10/12/20
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.
Young men, wandering around, camping out, trying to find meaning or a place in life. It is a common theme, whether in the story of Three Little Pigs, of Aeneas, or of Jacob in Genesis 28. Jacob is driven to his adventure by the anger of his brother, whom Jacob had cheated and used badly. As Jacob fled, he spent the night in the wild, propping his head up on a rock which apparently was a better shape than the bare ground.
There’s a famous song about climbing Jacob’s ladder. The problem with the song is that God is the one who places the ladder, and all the traffic on the ladder is angelic. The angels come down and minister to Jacob. He doesn’t climb up to heaven. God comes down to Jacob.
What does Jacob receive? He receives the promise God gave to Abraham. He is to be great, to have a land and offspring, along with God’s blessing and presence.
We don’t approach God with our good deeds or our hopes and dreams. He approaches us. In Christ, God has given all who believe on him an eternal hope and an eternal kingdom. He adopts us into his own kingdom, where he is present. This is his message, to us along with Jacob.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.
Young men, wandering around, camping out, trying to find meaning or a place in life. It is a common theme, whether in the story of Three Little Pigs, of Aeneas, or of Jacob in Genesis 28. Jacob is driven to his adventure by the anger of his brother, whom Jacob had cheated and used badly. As Jacob fled, he spent the night in the wild, propping his head up on a rock which apparently was a better shape than the bare ground.
There’s a famous song about climbing Jacob’s ladder. The problem with the song is that God is the one who places the ladder, and all the traffic on the ladder is angelic. The angels come down and minister to Jacob. He doesn’t climb up to heaven. God comes down to Jacob.
What does Jacob receive? He receives the promise God gave to Abraham. He is to be great, to have a land and offspring, along with God’s blessing and presence.
We don’t approach God with our good deeds or our hopes and dreams. He approaches us. In Christ, God has given all who believe on him an eternal hope and an eternal kingdom. He adopts us into his own kingdom, where he is present. This is his message, to us along with Jacob.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
RSS Feed