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Tedd Pullano
Ogden 07-23-2017
Genesis 28:10-19
Friends, this week we spend time with Jacob. When we meet him he is on the run from his brother Esau, whom he has cheated out of his birthright:
Genesis 28:10-19
10Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. 11He 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. 12And 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. 13And 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; 14and 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. 15Know 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.”
16Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” 17And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” 18So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19He called that place Bethel.
God is Here
I am still glowing and riding high on the aftermath of our mission trip this past week. The trip to Pittsburgh and our time at the Pittsburgh Project was amazing. We who went, and those whom we met and worked with, were deeply blessed – and I believe we were a blessing to many as well. We met many wonderful people, had great adventures, made fantastic memories and had much laughter and joy. And I am so excited to say that God was there. God was there in all of the expected places: the inspiring daily worship services led by the young staff, the small group discussions, mealtimes, one-on-one pre scheduled conversations. Just as it should be. I believe we all were able to find God in all the usual and expected places. And that was great. But what made this trip so much more powerfulfor me was the times we met God in the unexpected – when she showed up and surprised us. Just like with our good friend Jacob in our scripture reading this morning. Now, Jacob knew of God. His whole family dealt closely with God, his grandfather Abraham, his father Isaac, his mother Rebekah and his brother Esau. They all knew of God and God’s presence. So, God being present was not new or unusual. But when we encounter Jacob today, he is not in a place where he would expect God to be. When we see him he is a fugitive, on the run for his life. He has just deceived both his father and his brother and offended them deeply. His brother wants to tear him limb from limb – and Jacob is well aware of his deceitfulness. I don't know that in this time of fear and post-bad behavior he expected God to show up – and he certainly could not have expected God to show up and bless him so richly and deeply. But that is just what happened. On the run, fleeing for his life, Jacob has this life changing encounter with the God of all Creation. God shows up powerfully and blesses and encourages Jacob. Awesome. After this unexpected encounter, Jacob is different – not perfect, but different. He becomes more of an upright, mature child of God. All through this unexpected encounter with God.
I love how blown away he is by this experience. After it he shouts out: “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” There is clearly much exuberance and excitement on his part, to the point of being overwhelmed by this unexpected encounter. Sisters and brothers, that is what it is like to meet this Great God of ours, especially when you aren’t expecting him. You see, it is very easy to compartmentalize God – to keep him in all the usual places: worship, prayer, etc. But God is so much bigger than that. She is here and here and here and there. In the expected and unexpected places. That is what happened to many of us this past week in Pittsburgh. As I said earlier, we did meet God in the usual places. But I know for me it was the unexpected places that stuck with me the most. So, a couple of us are going to share those experiences with you and thank you for sending and supporting us on this trip. (Molly, Jess, John)
And why are these experiences important? They are important for us – for our grounding and our foundation. Certainly. But let me point you back to this morning’s text. Verse 14 tells us again what the scriptures tell us over and over regarding the blessings God pours out on us: all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. The blessing of this unexpected encounter with God was not for Jacob so he could be happy and satisfied and enjoy his life. This beautiful blessing poured out on him was so Jacob could continue to share and spread God’s love and blessing to “all the families of the earth.” That is what we are continually called to do, and that is what happened to us in Pittsburgh. We were blessed and we used that blessing to continue share God’s love and blessing. I saw your children be blessed and work hard at sharing that love and blessing with others, especially the homeowners we worked for. Just ask your children about Isabella and Miss Howard. And so may we continue to receive the blessing of God's presence and look for in all the expected places but also be aware of her in all the unexpected places. And may we share that with all those whom we meet. whether we are here in Ogden, Spencerport or wherever God sends us. Thanks be to God for her presence and blessing. Amen.