Some great Sunday night Colorado family fun...another Sunday in the pew

 

We had to break out the "mallows."  I am looking for all the good things about furlough and this is definitely one of them, seeing family.  We are onlookers as we remember bringing up four of our own and the craziness at times.  We are watching ourselves as our children take up the mantle of raising children and providing for them a stable home environment to experience.  We have much to pray for and these times add fuel to our urgency to find our knees before our God for our children and grandchildren.

Another Sunday in the pew and as I am looking for all the good things about this furlough, this is also one of them.  Preaching every Sunday doesn't give you the opportunity to experience what those who are sitting in the pew are taking in.  You would think it would be everything you are saying but really it might be just one thing that is said that sticks or commences into more thought later.  This was my experience this Sunday as we attended church with our family in Colorado.

Ridgeline Community Church  in Castle Rock, Colorado is pastored by Pastor Matt Crowe.  He is working through the book of Genesis and was handling the last half of chapter 32, Jacob wrestling through the night with God.  It was a great sermon and I was glad he had little index cards on the chairs so I could take a few notes.  A couple general points were:  the blessing comes after the wrestling and the blessing comes after the confession.

One little side note caught my attention.  Here is where I started to relate to those who sit in the pews Sunday after Sunday listening to me.  What one thing do they take away?  Pastor Matt got to the part in the narrative when God asked Jacob what his name was, v.27, and Jacob replied, "Jacob."  The note was made that this question was asked of Jacob before.  It is found in Genesis 27:32.  Father Isaac is blind and being deceived by Jacob and Father Isaac asks Jacob who he was and Jacob responded, "I am Esau your firstborn son."  The first time a lie to his earthly father and the second time a confession to his heavenly Father.  

That is all I needed to start thinking about the correlation between these two narratives in Jacob's life.  In one he is very young and in the other he is very old.  The deception (lie) is followed by many years of deception while the confession is followed by many years of confessing who he wrestled with all night and gave him a new name.  What a "do over" or "second chance" in Jacob's life.  How will I respond when asked, "What is your name?" Will I respond with an answer that will require more "not so true responses" to keep "getting ahead" or will I respond with an answer that gives the truth about myself, a sinner in need of a Savior, and find me submitting to the One who has all the right answers for my life? 

I see another sermon in the making.  There were so many good points in Pastor Matt's sermon this morning that I jotted down but this was the one that I am still pondering into the evening.  It is good for me to realize and praise my listeners if they pull at least one good point from hours of preparation.

Adam