Living in the Spirit

July 6, 2020

Scripture Reading: Genesis 25:19-34

Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. Esau said to Jacob, ‘Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!’ (Therefore he was called Edom.) Jacob said, ‘First sell me your birthright.’ Esau said, ‘I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?’ Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. –Genesis 25:29-34

Family, whether biologic or adopted or borrowed, is our first experience of dealing with others for good or for evil. The movie Oliver, based on the book Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens illustrates that point well. At the start, Oliver is shown as an orphan living in a harsh setting with other orphans, finding community and caring among a band of thieves, but eventually he finds a loving home. One of the songs from the movie, Where is Love, hauntingly describes his quest to find his mother who is dead.

Genesis is filled with almost soap-opera tales of family intrigue. The story above describes a younger brother, Jacob, his mother’s pet, conning his older brother, Esau, out of his birthright. One could argue that the Israelite tradition of the eldest son inheriting the family fortunes was unfair. One could also observe that if Esau could be so easily bought with a bowl of soup, he probably could not have handled the family business.  If we read the rest of the story, we learn that when Dad found out, Jacob had to disappear for a while.

The values we teach our children matter. Loving our neighbors matters too. When children do not learn the values of mercy, justice, humility, self-respect, respect for others at home, it is even more critical that they learn it from the other adults in their lives. Communities of faith must be strongholds for teaching how to love one another.

Prayer: Lord, help us to take our role as neighbors modeling love very seriously. Forgive us when we set terrible examples. Amen.

Where is Love by Lionel Bart, see at https://genius.com/Oliver-musical-cast-recording-where-is-love-lyrics

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.