Monthly Archives: July 2014

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost: The Broken Family Unit

Reading

Genesis 29:15-28

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Every family has its own version of drama – the uncle who drinks too much, the aunt who has a brain injury and cannot live alone, the nephew who does drugs, the niece who is abused by her significant other, and [whatever “it” is] your family members do that hurts the family unit as the result of the broken world. No family is perfect or has it all together — even those families who appear to be perfect.

Isaac and Rebekah send Jacob (Genesis 27:41-45) to Haran (Genesis 28:10) to find a wife among his kinsman. Upon his arrival, Jacob falls in love with Rachel, Laban’s younger daughter (Genesis 29:17, 20, 30). Laban says Jacob can marry Rachel if he works for seven years for him, which he agrees to do (Genesis 29:18-20). However, after the seven years, Laban tricks Jacob into marrying his older daughter Leah (Genesis 29:23). This trickery is reminiscent of Jacob’s earlier trickery of his brother Esau. Since the reason Jacob is in Haran is because he conned Esau, it is fitting Jacob get a dose of his own medicine. When Jacob confronts him, Laban explains that cultural customs mean he must marry off Leah before Rachel may be wed (Genesis 29:26). Once again, Jacob is faced with laws governing siblingsEven today, siblings are subjected to unspoken rules. These take different forms, depending on the family and culture. Siblings are supposed to be alike and to be there for each other. Brothers are supposed to protect their sisters, while sisters cook the meals. Younger siblings are supposed to follow the example of acheivement their older siblings set. Younger siblings get tired of teachers suggesting they need to be more like their older siblings. My younger brother still complains about having to be in my shadow growing up. Jacob still wants to marry Rachel and agrees to work for another seven years under Laban in order to do so (Genesis 29:27). Upon the completion of the seven years, Jacob marries Rachel and loves her a lot more than Leah (Genesis 29:28-30).

God enables Leah to have four sons named Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah (Genesis 29:31-35). At first, Leah thinks Jacob will grow to love her since she gives him sons, but he continues to love Rachel more. Therefore, Leah turns to the Lord and praises him for giving her sons (Genesis 29:35). Rachel is barren and grows jealous of Leah, tired of living in the shadow of her sister’s fertility. In order to give Jacob a child, Rachel gives him her maid, Bilhah, who has two sons, Dan and Naphtali, and Rachel praises God for answering her prayers (Genesis 30:1-8). Leah does not have any children for awhile, and once again feels like she is living in Rachel’s shadow. Leah gives Jacob her maid, Zilpah, who has two sons who are named Gad and Asher (Genesis 30:9-13). Then she herself had two more sons, Issachar and Zebulun, and a daughter, Dinah (Genesis 30:17-21). Finally, God answers Rachel’s prayers and gives her a son whom she names Joseph (Genesis 30:22-24).

For several years, Leah and Rachel compete for Jacob’s love in a childbearing race for sons. Leah lives in Rachel’s shadow because Jacob loves the younger sister more. Rachel lives in Leah’s shadow because she gives Jacob more sons. This battle between the two sisters is passed along to the sons, who side with their mothers. The drama will continue to unfold as the sons grow older, and Leah’s sons sell Joseph to Ishmaelite traders (Genesis 37:27-28) for being Jacob’s favorite. The vicious cycle does not end until the brothers go to Egypt during a famine and a finally powerful Joseph forgives them.

Families are messy businesses. Someone is always the black sheep. Someone always feels like they are living in someone else’s shadow. It is impossible to make everyone in a family happy at the same time. Somehow, family, even the one you create with friends or colleagues, is the focus of your life – the one constant in your life. The Lord finds a way to use even your worst intentions for the betterment of the world. You may not understand what the Lord has planned, but he always has your best interests in mind. Trust in the Lord, and he will lift you up from this broken world.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for our family members who are always there for us. Help us as family member to work together to make the world a better place. Guide us to show mercy and grace to those who hurt us. Lead us to be examples of your love to others. Thank you for the power of forgiveness. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

  1. Whose shadow do you live in?
  2. How have you extended forgiveness to others? When has it been extended to you?

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost: God of Jacob

Reading

Genesis 28:10-19a

Devotion

Peace be with you!

You never know how much an impact an action has on others until you do it. Whether you open a door for a stranger, share your story, write a meaningful blog post –even if it is just about your ordinary life— you make an impact on others. A hug shows the other person you care about their well-being. A card in the mail tells a person you are thinking and praying for them no matter how far apart you are. The impact goes further than you think.

In the last devotion, Jacob conned Esau out of his birthright as the eldest (Genesis 25:29-31). Even though a sovereign God used Jacob’s selfish actions to accomplish God’s will, Isaac and Rebekah shun Jacob (Genesis 27:41-45) for a time, forcing him to leave Beer-sheba and to go to Haran (Genesis 28:10). The impact of Jacob’s cunning ways is that it makes him a fugitive without place to call home. He is stumbling in the wilderness in a state of limbo when he stops to sleep for the night. The Lord visits Jacob in a dream where angels ascend and descend on a ladder to heaven (Genesis 28:12). The ladder makes the Lord accessible to Jacob, even if he cannot climb the ladder into heaven.

The Lord says, “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; 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. 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” (Genesis 28:13-15 NRSV).

The Lord expands the promise he made to Abraham and Sarah by adding the earthly elements of dust and land. Not only will Jacob’s offspring be numerous, but they will also be prosperous in their lives. The God of Abraham and the God of Isaac becomes the God of Jacob who will never abandon or disown Jacob.

The Lord also promises Jacob to be with him, protect him, and provide for him as he continues on his journey to Haran. When he wakes up, Jacob worships the Lord for being with him and promising to stay with him (Genesis 28:16). He names the place where he sleeps “Bethel” (Genesis 28:19a) and places the stone he used as a pillow as the pillar (Genesis 28:18) for the Lord promises to bring him back to this place. The Lord will return Jacob to Bethel, his new home. The impact of the Lord’s promise draws Jacob closer to him. Jacob no longer feels alone. He also has a sense of what the Lord has planned for him.

The moment you feel alone and forgotten, remember the Lord is with you anywhere and everywhere you go. When everyone abandons and disowns you, the Lord is with you to carry you through the difficult times. Being faithful to the Lord is not the easiest job, while other times the Lord uses our sinfulness to still fulfill his plan. Following the Lord can cause you to be banished or shunned for a time, but it will always lead you where you need to be. Like Jacob, you need to ground yourself in the Lord by believing he will see you through [whatever “it” is] you are dealing with. When I got divorced, I thought I would be alone and depressed. However, I found out I had even more friends and opportunities than I thought. Your life is impacted by the Lord’s promises, where he sends you, and why he sends you there. The Lord does not promise to give you an easy life but to provide what you need and to protect you.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for expanding your promise to Jacob. Help us to feel your presence in our lives. Lead us to do small steps to help others. Thank you for your promise to provide and protect. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like.

  1. How do you make an impact in the lives of others?
  2. Where and how have you felt the Lord’s presence?

Fifth Sunday After Pentecost: Preconceived Notions Challenged

Reading

Genesis 25:19-34

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Even in the Old Testament, society has its preconceived notions about how individuals should handle certain situations. Today, society treats individuals in wheelchairs as though they are not able to live normal lives by holding a job, getting married, or having a family. Because my speech is difficult to understand, and my muscle movements are hard to control, people who meet me in public treat me as though I have a cognitive disability rather than just physical disability. It is difficult for me to break the barrier between the preconceived notions about my disability and the reality of my abilities.

For twenty years, Isaac’s wife Rebekah is barren, and Isaac prays to Lord (Genesis 25:21). Those twenty years must have been frustrating for Rebekah, because it was her responsibility to bear children to Isaac to fulfill the Lord’s promise to Abraham and Sarah. For twenty years, Isaac prays to the Lord, asking him to fulfill his promise and grant him children. Then when the Lord answers Isaac’s prayers, Rebekah gets pregnant with twins and has a difficult pregnancy (Genesis 25:22a). She begs the Lord, “After being barren for twenty years, why am I going through this?” (Genesis 25:22). The Lord explains, “You are having twins who will be leaders of two separate nations. They are battling inside your womb. The older twin will serve the younger twin” (Genesis 25:23). By making the younger twin stronger than the older twin, the Lord is upsetting the social norm where the older son would inherit everything from his father and the younger son(s) would serve him.

When Rebekah gives birth to the twins, the youngest (Jacob) comes out gripping the older’s (Esau) heel (Genesis 25:26). Esau grows up to be a skillful hunter and a farmer, and because of this, his father favors him (Genesis 25:27a, 28a). Jacob is a quiet man who stays inside the tents learning to cook from his mother who favors him (Genesis 25:27b, 28b).

One day, while Esau works hard in the fields, Jacob makes a stew. When he comes in, Esau is starving and immediately wants some stew (Genesis 25:30). Jacob drives a hard bargain and demands Esau sell his birthright to him (Genesis 25:31-33). Esau agrees to give Jacob his birthright just to have some stew (25:33bc). Esau only thinks short term by satisfying his hunger pains, while Jacob thinks long term (though through trickery and cunning) by demanding the birthright. The preconceived notions of ancient culture would lead us to root for the older twin, but Scripture topples those notions and elevates the young one.

Society has its preconceived notions about what individuals with disabilities can do. When an individual is hurt in an accident and is made wheelchair-bound, society feels bad for the individual and will raise funds for her medical expenses. Society often forgets the individual who is now in a wheelchair is still a person who can still make contributions to the world. A wheelchair just changes how an individual gets around. Just the other week, I met a young lady who was injured in an accident two years ago and marked the day with a “wheeliversary” to celebrate her second chance at life. She sees her accident as God giving her a new life and a chance to begin again. Being in a wheelchair does not stop this young lady; instead, the wheelchair enhances her life by giving her a new perspective and new opportunities.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for Rebekah’s strength to bear twins through a difficult pregnancy and birth. Give us strength through difficult times in our lives. Lead us to not be trapped by preconceived notions and prejudices, and remind us of the many blessings in our lives. Thank you for your strength. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like.

  1. Which preconceived notions do you have? Which do you fight against?
  2. Where do you find your strength?

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: Love Above All Else

Reading

Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67

Devotion

Peace be with you!

When two individuals come together in a relationship, bringing their differences in experience, it takes time to evolve into a meaningful connection. Like most adults, I want to have a meaningful connection with a significant other – someone who will see past my disabilities and feed off of my gifts. My boyfriend, Nathan, and I have always had a connection that few people can understand, even growing up. We respond to each other’s moods, even hundreds of miles apart, which still mystifies me. Nathan has a disability where he is not able to move or speak, but somehow we have our own way of communicating. When we reconnected last year, his mom told me Nathan almost died in July 2006, and I remember missing him and crying uncontrollably around that time. Space and time physically separated Nathan and me for a decade, yet I could tell when something was not right.

With a lot of prayer and patience, I got up the nerve to search for Nathan’s mom, Jane, on Facebook. I was so nervous to message her. Would Nathan still even be alive? To my amazement, he was alive and doing well. Nathan had started painting during the same time frame when I had as well: just another way we are connected.

God has creative ways of bringing people together. The Bible story for today features an ancient love story, centered around an arranged marriage. After Rebekah dies, Abraham sends his servant to his homeland to find his son, Isaac, a wife (Genesis 24:37). The servant goes on his way and prays to the Lord. First, the servant thanks the Lord for making his master wealthy with flocks and herds and for giving him a son. Next, the servant asks the Lord to give him a sign as to which young lady is suitable to marry his master’s son by having her draw him and his camels a drink of water (24:42-44). The servant asks the Lord to send the woman who will love and honor Isaac. Isaac is Abraham’s son and he will build the nation of Israel and be responsible for future generations. The woman he marries needs to be strong to help him lead a nation. The servant asks the Lord to send just the right woman.

Prayer takes time and energy. It draws us into the Lord’s arms as we bare our souls. The Lord listens to our prayers and gives us signs. However, we must be alert to notice and understand the signs. Praying is no easy task because the Lord takes his time, which often does not line up with our timing. It can be frustrating when we think our prayers are urgent, but the Lord answers them in his own timing, which is always the right time. Our frustration comes because we do not live according to the Lord’s time. I remember waiting more than a week before Jane wrote me back. The more time passed, the more I worried that Nathan had died and that by messaging Jane I had opened old wounds. A friend encouraged me to write Jane a second time in case my first message got lost in the shuffle. Shortly after I sent the second message, Jane wrote me back and was so excited to tell Nathan I found them on Facebook.

When the Lord sends Rebekah to draw water for the servant and his camels (Genesis 24:45-46), the servant is amazed and tries to discern if this is the one woman the Lord wants Isaac to marry (Genesis 24:47). The servant asks for water, and Rebekah draws water for the camels. Rebekah demonstrates her strength when she draws water for ten camels. This was a lot of water. Each camel would drink twenty to thirty gallons of water. After Rebekah completes the task, the servant asks about her family and she tells him she is Bethuel’s daughter who is Nahor’s son (Genesis 24:47a). The servant adorns Rebekah with jewelry (Genesis 24:47b) and praises the Lord for sending him a strong woman for his master’s kinsman (Genesis 24:48). After receiving her family’s blessing, Rebekah agrees to marry Isaac (Genesis 24:58-59).

When they reach the land where Abraham settled in the Negev, Rebekah asks the servant who is coming to greet them, and the servant answers, “my master” (Genesis 24:65). Rebekah quickly covers herself (Genesis 24:65c), and the servant explains to Isaac all that has transpired (Genesis 24:66). Isaac takes Rebekah as his wife, and she comforts him after his mother’s death (Genesis 24:67).

Love knows no boundaries – time or place. As we will see next devotion, Isaac loves Rebekah very much. The Lord sends people into our lives who will help us through difficult times and rejoice with us. The Lord allowed Nathan and I to reunite after a decade, and although I was nervous going to see him the first time, it was like nothing had changed – we still had an amazing connection.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for sending Rebekah to be Isaac’s wife and a strong leader for future generations. Help us to discern where and when you are leading us to be. Give us the same opportunity to experience a deep love for another person. Thank you for fulfilling your promise to Abraham through Isaac and Rebekah. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

  1. What are you currently discerning?
  2. Where is the Lord sending you?
  3. Who has the Lord sent you to love?