(\u2018Our Father in heaven\u2026\u2019)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

Dismissal and Blessing<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Wrestle for truth and for justice, in love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Be people of peace, stewards and healers of creation, and compassionate carers of the wounded.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The blessing of the wrestling God, the loving Christ, and the prompting Spirit, be upon you now, and always.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

Here is a hymn written by Charles Wesley, which addresses Jacob\u2019s struggle at Peniel, and our own struggle.\u00a0 <\/span>If we were worshipping in church we might attempt it (but not all 14 verses! Some versions of it have only 5 or 6 verses):<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Come, O thou Traveller unknown<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Come, O thou Traveller unknown,<\/strong><\/span>
\nwhom still I hold, but cannot see;<\/strong><\/span>
\nmy company before is gone,<\/strong><\/span>
\nand I am left alone with thee;<\/strong><\/span>
\nwith thee all night I mean to stay,<\/strong><\/span>
\nand wrestle till the break of day.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I need not tell thee who I am;<\/strong><\/span>
\nmy sin and misery declare;<\/strong><\/span>
\nthyself hast called me by my name;<\/strong><\/span>
\nlook on thy hands, and read it there.<\/strong><\/span>
\nBut who, I ask thee, who art thou?<\/strong><\/span>
\nTell me thy name, and tell me now.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In vain thou strugglest to get free;<\/strong><\/span>
\nI never will unloose my hold;<\/strong><\/span>
\nart thou the man that died for me?<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe secret of thy love unfold;<\/strong><\/span>
\nwrestling, I will not let thee go<\/strong><\/span>
\ntill I thy name, thy nature know.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Wilt thou not yet to me reveal<\/strong><\/span>
\nthy new, unutterable name?<\/strong><\/span>
\nTell me, I still beseech thee, tell,<\/strong><\/span>
\nto know it now resolved I am;<\/strong><\/span>
\nwrestling, I will not let thee go,<\/strong><\/span>
\ntill I thy name, thy nature know.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Tis all in vain to hold thy tongue<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

or touch the hollow of my thigh;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Though every sinew be unstrung,<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

out of my arms thou shalt not fly;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

wrestling I will not let thee go<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

till I thy name, thy nature know.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

What though my shrinking flesh complain<\/strong><\/span>
\nand murmur to contend so long?<\/strong><\/span>
\nI rise superior to my pain:<\/strong><\/span>
\nwhen I am weak, then am I strong,<\/strong><\/span>
\nand when my all of strength shall fail<\/strong><\/span>
\nI shall with the God-man prevail.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

My strength is gone, my nature dies,<\/strong><\/span>
\nI sink beneath Thy weighty hand,<\/strong><\/span>
\nfaint to revive, and fall to rise;<\/strong><\/span>
\nI fall, and yet by faith I stand;<\/strong><\/span>
\nI stand and will not let Thee go<\/strong><\/span>
\ntill I thy name, thy nature know.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yield to me now- for I am weak<\/strong><\/span>
\nbut confident in self-despair!<\/strong><\/span>
\nSpeak to my heart, in blessing speak,<\/strong><\/span>
\nbe conquered by my instant prayer:<\/strong><\/span>
\nspeak, or thou never hence shalt move,<\/strong><\/span>
\nand tell me if thy name is Love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

‘Tis Love! ’tis Love! Thou diedst for me,<\/strong><\/span>
\nI hear thy whisper in my heart.<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe morning breaks, the shadows flee,<\/strong><\/span>
\npure, Universal Love thou art:<\/strong><\/span>
\nto me, to all, thy mercies move-<\/strong><\/span>
\nthy nature and thy name is Love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

My prayer hath power with God; the grace<\/strong><\/span>
\nunspeakable I now receive;<\/strong><\/span>
\nthrough faith I see thee face to face,<\/strong><\/span>
\nI see thee face to face and live!<\/strong><\/span>
\nIn vain I have not wept and strove-<\/strong><\/span>
\nthy nature and thy name is Love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I know thee, Saviour, who thou art,<\/strong><\/span>
\nJesus, the feeble sinner’s friend;<\/strong><\/span>
\nnor wilt thou with the night depart,<\/strong><\/span>
\nbut stay and love me to the end:<\/strong><\/span>
\nthy mercies never shall remove,<\/strong><\/span>
\nthy nature and thy name is Love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Sun of Righteousness on me<\/strong><\/span>
\nhath risen, with healing in his wings:<\/strong><\/span>
\nwithered my nature’s strength; from thee<\/strong><\/span>
\nmy soul its life and succor brings;<\/strong><\/span>
\nmy help is all laid up above;<\/strong><\/span>
\nthy nature and thy name is Love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Contented now upon my thigh<\/strong><\/span>
\nI halt till life’s short journey end;<\/strong><\/span>
\nAll helplessness, all weakness, I<\/strong><\/span>
\nOn thee alone for strength depend;<\/strong><\/span>
\nNor have I power from thee to move;<\/strong><\/span>
\nThy nature and thy name is Love.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Lame as I am, I take the prey,<\/strong><\/span>
\nhell, earth, and sin with ease o’ercome;<\/strong><\/span>
\nI leap for joy, pursue my way,<\/strong><\/span>
\nand, as a bounding hart, fly home,<\/strong><\/span>
\nthrough all eternity to prove<\/strong><\/span>
\nthy nature and thy name is Love.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

–Charles Wesley<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sermon and Service: August 2, 2020 Leighmoor Uniting Church -Rev Barbara Allen Suggested Hymns TIS 156: Morning has broken TIS 157: O Lord of every shining constellation TIS 114: Blessed be the everlasting God TIS 602: O Love that wilt not let me go TIS 604: Make me a captive, Lord TIS 151: The love of God is greater far TIS 447: Lord your almighty word Prayers of Adoration, Thanksgiving and Confession O Creator God, you spoke, and the world came into being. From towering cliff faces\u2026to our own faces. You spoke, and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. From a babe named Jesus, helpless as any newborn is\u2026through to an adult, with trials and struggles, from a cluster of mix-matched disciples, educating them about you through miracles\u2026and love\u2026 and then to a risen Christ, leading those scared and scarred disciples out in love to form small communities of faith-which became the early church. You spoke, and we were comforted. You never leave our sides, or indeed, our hearts. And yet, mysterious God, we confess that we would rather relate to the gentle comforting aspects of your being than to the disturbing, gripping aspects of your nature. Forgive us. Forgive us when we make you in the image of the God we want-a tame-able, \u2018soft\u2019 divine. We know that sometimes we need a shocking word, an unsettling experience, a night of struggle or wrestling, to bring us to our senses- a journey into the dark night of the soul-for us to be enclosed by your arms-and blessed. Forgive us when we try to hide from you. We know that your love is such that you will not let us go until you fulfil your plan for each one of us. Forgive us when we have turned away from our neighbours, when we have switched off the cries of the needy. In a time of silence, we bring before God other things for which we seek forgiveness.\u00a0 God is love. Through Christ our sins are forgiven (thanks be to God). Take hold of this forgiveness and live your life in the power of the Spirit. Amen Bible Readings: Genesis 32: 22-31 Psalm 17: 1-7, 15 Romans 9: 1-5 Matthew 14: 13-21 Sermon: Wounds of Love\u00a0 (Genesis 32: 22-31) Jacob-a cheat-one of the great patriarchs -a deceiver-given the name Israel -a supplanter or heel-loved by God. Jacob-a universe-disturber-yet human -a dreamer-seeking the sacred, filled with a sense of wonder and awe. He bargained with God-his response to the sacred. And now? He had wrestled all his life-with his father, Isaac, his twin brother, Esau, his father-in-law Laban. -but here was the struggle that changed him. -indeed-the change was so marked he could no longer go by the name Jacob -he needed to be renamed Israel \u2018the one who strives with God,\u2019 The fight for the blessing. In Chapter 27 he had fought for his father\u2019s blessing-he tricked Isaac, disguising himself as Esau -a blessing cannot be retracted. But in this encounter, this wrestle, he does not gain God\u2019s blessing by deceit, or in an underhanded manner- but by being open and honest about it. v.26: \u201cLet me go, for the day is breaking\u201d.\u00a0 But Jacob said \u201cI will not let you go, unless you bless me.\u201d There was a young man who approached a hermit with this request: \u201cShow me how I can find God.\u201d \u201cHow great is this desire of yours?\u201d asked the saintly man. \u201cMore than anything in the world\u201d came the reply. The hermit took the young man to the shore of a lake and they waded into the water until it was up to their necks.\u00a0 Then the holy man put his hand on the other\u2019s head and pushed him under water.\u00a0 The young man struggled desperately, but the hermit did not release him until he was about to drown.\u00a0 When they returned to the shore, the saint asked, \u201cSon, when you were under water, what did you want more than anything in the world?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cAir\u201d he replied, without hesitation.\u00a0 \u201cWell then, when you want to find God as much as you just then wanted air, your eyes will be opened to the wonder of God.\u201d \u2018when you want to find God as much as you just then wanted air, your eyes will be opened to the wonder of God.\u2019 Jacob wanted to find God. -to encounter God -even to wrestle with God. For Jacob, it wasn\u2019t enough to meet God in a dream (though most of us would have been quite content with the dream of a ladder of angels linking heaven and earth!) He wanted to meet God face to face.-with all the risk that involved. (it was thought that to see God face to face involved death-it was a fatal experience-remember Moses, having to veil his face?) Jacob wanted this encounter so badly-to confront God-not in a dream, lying down, but upright, with his eyes open. Abraham and Isaac both submitted to God-the idea had come from God, whereas Jacob provoked this confrontation. Let\u2019s pause for a moment, to consider the possible reasons for such a desire. -why Jacob was willing to force such an encounter-to risk his life. Is anything worth that much? Jacob was scared about meeting his brother Esau.\u00a0 After dispatching his embassy to Esau, hoping to appease Esau\u2019s anger with presents, Jacob was still deeply troubled.\u00a0 That very night, without waiting for daylight, he decided to move his family across a nearby ford of the Jabbok river, to a place on the other side. Jacob-left alone-with his fears and doubts. He\u2019s scared about meeting Esau(and no wonder-Jacob stole his birthright and the blessing reserved for the elder son-he\u2019s got a lot to lose) Earlier in this chapter Jacob expressed some of his fear, asking God to v. 11: \u201cDeliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all.\u201d Jacob, in his<\/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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love…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3437"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3438,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3437\/revisions\/3438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}