Jacob’s Dream

Scripture: Genesis 28:10-19a (NRSVue)

“The miracle,” says Walter Bruegemann, “is the way this sovereign God binds himself to this treacherous fugitive (Jacob).” The good news of Genesis is that God is able to draw straight lines out of crooked sticks like us. We don’t have to be perfect for God to work with us. God’s grace revealed in the dream “rocked” Jacob’s world. Upon waking he said, “Surely, the Lord is in this place—and I had no clue.” God is the Divine Breakthrough, often showing up where least expected, touching the seemingly untouchable. We just need to pray, and to ask God for eyes to see it. Heaven is wherever God is. Heaven isn’t shut off from us until we die, it’s also here in our midst. Earth is not left to fend for itself. Heaven is not reserved for the gods. There is always potential for heaven no matter where we find ourselves. With Christ, even if you find yourself in living hell, Christ the gate of heaven is open wide to you. Any place you find yourself, you can be transformed.

July 23, 2023 — Worship Service Bulletin (click)

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Bible Study Questions for Genesis 28:10-19a (NRSVue)

1.  Have you ever had a dream that really spoke to you?

2.  What was Jacob running from?

3.  Why do you think God spoke to Jacob with not just words, but also this dream?

4.  How do you interpret the meaning of the dream: the ladder planted on earth and reaching heaven and the angels going up and down it?

5.  What did God’s three-fold blessing consist of?

6.  Are you surprised that God did not chastise Jacob for his misbehavior towards his family? What does this say about God? And the people he chooses to use?

7.  Do you think Jacob was surprised that God chose him to be the third patriarch? What do you think it meant to him to hear God’s promises to him?

8.  How can we have eyes to see that God is right here amongst us? What holds us back from noticing this?

9.  Jesus mentions in John 1:51 that he is the ladder of God. What do you think he means by this?

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SILENT PRAYER FOR REFLECTION:

Fill our worship with grace, Lord Jesus Christ, that every thought, word, and deed may be acceptable to you, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

Other Sermons In This Series

Family History Repeats Itself

July 30, 2023

Sibling Rivalry

July 16, 2023

A Son Saved: Part 2

July 02, 2023