Stairway to a New Life-Based Upon Genesis 28:10-19

In doing readings and research for this message, I began looking at the story of Jacob, not from the perspective of the ladder and the dream, but from the perspective of a person leaving home for the very first time. That is not to say that the dream and ladder aren’t important, because they are important to the larger message. However, if you look at the story at the very beginning and at the end, they are very different settings. As Pastor Bill discussed on Sunday, Jacob has one of the more colorful pasts of anyone in the Bible through the first 28 verses of Genesis. Here is the grandson of Abraham, and the son of Isaac, already a deceiver of his brother, accomplice to his mother’s conniving and future leader of Israel…leaving home for the very first time out of fear for his life. He is in the desert with the purpose of seeking out family for comfort when he comes to rest for the evening.

I don’t know about you, but most of the trouble I committed was when I was away from home for the very first time, and not while I was living with my parents. Many of you may remember your first taste of independence and freedom. It may have come after high school, by going away to college, or even some of you knew what independence was after a spouse passed away. Either way, that is when we have a tendency to lose our inhibitions a little and explore things that are good and some that are bad. For all intents and purposes, Jacob was not seeking anything related to God, but he was seeking out a sense of peace for his life. He knew that he needed to cut the umbilical cord and find a new way through life without the drama of the home front in his face on a consistent basis. He did like every good youth did and much like his grandfather Abraham, he went on a little road trip.

Jacob can be considered the black sheep of this family, for all of his actions. He would not be the one granted a blessing, but he would be the one who could lead people better than his brother. He had many talents and strengths that God must have noticed, because God came down to visit him in his sleep and show him that even though he was wrong in many aspects of his life, that he was still chosen by God to lead his people. What is amazing is that many of us have experienced God in some of the same ways. We have been in the midst of trouble within our lives and have found God waiting for us to respond. Jacob’s life is now determined and guided by the will of God and not the bad influences around him, namely his own mother. Instead of a guided and planned journey with his family, he embarks on a journey without any kind of direction, except the direction of God.

As humans, we have the ability to make things happen, for good and bad. However, it is the hand of God that ultimately allows us to shape humanity for good or for bad. God is the subtle power from behind the scenes that makes things go a certain way. God allows Jacob to make a journey through life, so he can be shaped and molded into a man of God, before he can become the owner of the promised land. In the same way, God acts through our lives. We are able to grow up in a loving home and taught the basic necessities of life, but it is through our experiences that we are truly connected to Christ. We come to know about life, not only through our book smarts, but also through our street smarts. Life and seeing life in a different perspective, is what allows us to grow and mature in our relationship with God.

How many of you have some kind of sacred space, or a reminder of some sacred area? Just as Pastor Bill keeps reminders of things that are sacred to him, for Jacob, his discovery of God is marked with the blessing of the stone at Bethel. For him, he was finally awakened to the awesome power and purpose for God in his life. Where is the spot where you were find by God? For me, there are several places. Dover Place Christian Church is one of those spots, a river bed in Christian County is another place for me, and also the many beaches of California are where I feel like Christ found me again after wandering around trying to find my purpose in life. What is amazing about Jacob’s dream, is that we need to look beyond the dream, but also look at this as a rebirth.

Jacob fell asleep as a person filled with a history of drama and controversy, but awakes as a new person. He has been baptized with a new vision of God and an anointing by God. Only God knows why he chooses some of us to continue on his will. It is amazing to me that he selected the least likely figure to do so. A figure who was very much human and sinful, but it sets an amazing precedent throughout the Bible of ordinary men who in turn lead millions to know God and then Christ. David the Shepherd, becomes King David. Saul of Tarsus the leader of killing Christians, comes to know Christ in a vision and becomes Paul, the greatest evangelist of the Christian world. God has a way of using ordinary people such as you and me to do great things in this world.

Even within our own society, you can look at the achievements of Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. All of these men came from pretty basic backgrounds and emerged as leaders of the free world. Each man comes with his own faults and successes, but they are men of faith who have worked diligently to bring peace, prosperity, and hope for millions of people who suffer on a daily basis. The life of a former president used to spent in isolation and quiet, but these men have shifted the paradigm of former president being an elderly statesman, to a statesman who continues to bring change in the world. Despite their age and infirmities, these are men, who were anointed with power and prestige. They use this gift not so much for the betterment of their own personal lives, but for those who don’t know the amazing power of God.

You are being searched for by God to continue his promises and his will. The average person who has a pretty checkered past, may be the one called to lead others to know Christ better. There is no better time to know Christ than on your knees. However, whatever blessings Christ bestows upon you, remember the time, place, and event where you were brought to know Christ better. Revisit the areas where Christ found you. Take a reminder with you, such as a stone, a grain of sand, or even a flower. Jewish tradition allows for stone pillars to be built as a sign of remembrance and honor for a blessing. Placing a stone on a Jewish tombstone is a symbol of remembrance for those who have passed on. We need to leave our mark, our anointing on those who are seeking Christ.

Just as God has reached out to us, we need to reach others. Some of the greatest leaders of the church are those who are students of life and continuing students of life. They are the ones who have lived life as it was given to them, but are no longer satisfied looking for that next quick fix. They are the ones ready to establish roots and make a full time commitment to Christ. Let us be the ones to reach out to the and give them peace.