04/22/2024
Professor Laban
God lets Jacob learn through the School of Hard Knocks. Professor Laban is an excellent teacher if you want to learn first-hand how unfair life can be when you live among amoral and self-centered people. Jacob learned some important lessons about himself as well: the trickster was forced to deal with the consequences of working for the Master Trickster. Yet God allows Jacob’s tutorial to go on only so long. God says, in the chapter 31, “I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.” God doesn’t miss a thing. After all, God’s been with Jacob every step of the way. And it is as if God is saying, “If you’ve learned your lesson, then it’s about time for you to come home and begin to fulfill your destiny.”
Alas, Jacob is a slow learner—as are many of us. In words of the apostle Paul, he continues to do the things he doesn’t want to do and doesn’t do the thing he wants to do. Jacob’s spiritual growth might remind you of your own. It was certainly one step forward then one step back. But stay tuned. Next Sunday we’ll take a look at the meeting between God and Jacob—an epic struggle in which God finally makes some serious headway in changing the heart of his servant.
God is in the change of heart business. Just because Jacob is one of those chosen to keep and share the covenant or promise of God, it doesn’t mean he’s anymore exempt than we are from callousness and impatience. In scripture, as it is in life, growth is all that matters. It may come suddenly or may take a lifetime. But life without growth is a life God never intended us to live.
(I had intended to use portions of the above as the benediction Sunday, but only got out bits and pieces at 9 a.m. As we say, whatever doesn’t make the final cut on Sunday morning is fair game on Mondays!)
Archived Posts
What Jacob Marley Would Do,
If He Could Do It…
I thought about using the following for a benediction—since Jacob Marley was warning Scrooge about the danger of loving money and what it could buy. Ends up with the Cantata and everything else going on, I didn’t have the time. So here is what you might have heard if the sermon itself was 5 minutes shorter!
A Confirming Word on Old King Herod
I just want to echo what Rick said in his fine sermon yesterday (Nov. 23). Herod was a ruthless tyrant and skilled politician. When the Magi don’t report back to him, he decides to kill all the male children of Bethlehem under the age of 2. That’s one paranoid dude.
Power Without Conscience?
I ran out of room for this vignette in Sunday’s sermon. Remember the quote that could be the headline for Ahab and Naboth: “All that’s needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” The following reinforces that truth.
The Cars Are Looking for A King
I don’t have a thing to add to Pastor Jessica’s excellent sermon this last Sunday. The fable/parable she shared has been one of my favorites for all the lessons she pulled from it in her message. I was playing around with my friend Chat GPT and after several abortive attempts, we came up with the following modernized version of Judges 9:7-15.
The Lost Benediction
Depending on the length of the sermon, I try to add a little something extra in my benedictions. This week I wrote up a benediction but then realized we’d be singing and waving our umbrellas to some New Orleans jazz.
Change of Focus This Week
Instead of sharing with you about yesterday’s sermon I’d like to invite you to do some background reading for next Sunday’s “Only Murders in the Bible.” Seeing that it is All Saints Day this Sunday, we are going to look at the very first Christian martyr, Stephen.
You Might Be Thinking It’s All About You If…
In working on Sunday’s sermon I asked my computer’s AI if she/he could come up with a few suggestions in answer to the above: "You Might be thinking it’s all about you, if…."