Gen.25 God's promises, promises that are fulfilled in spite of and even through the less-than-admirable actions of the human beings in the story. Though Jacob is a liar and a trickster, God graciously gives him the blessing God gave to Abraham and to Isaac. In addition, God promises to be with him and to bring him back to his homeland. The scene at Bethel is a profound illustration of God's grace. God's promise to Abraham that he will be the father of a "great nation" starts to be fulfilled through Laban's trickery and the rivalry that develops between Leah and Rachel. Another theme that emerges from the story of Jacob has to do with the relationship between God and Jacob. Though the text does not say this explicitly, it seems that God is working with this flawed man to re-make him. Jacob, after stealing Esau's blessing, is caught in a net of his own making. The deceiver will be deceived, and the one who broke the law of the firstborn is caught by another version of it from Uncle Laban.. All these experiences will help to re-make the shallow young man we first met in Genesis 25 into the father of the nation Israel. Many in the congregation will identify with the intense emotions in this family tale of inexplicable preference, deception, competition, and jealousy. he despair due to infertility, or the ecstasy over a baby’s birth, all so poignantly depicted. women’s agency as an important means through which God continues to work today.Menn continuing issue of fertility for 20 years-things are not all right within the womb-Cain and Abel-river runs through it-tam integrity of self-beyond good and evil-god redeems with the raw material at hand. It appears that favoritism again rears its head. Isaac loves Esau, the eldest, the hunter, and Rebecca loves the quiet, domesticated son. Maybe they were pulled by what they saw in the sons, what they saw in themselve sor missed in themselves, or even in their relationship? Israel is having some fun with these stories. Esau is portrayed as the father of the land of Edom/red, and hairy Esau is a p word play on Mt. Seir of Edom, a land of pride in their intellect.I love that Israel can also look at its progenitor as a deceitful, tricky younger mama’s favorite brother, who hunted for human foibles to get ahead instead of wild game in the fields.
Rom. 8:1-11, Jervis Paul is seeking to help his hearers leave behind their old identities which were shaped by the structures of sin and death.They are living in this alternative cosmos because they have believed and so been brought into Christ.Being “in Christ” means that believers are not ruled by the path of sin, not ruled by death. Believers have been transported to a new place where life and not death is in charge. The very spirit of christ lives within.Freed from the social and self-imposed shackles that bind us from being our best, true selves.Right relationships with each other and God are opened up.
Mt. 13:1-9, 18-23 sower seed soil fertility issue again in a spiritual vein through the physical Johnson-Jesus endorses extravagant generosity in sowing the word, even in perilous places. Though we may wonder about the wisdom or efficiency of his methods, Jesus promises that the end result will be a bumper crop.god can use different sorts of seed for god's purposes. (GMO seeds) "Discerning the conditions behind the soils in which we are planted and choose to plant ourselves is a matter of life and death." (Christian Century for June 21, 2017
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