Faithful in all Things

Sunday, September 26, 2021
Pastor Arne Bergland

Genesis 28:10-19a

So, Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.  He called that place Bethel

It is a day when the whispers of promises made long ago come back to us through the lives of our youth who celebrate their affirmation of confirmation.

“Parents, do you promise to help your children grow in the Christian faith and life.”

“Sponsors do you promise to  nurture this child in the Christian faith as you are empowered by God’s Spirit, and to help them live in the covenant of baptism and in communion with the church?”

“People of God do you promise to support this child and pray for them  in their new life in Christ.”

Lofty promises, made with good intentions. Lofty promises made with the best of intentions. Faithful promises shared from generation to generation. AND YET, promises are made by frail humans whose lives can take many directions. So, we know that sometimes promises are kept and sometimes they are not. AND YET, this is a day to celebrate promises kept and like Jacob before us we may be surprised at the faithfulness of God to be present in our lives.

My parents were faithful Lutherans. In their day that meant you went to church on Sunday. When you went to church you wore the best clothes you had.  When there was Sunday School you were there as well. Dads tended to be more distant in those days and mine was as well.  My mom tended to be more controlling than I found helpful. We locked horns on many an occasion.  They were human, and yet they were faithful. They kept their promise.

My baptismal sponsors, we called them God parents were human as well.  My God father was a rancher in North Dakota.  He loved to play jokes on people, he lived a hard life.  My God mother , at least to the end became something of a hoarder.  But she had a heart as big as the state of North Dakota where their ranch was.  I forget how many times they were baptismal sponsors, but I know it was for more than 10 of us. They too were human and yet they  were faithful.

My church family was human as well.  As a  kid Church was pretty boring and there were too many rules to follow.  I didn’t always want to go to church and I have to admit that I rebelled for a time to be sure. But I never doubted their love for me.  They provided for me, countless opportunities to ask big questions.  They encouraged me in my faith walk.  I can think of so many of them that were influential in my journey, Miss Becker, Glen Tobey, Jeff Franko, Mr. Nichols, Mrs. Boyum, youth directors and pastors and more whose names I cannot even recall.  They surrounded me with the Gospel of grace and love.  They were human and yet they were faithful.

Those promises are in the air for me today.  I would imagine they are for you as well.  They have no doubt taken different shapes than mine and yet each of us can look back to how God has been faithful through the very human, very imperfect ,and very faithful characters of our lives.

In professional wrestling a “heel” is a villainess character. They break the rules, they take advantage. These are the guys who hit their opponents over the head with folding chairs or use a chokehold when the ref is not looking.  The word “heel” became popular in the early 1900’s as a slang word for someone who as acting badly.

That is not the first time that the word was used in such a way, however. Today our bible lesson tells part of the story of the family of Abraham and Isaac. It is a story that focuses on Abraham’s grandson and Isaacs’s son, Jacob.  The name Jacob means ”holder of the heel.” You see, Jacob was a twin and when he was born he arrived behind his brother Esau and when he did he was holding on to Esau’s heel. He began as a heel and he lived up to his name. Jacob was a heel. His family was something of a dysfunctional and very much human family. Jacob stole his brother’s birthright, he ran away, he was escaping from his family, from God and even from his self.

In professional wrestling a “heel” is a villainous character. They break the rules, they take advantage. These are the guys who hit their opponents over the head with folding chairs or use a chokehold when the ref is not looking.  The word “heel” became popular in the early 1900’s as a slang word for someone who as acting badly.

That is not the first time that the word was used in such a way, however. Today our bible lesson tells part of the story of the family of Abraham and Isaac. It is a story that focuses on Abraham’s grandson and Isaacs’s son, Jacob.  The name Jacob means ”holder of the heel.” You see, Jacob was a twin and when he was born he arrived behind his brother Esau and when he did he was holding on to Esau’s heel. He began as a heel and he lived up to his name. Jacob was a heel. His family was something of a dysfunctional and very much human family. Jacob stole his brother’s birthright, he ran away, he was escaping from his family, from God and even from his self.

Jacob is a heel. Today we might say that he is a jerk.  He basically has stolen his brother’s birthright and blessing.  In our lesson he is running for his life to escape his brother’s anger.  He has no one, he is alone and vulnerable.  Jacob does not have a clue what the future holds for him.  And yet, God has a surprise for him.  The day is over, and it is getting dark. There is no shelter, no neighbors house or convenient inn. He finds a stone for a pillow and lays down on the ground. I cannot imagine it was easy to fall asleep, but he did. God comes to him in a dream, and it changes everything.  All his life he has felt distant from God.  All his life he has heard about God from his Grandfather Abraham and Father Isaac.  It was different for him.  He never felt that God was real. He awakes from his dream and knows that the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac is also the God of Jacob, the God who has made him a promise. God is real.

Now notice this. Jacob did nothing to make this happen. He was not even looking for this to happen.  God shows up to Jacob, the jerk and does not even bring up all the way that Jacob had played the villain. God simply shares the promises that he had given to his father and his grandfather before him.

God says,     I will give to you the land on which you lie.

• • • Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth and shall be spread abroad.
    • All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you.
    • I am with you.
    • I will keep you wherever you go.
    • I will bring you back to this land.
    • I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised.

On waking, Jacob reacts with awe and reverence,  “Surely the Lord is in this place- and I did not know it.” One would think that he would be changed, but remember, Jaco is human, just like we are human

Even after the dream, Jacob still wants to play the jerk.  He won’t call God “my God,” unless he has a little proof: He tries to manipulate God. in a very famous wrestling match a little bit later in the book of Genesis, Jacob meets his match, hears the promise again and God gives him a new name, ”Israel” which means, one who wrestles with God.

Today we remember the promises people made for us in our baptism. These were promises to help us see that God is real. The people who made those promises, like Jacob, were human. And like Jacob, we are human as well. The promises those people made to us and the promises we make as we affirm our own baptism proclaim a God who keeps promise no matter what. We give thanks today for those who kept their promise. Through good times and bad, through sunny weather and stormy days they did their best to be faithful to share the good news of a God who keeps promises.  That is a reality that meets us where we are, no matter who we are. There is a contemporary Christian hymn that speaks about that reality. The lyrics go like this’

“Faithful through the ages

God of Abraham
You’re the God of covenant and faithful promises
Time and time again
You have proven
You’ll do just what You said

Though the storms may come
And the winds may blow, I’ll remain steadfast
And let my heart learn when You speak a word
It will come to pass”

May our hearts continue to learn that when God speaks a word, it will come true and that no matter Where you are… God is in that place.