Tag Archives: Jacob

The Rhythm of God

creative-danceLiving in the Spirit
August 12, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Genesis 45:1-15

Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.” — Genesis 45:9-11

I’ll bet that was an interesting trip home. Ten brothers, nine of them having sold the twelfth brother into slavery some years ago, are pondering how they are going to tell their elderly father that they had lied to him about Joseph being killed by a wild animal, that they had sold Joseph into slavery, that somehow in his position as a slave he had worked his way into being the prime ruler in Egypt right under Pharaoh, and that Joseph now wanted his dad and all his brothers to come live with him in Egypt where all their needs would be met. Probably even more interesting was Jacob’s reaction to this news.

Did you notice the change in the language in Genesis as it moves to the story of Joseph from the story of Jacob? Jacob’s life was shared as human history except for the dream at Bethel and the wrestling match at Penuel. Joseph has found God in all of life and credits God with what has happened to him. This is the rhythm of God and humans throughout the Bible and actually ever since it was canonized. The devotion of individuals and groups ebbs and flows. But God’s rhythm is always there, people sometimes move too far away to hear it or they just do not listen.

This scripture reminded me of one of the sayings of Jesus: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matthew11:28-30)

Prayer: Lord of the Dance, Let me share your yoke so that I may always be close enough to hear your rhythm. Open my ears that I also will always listen for it. Amen.

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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sunrise

Living in the Spirit
July 29, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Genesis 32:22-31 

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.’ The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. — Genesis 32:30-31

Jacob’s new name, Israel, literally means “who prevails with God”.  By dealing with God, Jacob had become the person God knew Jacob could be, wanted him to be. Now named Israel, he even has a permanent limp to remind him of this wrestling match. “Peniel” means face of God. “Penuel” is the name of the actual location. While they essentially mean the same thing, perhaps the writer chose the different spellings here to suggest that one never leaves an encounter with God. It travels with him or her, if he or she accepts God’s presence.

What do we do after such an encounter with God? Our scripture suggests a new day dawned for Israel when it says that the sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel where he had struggled with God. It implies Israel accepted God’s presence in his life. This is not a goal attained; it marks a new beginning. For Christians that new beginning is becoming a vital and productive part of the Body of Christ bringing hope and love to a fragmented world.

Jesus also talked about the impact of a risen sun. ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow…Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. (Matthew 13:3b, 5-6) Jesus calls us to sink our roots deeply into the rich soil of his love and follow his way in functioning as the Body of Christ. Our wholeness in Christ is the beginning of wholeness in a fragmented world, but we must be able to stand the heat. The nurture of God through Christ is what makes that possible.

Prayer: Clear the rocks from my path, O Lord, grow my roots deep into your love and let your wellspring surge through me as a conduit of your love to others. Amen.

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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Papa, Can You Hear Me?

Living in the Spirit
July 14, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Genesis 28:10-19a

 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went towards Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’  — Genesis 28:10-15

The movie, Yentl, comes to mind when I envision Jacob alone and frightened running from the wrath his brother has for him and seeking refuge with his uncle. In Yentl, a young Jewish girl, a lover of the Torah who is not allowed to pursue it because she is female, runs from her home to become the person she knows she really is. She too was alone out under the night sky with only the light of a single candle to break the darkness. She prays in a song, Papa, can you hear me? And recognizes that the world is so much bigger now that I am alone.* While Jacob and Yentl were running for very different reasons, their experience of being alone with God was similar. In the movie, Yentl seems to address her prayer to both God and her beloved Papa who was the one who introduced her to Yahweh in the first place. Jacob is reassured in a dream that he is to continue the covenantal commitment between his grandfather, Abraham, and God. It is ironic that Jacob, a manipulator and a bit of a scoundrel, is probably escaping justice, while Yentl who has always lived within the tenets of her faith, is escaping injustice.

Justice is an embedded part of wholeness and wholeness is woven through every fiber of justice.  So our work for wholeness must be accompanied by our work for justice and our work for justice must surely include striving for wholeness.

No matter what the circumstances, I believe, we must all spend alone-time with God. The very nature of our relationship with God leads us toward or away from wholeness. Until we get in synch with God, we cannot be God’s champion of Justice.

Prayer: Papa, can you hear me? I want to be in synch with you. Make me whole as You move us ever closer to a just world. Amen. 

*From the movie Yentl: the song Papa, Can You Here Me? Lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.