Wanderings for Sept 28, 2008

Greetings everyone. This Sunday we resume our sermon series on the book of Genesis, which we left off with last year. This Sunday we look at Genesis 25:19-34, featuring the family of Isaac, Rebekah, Esau and Jacob. Interestingly enough, it has ties to last week's scripture, Matthew 20:1-16. That scripture was about the workers in the field, and how the last hired received the same reward as the first. This weeks scripture is about how God works against social conventions and uses the second born to bless the families of the world, as opposed to the first born, as would be expected. That God chooses Jacob over Esau anticipates the gospel affirmation that "the first shall be last, and the last first." (Matthew 19:30, 20:16, Mark 9:35, 10:31, Luke 13:30). This is a concept Walter Brueggeman talks about in his commentary on Genesis. What does this mean for us? What does this mean as Christians, to believe in a God, and understand God to be one who does not follow popular conventions, who chooses to upset the preconceived way of doing things, who basically thumbs his nose at everyone by choosing "what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing the things that are" as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 1:28? For me, it means letting go of the notion of always having to be the best, the most popular, the best dressed, the best looking, the richest, the smartest, the cleverest; to let go of these things so i can be of value to God, my friends, and the community. It means letting go of all these things so I can be who I am and to care more about appreciating the vessel I am so that God can use it to do what God wants and needs to do. Perhaps by letting go, and letting God, the truer blessings will come to be. I hope you all have a blessed day and week. Peace, Pastor G