“Climbing With Jacob” – Genesis 28:10-19 – July 20, 2008

Jacob was a man on the run. He had been expelled from his homeland and was about to be killed. His brother Essau, whose birthright and blessing he had stolen, was out to get him. Here we find Jacob on the road, in the middle of nowhere, very tired and alone. That night he had a dream. In the dream was a stairway to heaven that reminded him that God was with him. God even spoke to him, promising him a home, a wife, a family and blessings. Jacob realized that God was with him and responded by saying, "Surely the Lord is in the place; and I did not know it."

Do we know that God is with us? How often do we feel alone, forgetting that God is with us? Sometimes we have to be at the end of our rope before we realize that God is with us. Jacob had no where to go but up. He was a man without a country, a man without a family and a very uncertain future.

In his dream the stairway to heaven symbolized that Jacob had a future. There was more to come. His life’s journey would continue, not just in this life, but beyond. All may have seemed hopeless but with God there was hope. Jacob’s only task was to rise the next morning and continue his journey. The way, however would not be easy. It never is. Life for Jacob would be a long, slow, uphill battle. He would eventually find Rachel who became his wife. But, that relationship involved years in the making.

In Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living Your Dreams, There is a story by Debra Peppers. At sixteen years old she ran away from home. She was an angry teenager with low self-esteem. She was overweight and she had not been doing well in school. She was tired of trying to compete with her sister, Donna, who was the head cheerleader, prom queen and valedictorian. Instead, she became the class clown vying for attention. She hung out with the wrong crowd, began drinking and she chose to run away.

Debra’s parents were hard-working middle-class parents who did all they could to provide a good home for her. They met with her teachers, took her to doctors and counselors and bailed her out every time she got into trouble. Debra stayed away from home for weeks but she soon discovered that her freedom was full of empty promises, nowhere to live, no money and many dangers. She decided to return home and her family welcomed her back with open arms. They loved her unconditionally but laid down some boundaries.

Reluctantly Debra returned to school. There she heard a familiar voice, the voice of Alma Sitton. She was the one teacher who treated her with respect and dignity. She took her aside and what came next was a total surprise. Alma put her hands on her shoulders, looked her straight in the eye and gave her a huge hug. She whispered, “Debbie, God has great plans for your life only if you will let Him. And, I’m here for you too.”

That encounter made all the difference in the world to Debra. She now had the gift of hope and encouragement and more importantly she no longer felt alone. Debra became a high school English teacher. She also taught speech and drama, just like Alma Sitton. Recently she was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of fame. She has spoken to thousands of schools, businesses and churches. At one occasion she was invited to speak at Alma’s church. During her speech she publically thanked Alma for her encouragement and faith.

Like Jacob, Debra was on the run, feeling alone in the world. But, she was not alone. Like Jacob, God was with her, believing in her and filling her with hope and promise.

God may come to us in a dream, in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere like Jacob. God may also speak to us through a loving mentor like Alma Sitton. We are never alone. God is always there to push us forward in life. We never know where the journey will take us until we are willing to surrender to God’s unconditional love.

God appeared to Jacob in a way and in a situation he did not expect. God appeared, not to judge him, but to affirm him and follow through on God’s promise. We too can be assured that in times of turmoil God is also present with us. Jacob was so moved by his new awareness of God that he took the stone he has used as a pillow, poured oil over it and named the place Bethel. From then on it would be a sacred place, a place where Jacob experienced a profound oneness with God.

Bethel was not a structure nor was it a beautiful sanctuary. Bethel was a place along the road, a place where Jacob was transformed and assured of God’s presence. Jacob would return to Bethel again, and remember what had taken place there. We all have those sacred places in our lives where we return to. Perhaps, like Jacob, we were enlightened. Perhaps we experienced unconditional love, like Alma Sitton did when she returned to her home.

Notice that for Jacob, Bethel was also a place of promise. God promised Jacob blessings in the future and an everlasting presence. At the same time, Jacob promised God that he would return one tenth of what he had received. Since God was faithful to him, he would be faithful in return.

It has been my experience that people who have benefitted from counselors, churches, social agencies, etc. are motivated to give back to society. The unspoken dynamic in this story is Jacob’s promise to give God back a portion that he had received. Bethel was more than just a spiritual place where he experienced the presence of God. Bethel was also a place where Jacob made a commitment and vowed to respond.

Week after week we gather in this sacred place. Many have been enlightened, transformed, redeemed or “saved.” As we all make our own journeys into unknown lands and places with the assurance that God is with us, may we also remember Jacob’s commitment to give something back to God. Just as God has blessed us may we also be a blessing to others. Debra Peppers became a teacher to others since Alma Sitton had been a teacher to her. She had been blessed and consequently set out to be a blessing to others.

I believe we fall short when we experience God’s presence but do not respond. When we have moments where we experience God’s presence they need to be shared, not just cherished. Rather than represent our journey’s end they mark the beginning of something new. When we fail to give anything back to God then the Bethel’s of our lives are nothing more than a place where we just spent the night.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio