27When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he

Sermon 10_27_13 FIRST READING The reading may be announced: A reading from. Genesis 27-28:17 - Isaac Blesses Jacob 27When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called his elder son Esau and said to him, My son ; and he answered, Here I am. 2 He said, See, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and hunt game for me. 4 Then prepare for me savoury food, such as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die. 15 Then Rebekah took the best garments of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob; 16 and she put the skins of the kids on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 Then she handed the savoury food, and the bread that she had prepared, to her son Jacob. 18 So he went in to his father, and said, My father ; and he said, Here I am; who are you, my son? 19 Jacob said to his father, I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, so that you may bless me. 20 But Isaac said to his son, How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son? He answered, Because the LORD your God granted me success. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, Come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not. 22 So Jacob went up to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, The voice is Jacob s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. 23 He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau s hands; so he blessed him. Jacob s Dream at Bethel 10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went towards Haran. 11 He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of 1

the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. 12 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. 13 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; 14 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. 15 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. 16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, Surely the LORD is in this place and I did not know it! 17 And 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. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. PSALM: Psalm 46 1 God is our ref- uge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, and though the mountains shake in the depths of the sea; 3 though its waters rage and foam, and though the mountains tremble with its tumult. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the cit- y of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be shaken; God shall help it at the break of day. 6 The nations rage, and the kingdoms shake; God speaks, and the earth melts away. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. 8 Come now, regard the works of the LORD, what desolations God has brought up- on the earth; 9 behold the one who makes war to cease in all the world; who breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, and burns the shields with fire. 10 "Be still, then, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth." 2

11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God. GOSPEL: John 8:31 36 The gospel is announced. The holy gospel according to. Glory to you, O Lord. Jesus speaks of truth and freedom as spiritual realities known through his word. He reveals the truth that sets people free from sin. 31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." 33 They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, 'You will be made free'?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. The gospel concludes: The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. KIDS MESSAGE: SERMON INTERDEPENDENCE / TRUE STEWARDSHIP /?BIRTHRIGHT AND BLESSING Note the background: Abraham and Sarah bear Isaac and he marries Rebekah (who was also barren for a time) and has twins: Esau and Jacob (name Jacob means gripping heel he was born to be said, gripping Esau s heel at birth) Esau = skillful hunter and Jacob = quiet man and Rebekah s favorite Esau sells his birthright when he is famished and agrees to sell it to Jacob if Jacob gives him food. Is it really Esau s to give away? Rebekah gets the motion in place and is willing to take responsibility 3

Isaac (old and with dim eyes) calls Esau and asks him to go hunt and prep him a savory good Isaac s Intention - to bless Esau Rebekah = misuses authority and uses power (not that she would have status in the social structure) in deception of Isaac like many in God s plan people are not perfect, but God uses what happens to bring about God s bigger visions. Where is the interdependence? Why would God choose such a character? If God includes Jacob, who can be excluded? This may be an appropriate direction to take with this text, yet one cannot help wondering if such a negative picture of Jacob is justified. Isaac asks, WHO ARE YOU, my son? Then Jacob acts, involving God because the Lord, your God granted me success THE FAITH QUESTIONS Who are you? Who is God making out of you? Are key!!! TRICKERY and Sibling Rivalry FROM NIB - 27:5-17. Overhearing Isaac s request, Rebekah reports its essentials to Jacob, including Esau s absence, but she adds before Yahweh (v. 7). This interpretation sets Isaac over against God s speech (25:23) and establishes Rebekah s theological motivation; she responds to the word of God, which Esau s behaviors have reinforced (26:34-35). Blessing is not a justice issue for her. Taking the initiative, she devises a ruse by which Jacob can receive the blessing, and commands him to help out (v. 8; obey in v. 13). He should act in just the way Isaac commanded Esau, but before Esau returns. Jacob does not immediately agree, not because he thinks it wrong, but because he doubts its feasibility. His participation becomes explicit when he raises a complicating issue; Esau is hairy and Jacob is not, and their nearly blind father can still feel (an ironic touch since smooth can also mean deceptive, Ps 55:21). Jacob worries that Isaac may pronounce a curse on him. Their mother s willingness to bear the brunt of any response (note that the curse could be transferred!) reassures him, and he quickly (conveyed by three verbs in rapid sequence, v. 14) obeys her directives. Only then does Rebekah address her son s concern by clothing him so that he feels and smells like Esau (cf. Jacob s being deceived by clothing in 37:31-33; 38:14). Jacob proceeds without hesitation. We cannot help wondering whether such crude disguises will do the trick. 27:18-29. Carrying out the ruse is now up to Jacob, and he executes it without hesitation. His verbal deception takes two forms: He lies about his identity (vv. 19, 24), and he sanctimoniously draws God into the deceit by claiming, with supreme irony, that Isaac s God, Yahweh, has granted him success (v. 20). But from v. 20 on, Jacob utters only one word (v. 24); otherwise he only acts in response to Isaac s queries and commands. Although Isaac reacts strongly when he finds he has been tricked (v. 33); and calls it deceit (v. 35), he never chides Jacob. In fact, the next time he speaks to him (28:1-4), Isaac proceeds as if all is well. He then reinforces the blessing, explicitly linking it with Abraham. Isaac s acceptance seems to lie, not in a magical notion of blessing, but in a conviction that he acted properly (vv. 33, 37). After all, he has just 4

learned about the birthright incident for the first time (v. 36); another factor may have been the parental pain Esau s marriages caused (26:35) One basic reason cited by Isaac for not retracting the blessing involves the consumption of a meal (v. 33; cf. vv. 4, 7, 10, 19, 25, 31). The meal was an integral part of a conventional blessing ritual, without which it would not have been valid. In this understanding of ritual, we are not far from certain realistic views of, say, the Christian sacraments, or liturgy more generally Chap 28 This text stands as one of the pillars of the Jacob story. God transmits to him the ancestral promises, fulfilling the expressed wish of his father (28:3-4). This is the first time Jacob appears by himself; hence it represents a new beginning for the larger story. Jacob flees from the hatred and threats of his brother, seeming to reap the consequences of his own duplicity, and the future does not seem bright. At precisely this deeply vulnerable moment in his life, God appears, not in judgment, but to confirm him as the one chosen to carry on the promise Together with another appearance of God to Jacob at Bethel on his return journey (35:1-15), this episode brackets the narrative. A note about setting (vv. 10-11) is followed by the dream (vv. 12-15) A remarkable dream fills Jacob s night. He dreams that a ladder (better, a stairway or ramp) extends from earth to heaven. We may compare this stairway to those attached to temple towers (ziggurats) elsewhere in the ancient Near East; these were microcosms of the world, with the top of the tower representing heaven, the dwelling place of the gods. Such structures provided an avenue of approach from the human sphere to the divine realm. Priests or divine beings traversed up and down the stairway, providing communication between the two realms. Ascending and descending divine beings are a part of Jacob s dream, but they have no specific function... While such beings may serve as messengers, here they do not serve as intermediaries for divine revelation. Rather, Yahweh stands beside Jacob and speaks directly to him The angels do not speak; God does. Jacob hears the divine promises directly from God, who in turn promises God s very own presence rather than that of a surrogate. Earth is not left to its own resources and heaven is not a remote self-contained realm for the gods. Heaven has to do with earth. And earth finally may count on the resources of heaven. God is identified in terms of Jacob s family, referring to Abraham as father rather than Isaac. Jacob thus has the same relationship to Abraham and Abraham s God as his father, Isaac, has had (see 26:3-4, 24). The use of the name Yahweh provides clearer continuity with Abraham (cf. 15:7) than the generic word for God. God s word to Jacob moves directly from self-identification to promise, which fulfills Isaac s benedictory wish of 28:3-4 and constitutes God s confirmation of Jacob s gaining of birthright and blessing. God s promises are unusually extensive (eight different elements), to which Jacob adds another (v. 20, food and clothing). The promises are: land; many descendants; dispersion of posterity throughout the land (not the world, cf. 13:14-17); the extension of blessing to others through him; 5

presence; keeping; homecoming, and not leaving. All the promises spoken in the narrative to this point are gathered up and focused on Jacob. The last four (v. 15) relate directly to Jacob s status as a traveler, extending the promise given to his father in comparable circumstances (26:3, 24). Upon awakening, Jacob realizes the import of his dream, and he proceeds to interpret its significance. He recognizes that he has some new knowledge; he has moved from not knowing to knowing that God has been present with him. (Except for the ruse in 27:20, this is the first time he mentions God.) He also expresses awe that in this ordinary place he has been confronted by the God of whom his father spoke (28:3-4), indeed granted direct access to God s promise-speaking The naming of the place occurs in two stages. The first (v. 17) attests to his encounter with the divine presence: the house of God (i.e., Beth-el) and the gate of heaven. These building metaphors represent concretely his experience of direct divine access. The stairway and the angels have been reduced to props, metaphors now inadequate for depicting the dynamics of immediate divine-human communication. The second (v. 19), more formal, naming emphasizes the continuity between the immediate experience and the ongoing significance of this particular place Finally, Jacob makes a vow (recalled by God in 31:13) If God keeps the promises, then Jacob will do certain things: Yahweh will be his God (namely, Jacob will remain loyal); he will construct a sanctuary (fulfilled in 35:7, 14-15) and offer a tithe (see 14:20; Deut 26:12-15), apparently a one-time gift, perhaps for the care of the sanctuary. In essence, if God acts faithfully, Jacob will be faithful. From this point on, Jacob s journeys are filled with a new sense of vocation, for he now bears the promise. At the same time, he remains Jacob and does not know immediately what this experience entails for his life. SERMON: Stories it is what helps us to understand who each other is I was reminded of this when I opened the newspaper this week and saw the brother dressed up in a gorilla costume one of my brother s used to try and scare me with his GORILLA MASK! Usually he would tell me from the hallway that he had it on and that he was going to come in and scare me to that I would agree and then scream and be scared most of the time, it put him in trouble with my parents. His comeback would always be, I warned her! She agreed! In fact, when we are together, sometimes he will look at me and just say Janice, I am going to put on my gorilla mask and we laugh! THAT is known as the GORILLA MASK story and then there is a a different Family Story, we call the WHISKEY FLASK Story I remember one time when I was a little girl and our Presbyterian Pastor came out to the farm for a visit. My Mom, a busy housewife, had been cleaning cupboards all day in the pantry it was the cupboards we rarely opened but had a collection of stuff. As time was drawing near for the Rev. to arrive, she quickly was hauling stuff back into the cupboards to clean up the place so the Pastor 6

wouldn t see her mess. She wanted her home to be welcoming and not messy So he arrived, and the visit went on and after about 1 hour, the Pastor prayed for us, and then left a good visit! And then, my Mom walked into the kitchen and realized that whatever liquor bottles my parents had, they were all out, especially a big WHISKEY FLASK, still sitting out on the kitchen table. She was horrified! Now, I am pretty sure he knew especially Mom was more of less a tea-totalers! The Flask on the kitchen table display didn t change the story of who the Pastor knew them to be; but, she was concerned about it! When I have the privilege to come by your homes, in making Home Visits, it is a wonderful opportunity to learn your stories it is a way to make sense out of who and what has shaped you in your lives. The funny, the sad, and the unique! Things happen in our lives, our families and dynamics that are difficult, our interactions with others, and we would rather not have the messiness out for another s view As we learn to do relationships, we figure out what we are comfortable sharing or at least, how we talk about the messiness that is REAL in life we come to the realization that no one lives in a perfect world! And sometimes as Christians, I think we do that same kind of dance only revealing to God what we are comfortable sharing about those other people we have to deal with, praying about, and maybe even, trying to hide the messiness of what we need to own in our lives perhaps we work to keep that away from God, too. Let s turn to our OT story this morning that centers on Jacob. Yes, he was born son of Isaac who we learned more about last week. Jacob has a brother, Esau, who was his twin, who was actually the older one, and so Esau was the first-born son! THAT was really important in the Hebrew world. He would be given the birthright (land, possessions, authority, and blessing would come from his father, Isaac and the Patriarchal Fathers when Isaac grew elderly before he died). And this story is filled with messiness, intrigue, AND trickery with sibling rivalry! As I mentioned last week, perhaps we catch a glimpse of our own lives in it. For any of you who know 2 boys in the same family that are like day and night difference, this would be Esau and Jacob. Esau was a skillful hunter, an outdoor guy, and Jacob a quiet man, a good cook! Now I am not asking you to judge who was right and who was wrong but let s take a look at some of the dynamics of this family: The name Jacob means gripping heel he was born, it was said, he was gripping Esau s heel at birth). And Esau s name sounded like the Hebrew word for Hairy! Jacob was his Mom s (Rebekah s) favorite! She was willing to take the consequences of that favoritism. She has earlier heard from God that the elder son will serve the younger! One story between the boys shows that Esau wants to sell his birthright to Jacob when he is especially famished and agrees to sell it to Jacob for food! Isaac liked to eat and requested Esau to go hunting for his favorite food, and prepare it for him. Isaac s intention was to give the birthright blessing to Esau! Rebekah offers to put skins on Jacob to hoodwink Isaac (whose eye sight was failing) into believing that Jacob was Esau to instead! When Jacob shows up with the skins on, he answers the questions falsely that Isaac asks. Jacob receives the Blessing! 7

It worked! Once the Blessing was given, it could not be taken back, according to Hebrew culture. All heck broke loose when Esau found out that deceit had happened! YES, Jacob gained the Blessing through the art of deception! It really angered Esau! The birthright blessing was only Isaac s to give. (Not Rebekah s, not Esau s, not Jacob s) It is messy! Esau on some level thought Jacob should have the Blessing but was angry about how Jacob went about it to trick Isaac, their father! Brother to Brother, Esau threatens to take Jacob s life so Rebekah wants to send Jacob off to her brother Laban s house after Isaac dies. Right before that, Isaac calls Jacob in and Blesses him and sends him away! So Jacob flees! When brothers don t get along, it seems as if there will be continued ongoing discussion even if they don t speak! But along the path, Jacob ENCOUNTERS God in a NEW way! Just like a light bulb that has been off, Jacob finally learns that God has been present with him all along the way during his life. How does he know? This conversation sounds like a discussion question from last week s Connecting Together Class How does he know God is with him? We look back on the story.he came to the certain place and lays his head down on the rock. He dreams he envisions a ladder all the way to heaven angels were up and down on that ladder. The Lord stands beside him and whispers into his ear: God gives him the land and blesses his offspring (his kids) and tells him that God is with him wherever he goes He wakes up thinking Surely God is in this place! I did not know that before! This is the house of God (meaning for Beth-el) ---The gate of Heaven! It is clear to Jacob that he has Divine Access to the Lord. Eventually he makes an oath If God will be with him, and will keep him in this way that he goes, and will give Jacpb bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that when Jacob comes again to his father s house in peace, then the Lord shall be his God, and this stone, which he has shall be God s house! There is this absolute moment of clarity! He knows God is with him! What he was, trickery or no trickery, flawed or few flaws, right or wrong, he knows! And he VOWS his life to be faithful to God! Does not on this Reformation Sunday, when we are more clear that God is with us in the changing times of life Does not this time remind us of the Faith Questions asked of Jacob himself: 1. As Isaac asks Jacob the key question: WHO are YOU In relationship to this Father are you my son? Seems like a good Faith question for us to ask ourselves: WHO ARE YOU in relationship to the Father? Are YOU my son, Are YOU daughter? 2. And As Jacob realized that God was present with him, Surely God is in this place, & I did not know it! Sounds like a backward glance reflecting on his life And perhaps it makes him looks out across his future, he vows IF God is going to be with me, then I can be faithful to God Jacob s live is full and good with promise; he even reconciles with his brother Esau 8

down the road! But I think that Faith question for us today, looking back over our sometimes messy lives, realizing that God was present with us across those years! Just as Jacob received God s Blessing and much later continued to be faithful in response! So now as Hillside Community, this is the question for us to ponder WHO IS GOD making out of US? Remembering that Jesus said The Truth sets you free; ; the son (and daughter) has a place there forever! 36 So if the Son [Jesus himself] makes you free, you will be free indeed! 9