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Genesis: Stories of Faith

“What Goes Around...”

Genesis 29:15-28

The Reverend Chris Adams

July 24, 2011

Jacob is smitten with Rachel.  He falls in love with her almost from the first, and though he knows the cultural norms concerning who is to married first amongst Laban’s daughters, Jacob proves again that he is not going to conform.  He asks Laban for Rachel’s hand.

Jacob the liar and the cheat is at it again...

Ladies, I know this story for some of you is another one that sets your teeth on edge a bit.  But remember, this is ancient practice and ancient ethics.  It is not to be understood as anything more than that at this point.

I know, paying wages to a man (with a woman) is not our world...

But we have to accept that it was that way in the ancient world, and that even in this there was a certain accepted practice.  So when Jacob slights Leah, and asks for Rachel instead, that would be asking for trouble.

So, we might expect Jacob gets trouble...

Jacob completes his end of the bargain with Laban.  Laban arranges a great wedding celebration, gathers all the people of the community together, and has a great feast.  Then when it is time for the marriage to be consummated, Jacob gets what some might think he deserves.  Instead of Rachel, he “marries” Leah.

“What have you done to me?” exclaims the embarrassed and humiliated Jacob...

Laban carefully explains to his new son-in-law that marrying the younger while the older is still unmarried is just not done.  Jacob knew that, by the way.  But maybe the only time in all the Bible, Jacob the liar and the cheat acts with great humility and patience and completes another seven years for his love, Rachel.

Again, I know that multiple marriages and serving another so that the wages might be another person is not our world...

However, there is a message from such a story of faith, for you and for me.  Here, Jacob seems to be almost like God in the way that he waits for his love to be realized.  Jacob is usually impatient and impulsive.  He never waits for anything, and yet in this case, he seems to adopt a certain humility and gentleness that can only come from God.  Jacob acts almost God-like in the way that he quietly waits and serves, in order to love another.  The love of his life Rachel, and in the end his patience and perseverance pays off.  Rachel and Jacob are one of the great romantic stories of the Bible.

From a story like this we are to learn, that this is the very character of God’s people, and as we are created in the image of God, this is the very character of God Almighty.  Like Jacob, or perhaps Jacob is like God, in being faithful, watching and waiting, patient in gentleness, for the love of a life to be realized. 

You see my friends, that’s just who God is...

In the end, what goes around is perhaps a little poetic justice for Laban and Leah in outsmarting the liar and the cheat Jacob, but what also goes around is the love of God, as it exists in Jacob, as he patiently waits for the love of his life.

Is that the way you understand God?  Is that what goes around in your head when you imagine your relationship with the Almighty God?  Do you imagine patience and gentleness, even waiting?

I spent the week with lots of things like this (J316 Soccer Ball) going around and around in my world.  We hosted another wonderful camp this week.  Around 85 children were here, everybody had lots of fun.  It was hot, but it was so much fun too.

As I was watching camp, and all the coaches that worked with our kids, I kept coming back to the same thing, patience and humility, waiting and watching.

You see, for kids that’s what they need the most in sports...

They need a coach that will never give up on them.  They need a patient, gentle mentor and guide to demonstrate the love of God in something as simple as soccer.  Because no matter how good you are, you are never going to get it all right.  There is always something else to learn, something else to master.

Those coaches did such great work this week.  They, like Jacob, were the image of God in the world for 85 youngsters on our campus.  The kids learned that here at church, even when playing sports, the people of God will demonstrate patience, gentleness and love.

You see, that’s just who God is too...

But then, as I watched all those soccer balls, like this one, going around and around I noticed the colors.  The colors too go around and around.  There is gold, and then green, and then black, and around and around and around.

I occurred to me that the story told by J316 with this ball is the same story again, for you and for me.  It’s not just for soccer kids, and coaches.

It’s not just for Jacob and Laban, Leah and Rachel.  This is our story too...

You see, the gold color up here represents God as creator, right kids?  This is from which everything else starts.  Gold is the color of our royal, almighty God.

But then you see, very quickly we realize there is a problem.  The black represents the problem. Black represents sin.  Black is all the ways the world falls short of what God created it to be.  Darkness is all the ways we fall short.

Now at this point we might think of this color as the Jacob color.  This is the liar and the cheat color. I know, I am too hard on Jacob, because after all he does get it right in the end.

But you see that’s the point.  At no point on this ball does God give up on us.  At no point, does God say, “Oh well, they are lost to me, I give up on them!”  That’s just not who God is.

We can try and trick God.  We can cheat God.  We can lie to God and hide from God.  We can love everything else first, before God, and deserve to be abandoned by God.  But God just won’t let go.

Because the very next color is red, the blood of Jesus Christ.  This is where God proves that He will never, ever give up on us.  No matter what, not even in death.  God will never leave us behind, and will never just walk away.

Think about it, Jacob could have walked away with just Leah.  He was not obligated to Rachel at that point.  But Jacob loved Rachel, and would never give up on her.  That’s how God is about us.  God is not obligated to us, and yet God loves us (he’s smitten with us) and just won’t give up.

So that we can be made pure again, washed white as snow.  We could even think of this color, not as white, but as clear, without anything clouding us or polluting us.  That’s what happens when Jesus is part of our life.  We are pure.

From that day on, we are green... growing in the knowledge of God.  Living in our relationship and bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God.  Colossians 1:10 was the memory verse for the week.

“We pray this in order that you might live a life worthy of the Lord, pleasing him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God.”  That’s what this is all about.

So that we can be with God, returning to Him in the end...

You see, this story goes around and around.  God is gentle and loving, never giving up on us.  We are loved by God so much that God won’t just walk away.

That’s our story.  From the Bible, on the soccer field, and in our community of faith, that’s our story.

And that, my friends, is what we are to do too...

There were lots of families on our campus this week.  Some of them already are a part of church communities, but some of them are not.  Some of them already know God as the one that will never give up on them, but others do not.

Our job is to tell them...

Sometimes we miss our chance.  I had lots of chances this week to tell that story, and most of the time I missed it.  There just weren’t enough opportunities.  There were too many children, too many families, not enough helpers to go around.

And you know, I could get frustrated about that.  I could give up and quit.  But you see, God never would do that with me.  The balls just keep going around and around.  The story just keeps going around and around.

I don’t mean we shouldn’t have urgency in telling this story of God’s love, but I also know that God is never giving up, on me and on those we meet.

There is good news for me this morning my friends.  I missed my chance a couple of times this week to demonstrate God’s love.  But my chance at red, and white and green is coming around again, just like the turning of this ball.

There is good news for you too.  If you missed your chance to be here on campus participating in soccer...  (I keep saying it, you don’t have to know anything about soccer or even kick a ball while you are here)... there is still good news.  That ball is coming around again.  You will get another chance.

God never gives up on those He loves.  He never gives up on you and me.  We can’t give up on all the men and women, boys and girls, that God calls us to reach out to with the message of who God is.

And when we complete our work, bearing fruit, growing in the knowledge of God, then we will receive the gold medal.

God will be with us until the end...

Thanks be to God.

Amen.