Jacob's Dream -- A Message for July 23, 2023

 

We have been journeying through the lives of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of our faith over the summer. We met Abraham and Sarah, who made the original covenant with God and were promised to be the ancestors of a great nation. We met their son Isaac and his wife Rebekah, who were the parents of the twins Esau and Jacob. Last week, we focused on how Jacob tricked his twin Esau out of his inheritance and special blessing he was supposed to receive as the oldest son. This week, we pick up the story right afterwards Jacob’s betrayal of Esau. Jacob was on the run because he was afraid Esau would kill him. Yet, in our story this morning Jacob learns he will be the inheritor of the covenant with God. Listen to the story of Jacob’s dream as it is written in Genesis 28, verses 10 through 19:

Proclamation of the Scripture                                    Genesis 28: 10-19              

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 

When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 

He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 

There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 

Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 

He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 

He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Let us pray: Gracious God, as we turn to your Word for us, may the Spirit of God rest upon us. Help us to be steadfast in our hearing, in our speaking, in our believing, and in our living. Amen

Message                              Jacob’s Dream

            On really clear mornings, I can usually remember my dreams for a few minutes. Lately, the involve babies. But, the babies sometimes are different people in different parts of my dreams….sometimes they are my sister, sometimes they are Lucia, sometimes they are the baby who will be born soon. I suspect babies loom large in my dreams because I am getting ready to have a baby soon – it isn’t some mystical message that is telling me that I am about to start something new or am stressed out.

            On the other hand, Jacob’s dream was highly symbolic.  When he had his dream, he was in the middle of a highly stressful journey. He was fleeing from his homeland and from his father’s house. He was heading to Harran, his mother’s homeland and the birthplace of his grandparents Abraham and Sarah.  He had been dishonest – he lied to his blind father and pretended to be his brother Esau. His father gave him the special blessing reserved for the oldest son. Jacob had to flee for his safety – Esau may have been justified in killing him – if Jacob was dead, then Esau’s father Isaac could have given him the correct blessing, the correct inheritance.

            Jacob’s dream was also a prophesy. He saw a stairway to heaven with angels climbing up and down it. The dream represented the connection between God and humanity – Jacob was the third generation to inherit the Covenant between God and Abraham – God was going to make Jacob the father of the Jewish people, and in turn the father of the Christian people. This dream established that the covenant would continue through Jacob’s lineage.  Jacob eventually became the father of 12 sons, and had many, many grandchildren. After a generation of an only child followed by twins, having 12 sons led quickly led to hundreds of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The descendants of Jacob took a detour to Egypt where they resided for around 400 years. By the time Jacob’s descendants left Egypt, there were thousands of people – thousands of people descended from Jacob.

            Sometimes, as in our example of Jacob’s dream this morning, God comes to us in unexpected ways and at unexpected places.  Jacob was in a weird “In-between’ place. He stopped on the side of a road. He slept using a rock as a pillow. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable his sleeping spot was…he must have been really tired…really worn down…really scared. And, in the midst of a long dark night, Jacob had a dream that was very comforting.  God told him: “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

            God is with us – God is with us even when we mess up – God is with us even when we hurt others – God is with us when we are scared – God is with us even when we make mistakes.

            Jacob eventually apologized to his brother Esau. The brothers reconnected many years later. Jacob lived a very long, complicated life. God kept God’s promises to Jacob – Jacob ended up with countless descendants….Jacob returned to the land of his birth…Jacob was able to receive refuge in Egypt when a terrible drought settled over his land….God kept God’s promises to Jacob.

            When we are struggling, it is sometimes hard for us to believe that God is on our side. We feel isolated…we feel scared…we feel alone. It is important for us to remember that no matter what we do, no matter where we go, God is with us. We can’t escape from God’s love. God’s Holy Spirit is here with us to support and guide our lives. And, God sends us messages – sometimes in dreams, sometimes in visions, sometimes in clues in the natural world, sometimes in messages from other people. God is with us no matter what we face. God keeps God’s promises to us.

            Thanks be to God. Amen.

A House Divided -- A Message for July 16, 2023

 

            Over the last few weeks, we have focused on the patriarchs and matriarchs of our faith. We met Abraham and Sarah, who committed to a Covenant with God. In their old age, they had a miracle baby. Last week, we focused on the arranged marriage between their son Isaac and his cousin Rebekah.  We are fast-forwarding in time today and pausing at the moment Rebekah was pregnant with twins. Listen now to the word of God as we read Genesis, chapter 25, verses 19 through 34:

Proclamation of the Scripture            Genesis 25: 19-34              

This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, 

and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 

The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

The Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
    and the older will serve the younger.”

When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 

The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau.

After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.  Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 

Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 

He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom^.)

Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God.  Thanks be to God. Amen.

Let us pray: Holy and gracious God, may your Holy Spirit give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that, with the eyes of our hearts enlightened, we may know the hope to which Christ has called us, the riches of his glorious inheritance among us, and the greatness of his power for those who believe. Amen.

Message                              A House Divided

            The stories of the patriarchs and matriarchs are stories of people who are loyal and faithful to God, but are also people who had a lot of problems and who made unfortunate choices.

            In today’s reading, Rebekah was pregnant with twins….ultrasounds and baby heartbeat Doppler monitors would not be invented for thousands of years, so Rebekah didn’t realize she was carrying twins.  She prayed to God and asked why her belly was so active—jostling. And, God’s explanation was that two nations were fighting in her womb – eventually the older nation would serve the younger nation.

            We don’t know how Rebekah understood God’s metaphoric words. But, we do know that she had twins. And, the scripture tells us Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Isaac. They each had a favorite. This practice sounds shocking to us…child psychologists and pop parenting magazines tell us over and over again not to show favoritism among our children. But, I guess Isaac and Rebekah did not get the message.

            Throughout the stories of Esau and Jacob’s youth, it seemed like Rebekah was plotting against Esau in favor of Jacob. Pretty yucky!

            When the twins were older, Jacob manipulated Esau to give away his birthright over a bowl of stew.  Later on, when his father Isaac was ill and blind, Jacob dressed up as his brother and tricked his father into giving him the blessing that was reserved for the eldest son. Esau was forced to receive the younger son’s blessing. Both Esau and his father were terribly dismayed. Rebekah colluded with Jacob to create the plot against Esau.

            Afterwards, after Jacob had received the special blessing, he ran away because he was afraid Esau would kill him. This is not a story of people who were behaving like the good guys. Instead, Jacob was conniving and unfair to his brother.

            In our scriptures, over and over again, God uses flawed people to do good things.  Today’s story reminds us that we always get the opportunity to change for the better. Even when we are the ones, like Jacob, who are guilty of harming others. Even if we are the people, like Jacob, who are guilty of harming our own family members. Over the next few weeks, we will read more about Jacob’s saga. He also succumbed to people manipulating him and taking advantage of him…..he was taken down a few notches.  In his good times and in his horrible times, Jacob remained faithful to God.  Eventually, Jacob was renamed Israel, and his 12 sons became the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel.

            So things worked out well in the end, but today’s scripture reads almost like a “what not to do” passage. Don’t favor one of your children over the other.  Don’t plot against your husband or your child. Don’t sabotage your children’s inheritance. Don’t manipulate elderly, sick, and blind people to your benefit.  Don’t lie.

            Our Bible is full of examples of people who were incredibly flawed and yet managed to do wonderful things on behalf of God and on behalf of the people of God.  This weekend, our kids have learned about three of those people.  

Gideon was the greatest of all the Judges of the Hebrew people. He spoke face to face with God. He led the Hebrew people to a great military victory against the Midianites. Yet, when he started following orders from God, he was afraid. God told him to tear down altars to false gods. Gideon was afraid of being attacked for destroying the idols, so he snuck around in the middle of the night to destroy them. He learned to trust God, but initially he was unsure if God would protect and help him.

Daniel was the epitome of bravery and loyalty to both God and his Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. He made the best of a bad situation since he was one of the Jewish people carried off to Babylon in captivity. Although he maintained his loyalty to God and followed God’s laws, I suspect that some of the other Jewish captives resented that one of their own people rose through the ranks of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian government. So, although he was perfect in many respects, he still could have been viewed by some of his people as working for their enemy.

Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ most loyal female follower. Jesus chose Mary to be the first witness of his resurrection. Yet, Mary had a sordid reputation. We can’t be sure what was real and what was made up to discredit her, but some traditions paint her as formerly being a fallen woman – Jesus welcomed outcasts to dine with him and become his followers. He overlooked their pasts and welcomed them into the fold. So, Mary’s story is truly a story of redemption and acceptance by Christ.

God uses broken, flawed, imperfect people to do God’s work in the world – people just like us. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect or stay perfect, God uses us just as we are. Jacob was selfish and mean, he made self-serving choices, and he took advantage of his brother’s weaknesses. Yet, he ended up being faithful to God. The 12 tribes of Israel each descend from him – and from those people the Christian faith was born.

We always have the opportunity to make better choices. We always have the opportunity to turn our lives around. We always are welcome to dig ourselves out of the pits we find ourselves in and turn towards God and become new people, born again and read to serve our Lord. Let us do so always. Amen. 

Chosen Journeys -- A Message for July 9, 2023

 

Last week, we heard the story of Isaac’s near death experience when Abraham was put to the test and was asked to sacrifice his son. Fortunately, God intervened and Isaac was ok. Today, we turn to a passage that occurs when Isaac was around 40 years old. His father decided it was time to find a wife for Isaac, and sent his servant out to obtain an “appropriate” woman for his son. Hear this reading of a selection of the verses found in Genesis 24:

Proclamation of the Scripture                        Genesis 24: 34-38, 42-49, 58-67

So he (Abraham’s senior servant) said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 

The Lord has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 

My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. 

And my master made me swear an oath, and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live,

but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.’

 

“When I came to the spring today, I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come. 

See, I am standing beside this spring. If a young woman comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,”

and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too,” let her be the one the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’

“Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

“She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels also.

“I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’

“She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milkah bore to him.’

“Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms, 

and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. 

Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn.”

“I will go,” she said.

 

So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. 

And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

“Our sister, may you increase
    to thousands upon thousands;
may your offspring possess
    the cities of their enemies.”

Then Rebekah and her attendants got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 

He went out to the field one evening to meditate,[f] and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. 

Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 

and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”

“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 

Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

 

Prayer of Invocation

            May the words of my mouth and the mediations of all of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

Message                                          Chosen Journeys

The story of Abraham and Sarah, the story of the Jewish Patriarchs, reads in many ways like a soap opera…the marital relationships, the jealousy, the miracle babies, the near death experiences, the intrigue. I am surprised no one has developed it into a telenovela or soap opera.

            When it came time for Abraham to arrange a marriage for his son Isaac, he opted to have his servant return to the land of Ur, to Abraham’s homeland, to find a bride. No Canaanite women for his family – only the best 😊.

            When the servant arrived in Abraham’s homeland, he went to the area where Abraham’s extended family lived…Where the descendants of his brothers lived. And, the first person the servant met was Rebekah. She was very generous with sharing water with the servant and his camels…the servant had prayed to God for a sign that he was choosing the right woman. Rebekah fit the bill to a tee. Rebekah’s father and grandfather had died, so her brother, Laban, made the arrangements to marry her off. Later on, Laban will figure prominently in the life of Rebekah’s son Jacob because he married Laban’s two daughters, Rachel and Leah.

            Obviously, these people didn’t understand inbreeding or incest in the way we do. Abraham and Sarah were ½ siblings with the same dad and different mothers. Rebekah was the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor. Her son married her nieces through her brother Laban. If I had to build an ancestry chart for this family, there would be a lot of crossing lines and uncomfortable pairings. 

            Again, sort of soap-opera-esque. We have all watched tv shows when people find out they are dating their sisters. But, in our day-and-age, those pairings are accidental. In ancient Israel, they were intentional.

            A lot of things have changed in marriages since 4000 years ago. When Abraham sent his servant to pick a bride for Isaac, Isaac didn’t get a say in the matter. His dad was in charge. Abraham decided to obtain a bride from his family….they were keeping their assets to themselves…and their DNA to themselves. 

            Even during the last 100 years, marriage has changed in the United States. Marriage has changed in our culture. My great-great-grandmother obtained a divorce in the 1890s – afterwards, she moved with her son and her mother to a totally different part of Missouri – it is a 7 hour car ride away now – they had to move away from where they lived to another part of Missouri to escape the scandal and start over again. A little over 100 years ago, people couldn’t obtain no-fault divorces, even if they were abused or their partners committed infidelity. Throughout the 20th century, our culture shifted and people became more tolerant of divorce. 

When my grandparents were newlyweds in the 1940s, they followed a very strict division of household work based on their genders. My grandmother did more chores in the house, my grandfather did more chores in the yard. But, priorities in marriage continued to shift and continue to shift. Now, newlyweds have much more egalitarian expectations–most people work for a salary, and the household tasks and childcare is split up more equally. We all know women who mow the lawn and men who cook all the meals. And, we now have marriages between people of the same gender and those marriages also reflect more egalitarian expectations about housework and childcare. 

            We can all probably look at the marriages of earlier generations and recognize ways those marriages are different than our marriages. Those partnerships are different than our partnerships.

            But, there are still Christian teachings that undergird our marriages. There are still rules of conduct that we cherish and want to carry forward into the future. In the beginning of the Bible, marriage is about companionship – In Genesis 2:18, it says: “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” So, immediately in Genesis, we are created to be helpers for each other. God lays out the foundation of a marriage as a friendship between two co-equals coming together as one.  We ae designed to need companionship and marriage helps us obtain a partner who meets that need.

In the 10 Commandments, God tells us to not commit adultery.  Exodus 20 verse 14 succinctly states: “You shall not commit adultery.”  Why would this be one of our principle obligations?

            Infidelity causes a lot of problems. When it is discovered, the betrayed partner can devalue themselves and blame themselves for the affair. The unfaithful partner feels guilt and shame; the betrayed partner may feel humiliated and exposed. There is a loss of trust.  The members of the couple may experience anger, resentment, bitterness, anxiety and depression. All of these things lead to unhealthy marriages – therefore, we are told by God through our scripture to not commit adultery, and work to prevent these consequences before they start.

            In Genesis chapter one, it is written: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” This passage refers to Adam and Eve being created in the image of God. One is not greater than the other – although many human cultures have valued men over women, this is not how God arranged the world. Jesus continually elevated women in a society that put them down. In the story of Adam and Eve, where Adam was weak, Eve was strong; where Eve was weak, Adam was strong.  Based on their example, we are reminded to celebrate the strengths of our spouse.

            Our marriages are very different than the arranged marriage of Isaac and Rebekah. Yet, we can take cues from our scripture about how to have healthy relationships and marriages. We are designed to need cowmanship, loyalty, trust, and to rely on our partners to complement us.  The more things change, the more they stay the same. I pray we will each find strength, companionship and love in all of our relationships and partnerships, as we are created to rely on each other.

            May we do so knowing we are loved by our God. Amen. 

Holy Welcome -- A Message for July 2, 2023

This week, we are continuing our journey through the highlights of Abraham and Sarah’s life. Last week, we focused on the sad day when Ishmael and Hagar were cast out into the wilderness.  Fortunately, God had a positive plan for their lives and God rescued them from harm. This week, we focus on another sad occasion in the life of Abraham and his son Isaac. Please turn with me to Genesis Chapter 22 as we read verses one through fourteen:

Proclamation of the Scripture            Genesis 22:1-14

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 

On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 

He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 

Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 

Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 

But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 

So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God.  Thanks be to God. Amen.

Prayer of Illumination

Pastor: Almighty God,
prepare us to discover your word for us today.
Help us hear your servant,
and in the spoken words, hear your Word.
May these words help us recognize our master
in the many fields of life
through which we travel. Amen.

Message                              Holy Welcome

            Abraham came from the city-state of Ur in ancient Mesopotamia. It was the largest city in the ancient world during Abraham’s lifetime.  Archaeologists love to study ruins and burial sites to learn more about the practices of the ancient people who lived there, people like Abraham and Sarah before they were sent by God on their quest to the future Holy Land.  The religious practices of Abraham’s homeland included worshipping multiple deities, like Marduk the head god and Tiamat the mother goddess.  We know a little about their worship practices because of statues, engravings, and because some of their stories have been passed down through poetry and books we still have, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Archaeologists often study tombs and burial sites to learn about ancient people; therefore, they know many people were sacrificed to Mesopotamian gods. High-status young people between the ages of 5 and 20 were the main victims of this practice. We don’t know exactly what their deaths were supposed to accomplish, but we know they were put to death in great numbers. 

            Abraham and his ancestors, for hundreds of years, were accustomed to children being sacrificed to their gods. For them, this was a normal and appropriate practice – a perfectly reasonable way to honor their gods.

            For us, this is a horrifying and strange practice. For twenty-first century people, it seems unbelievable that Abraham would consider sacrificing his son– Isaac was his only remaining child after Ishmael was sent away. Isaac was born when Sarah was in her 80s – what were the chances of her having another baby? Abraham believed God was going to make him the ancestor of many descendants – how could that become true without Isaac having children?

            This story is held up to us as a story about Abraham’s faithfulness to God. He was willing to listen to God no matter what doubts cropped up in his mind….he followed God’ s directions to have his family move all over the place. He trusted God when God said he would have descendants. He trusted God when God said Sarah would become pregnant. He trusted God when God said Hagar and Ishmael would be cared for.  And, in this instance, Abraham trusted God when he was told to sacrifice Isaac – Abraham was probably unhappy….Abraham was probably sad….Abraham was possibly angry….but he listened to God and he trusted God.

            Many religious scholars believe the events surrounding the near-sacrifice of Isaac were intended to teach Abraham and Sarah and all of the new followers of God that God wanted different things than the ancient Mesopotamian gods. Instead of offering human sacrifices, God wanted animal sacrifices.  This moment, when Isaac was saved, communicated that our God is different than the false gods of the Mesopotamian people. God did not want human sacrifices – in this harsh story, God made this clear to Abraham. As we read through the Bible, we read that other groups in the Middle East continued to sacrifice humans to their Gods, but this was never a part of the Jewish religion – it was never an expectation placed on us by God.

            When we were at Lunch Bunch on Tuesday – shameless plug: bring a lunch at 12 on Tuesdays and we will eat, chat, and probably talk about a scripture or two – Anyway, at lunch bunch on Tuesday, one of our members pointed out the parallels between the near-sacrifice of Isaac and the crucifixion of Jesus. Isaac carried the wood for the pyre; Jesus carried his cross to the site of his crucifixion. Abraham led Isaac to the site of the sacrifice; God allowed others to lead Jesus into the hands of his executioners. God saved Isaac from becoming a sacrifice; God saved humanity by resurrecting Jesus from the dead.

            God did not prevent Jesus from being sacrificed, like he prevented Isaac from being sacrificed. In each case, God was starting something new.  In Isaac’s rescue, God communicated that God no longer expects or wants human sacrifices. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, God communicates that God loves the people of the world so much that Jesus was allowed to die….but, God’s love overcame death when Jesus was resurrected.

            Our God is different than the false beliefs humans come up with – God doesn’t want us to hurt each other, to hurt anyone on God’s behalf. And, when we mess up and people do hurt each other, God loves and forgives us, just as God loves and forgives us for allowing Jesus to die on the cross.

            When we put our faith in God, we are agreeing to do things differently than the rest of the world. We don’t have to participate in the rituals and the odd practices of the secular world. We are called to be different than other kinds of people – stand up for vulnerable people, like widows and orphans and children; forgive people who hurt us; follow God even when we don’t have advance knowledge of where God is leading us; love God and love other people as much as we love ourselves; put the needs of others before we put our own needs.

            It is not always easy being a Christian; but God appreciates and blesses us when we work to follow God.

Amen. 

 Photo by Tom Bradley on Unsplash