“A mighty strange encounter”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Sunday, July 23, 2023

Genesis 28:10-19a (Forward, p. 86) CEV p. 27

Jungian psychiatrists love to speculate on the meaning and origin of dreams, and I think that they’d have a ‘field day’ with this one hiving from Jacob’s vivid imagination. In his dream he sees a stairway or ladder rising into the heavens, with angels ascending and descending upon it. So, was it because he was ‘on the run’ from the murderous threats of his brother Esau and on an errand from his mother Rebekah to find a wife among her kinfolk back in Haran? Or, was it simply because of his exhaustion and his rather ‘rocky’ pillow? (I cannot think of anything quite so uninviting!) Anyway, none of these ideas really fit the bill, none of them really explain satisfactorily why he’d have this dream in particular.

More to the point—and, I think, a better explanation—is God’s presence and God’s intervention. Up until now, Jacob had been pulling the strings, manipulating circumstances to his own liking. He had been the conniver, the cheat, the trickster. His focus had been entirely on himself, and himself alone. He’d been in charge—or so he thought. And furthermore, he had essentially been running, running from God and running from his destiny. Now God intervenes and shows him the larger picture, shows him who is ultimately in charge and shows him what God’s plans are for him.

God promises him four things, four things that start with the letter p: property, posterity, provision and protection:

-God would give him and his descendants the land on which he was

then sleeping;

-God would give him descendants all over the world, descendants as

numerous as the specks of dust:

-God would bless all the nations of the world through his

descendants:

-God would watch over him, protect him, and bring him back to this

place.

Jacob, who, up until now, could basically be described as godless, or as totally wrapped up in himself and not thinking about, much less fearing or worshipping God, is moved to reverence and worship and the dedication of himself to God. This dream, this encounter with God, has changed his life—or, at very least, has started to. Jacob is ‘on the road to recovery’, to be the person God intends him to be. He still has a way to go, but he’s on the way. And so it is with all of us. I believe that God has encounters, circumstances that He too wants to use to move us and shape us, just as He did with Jacob. Amen.

Forward notes: “Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!’” (verse 18)

“I believe God continues to speak to us through dreams—not only those we have while asleep but also through dreams we have when awake.

“When we acquired the building that would become our church, I took note of the children in the neighborhood and began to think of ways to get them involved in the community. I planned activities with the children and teenagers who were already part of the church; young passersby saw us; some joined us and enjoyed themselves.

“Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, and everything came to a stop. As we restarted our meetings, I didn’t think those children would come back, but I did keep my dream alive. Then one day, they came through the door while we were in the middle of a worship service. We invited them in; they prayed with us and continue to come. May they stay with us for many years to come.”

Moving Forward: “Have you ever felt compelled to enter a church you happened to walk by? How can we make our church buildings more welcoming?”