After Skinny- Jacob Series, Part 8
Genesis 35:1-15
God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your clothes; then come, let us go up to Bethel, that I may make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak that was near Shechem. As they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities all around them, so that no one pursued them.
*********************************************************************************************
My daughter Jen is writing a book about her recent weight loss (she has lost almost 30 lbs.) and is calling the book, “After Skinny.” (That’s the sequel by the way, to my recent book “I Have Never Been Skinny.”)
Anyway, her book is about the process of moving from the mindset one has while losing weight, to the mindset one has to adopt after reaching one's weight loss goal. Obviously, these are two very different things. It's not easy to maintain weight loss. She feels like if she goes back to eating some of the foods she enjoys, people say “Watch out- you’ll put all that weight back on!” If she continues eating carrot sticks, people say “Oh my gosh, you are too thin!”
And it’s not just outside voices that plague her- it’s the internal monologue that continues daily, “Should I eat that? What if I gain some weight back? Is there anything else to do but work out?” She has found that she needs to change her mindset and move beyond ‘struggle’ mode in order find out what life can be “after skinny.” After all, we lose weight in order to have a better quality of life overall- to do things that we can't do while carrying extra weight; to live life to the fullest.
When I was reading this week’s text, I kept thinking, "This is exactly what happened to Jacob." Jacob had spent his whole life in survival mode- he had struggled since before he was born; first for birthright, then for blessings, then for a wife and for love and for freedom. Finally he struggled with God… and now that he heard to the call of God for himself, and understood his role in the covenant, it seemed like Jacob has achieved his goal.
But in order to really start living out the Promise of God, he now needs to switch mindsets- he needs to learn how to operate out of struggle and survival mode- he needs to learn how to live, 'after skinny'… Now that he has earned the title of patriarch, how does he live as a father of a nation?
When we last saw Jacob, God had told him to go home to the land of his Father. And on the way he met up and reconciled with, his brother. And although they made peace, Jacob decided not to join with Esau, but to go in a different direction. (Aside- once you reconcile with someone, it doesn't mean you have to live with them)
Jacob built a home in the city of Shechem- not exactly where God had told him to go, but in close enough for jazz (or at least for Jacob) But life in Shechem was not as rosy as Jacob had hoped. As the family settled in to the new home and got integrated into the community, Jacob let his guard down - or perhaps he didn’t see potential for problems- or maybe it just happened- but his daughter Dinah went out; (34:1) and was raped by the son of the Prince of the City. When her brothers heard about it, Jacob's sons crafted and carried out a horrid plan of revenge- and they slaughtered every man in the city, took their wives and children, and stole their livestock and material goods.
Through all of it, Jacob, father of a nation- is silent. We don’t know why- maybe he didn’t know how to handle the politics, or the danger of the situation; or maybe he was trying to figure out a way out. What we do know is that Jacob showed lack of leadership and in fear hides from the confrontation. Instead of learning to thrive, he was trapped in the old mindset of "survive."
But when it seemed that all hope was lost … God came to Jacob (isn’t it amazing that God continues to push us to be everything we are designed to be, even when we royally mess things up?) and God says to Jacob… “Get up, and go home to the land I told you to go to in the first place- where you first built the altar to God when you were running from your brother Esau.”
And that is enough to help Jacob get it. He understands that in not moving beyond survival mode, he has allowed his entire tribe to become unhealthy. He has allowed things that he knew were damaging to go on, and because of that, his family was put in jeopardy. They could not become all God had desired for them as long as they were compromising the way of the Lord and settling into the way of the world…
Once Jacob comes to this realization, in an act of repentance- a turning around- calls his people together, and he says “Put away all the foreign Gods that you have. Purify yourselves- put on clean clothes- we’re going home. And we are going to worship the God who answered me, not just when I was in trouble, but who has been with me ever since.”
...and the text says...
“They turned over to Jacob all the alien gods they'd been holding on to, along with their lucky-charm earrings. Jacob buried them under the oak tree in Shechem.”(Message)
Now you may be thinking, if Jacob had just listened to God fully in the first place, especially after everything God had brought him through, and gone home like God had told him to, all of this wouldn’t have happened. But between you and I, I’m kind of glad he didn’t.
Because I know there are many times that I know I’m supposed to do something, or go somewhere, or live out something God is calling me to, but I end up in Shechem instead of the promised land. It’s not that I’m not sincere in my faith… but after I start out on my journey, I sometimes get halfway there and decide, this is far enough.
I think "This place looks ok- and I can camp out or even build a home here for a while. It’s safe here… and staying here means I don’t have to risk anymore.”
But here’s the thing- stopping short of what God wants for us or has called us too, eventually leads to problems. In fact, sometimes when we stop short of where God wants us to be, we create problems for ourselves. We are drawn to our old patterns, to familiar- we live out comfortable… even when it's bad for us. We revert to old habits, or negative patterns because we know them- we know how to survive there, even though it's not good for us. Sometimes we get so used to operating in survival mode that we will even create problems in our lives and relationships to keep us there!
But guess what? I can’t move where the Spirit wants to lead me when I am content to stay in a place that is less than what God wants for me. I can’t go with God and stay where I am at the same time! I can't learn to thrive when I am content to just survive.
The same is true for our church. “Oh, now pastor don’t start saying we have to do anything else… we are tired, and some of us are a little burned out! I can't hear one more thing about using my gifts and following my call! I've joined 5 new committees this year and go to bible study, and breezeway chat and help in the food pantry and I even went to that boring foreign film festival you had this summer! Can't we take a break?"
And the funny thing is, all that is true. People have stepped up and stepped out all over the place in this church. People are not just engaged- they are energized! The youth program is building, the music department is diversifying, attendance is up, giving is up... new faces everywhere you look... people come in during the week just to hang out in the lounge downstairs! We are in full growth mode! And folks, these are fabulous signs of life- and should serve as an affirmation that the Spirit of God is moving in our midst.
And make no mistake- growth came as a result of people listening to the Spirit of God and following Gods direction- of letting God be God in their lives... and to do what we believed God has asked of us so far as individuals and as a community of faith!
But my friends, God has a message for us today…. “We’re not done yet.”
Because as much as I want to stop in Shecham build a home here to celebrate where we are and where we've come from... I can't help myself from also seeing the future potential of this church; for what God could be calling us to be as a community of faith- I see so many possibilities that I sometimes have to stop myself from dreaming so I can live in the right now! I believe that we are being called to take our place as a leader in the faith community- and I say this without bravado or ego. God has placed before us the opportunity again and again to step forward as advocates for justice, for peace, for love.
And while "where we are" is a great place to be, (this church has done so much already) we have a future before us that will take energy, and commitment, and faith.
And we are going to have to endure some growing pains... because in order to live out what God has for his church, we have to get by the territory wars and ownership issues about the way things have always been, the way WE like things, what WE want, or what WE think belongs to US, and give those things over to God. This is God's church!
And honestly... at some point, I’m hoping we collect all of those little "foreign gods" and take them out and bury them under a tree so we can be rid of them once and for all. Wouldn’t that be a great theme Sunday? Bury your saddle bag Sunday? We could give out little shovels?
Church, I believe God is saying to us this very day, get up! Throw away your foreign gods and purify yourselves. (Get rid of the petty things that are holding you back individually, and that hold us back as a people of God… whatever it is in your life that is causing you to stay in survival mode.... reconcile with one another) If you need help burying your stuff, let others help- let me help. Lent is the perfect time to look inside you and assess. And God’s spirit is always prodding you to heal relationships- of that you can be sure.
And then, go back to the text... put on clean clothing! (in other words, get a new outlook, a fresh start) That means, open yourself up the whatever new thing God might be telling you-even though its easier to stay in the familiar... even though what you already have on is comfortable.... we're not called to be comfortable! We are called to whatever new thing God may be trying to do with the gifts God has given us... and through us!
And if someone is approaching you, and you see that they are still wearing yesterday’s clothes- and they have a little foreign god in their hands… take a quick glance at that new white robe you’re wearing… and decide whether or not you want to let it get dirty again…
Please hear me... once Jacob decided to get up, and go home, he didn't live a problem free life... but Jacob, with faith and with courage and with hope, lived out everything that God had promised- the nation of Israel named for him- no longer “Israel” associated with struggle, but now called “Israel”- God Will Prevail.
I know how far you've come... I know how much you've struggled just to get here… but now that we have listened to the Spirit, and reached this place and achieved so much… we need to move on “After Skinny.” There is too much waiting for us in the Promised Land for us to stop and settle in Shechem. Come on Jacob! Let's go home...
God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your clothes; then come, let us go up to Bethel, that I may make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak that was near Shechem. As they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities all around them, so that no one pursued them.
*********************************************************************************************
My daughter Jen is writing a book about her recent weight loss (she has lost almost 30 lbs.) and is calling the book, “After Skinny.” (That’s the sequel by the way, to my recent book “I Have Never Been Skinny.”)
Anyway, her book is about the process of moving from the mindset one has while losing weight, to the mindset one has to adopt after reaching one's weight loss goal. Obviously, these are two very different things. It's not easy to maintain weight loss. She feels like if she goes back to eating some of the foods she enjoys, people say “Watch out- you’ll put all that weight back on!” If she continues eating carrot sticks, people say “Oh my gosh, you are too thin!”
And it’s not just outside voices that plague her- it’s the internal monologue that continues daily, “Should I eat that? What if I gain some weight back? Is there anything else to do but work out?” She has found that she needs to change her mindset and move beyond ‘struggle’ mode in order find out what life can be “after skinny.” After all, we lose weight in order to have a better quality of life overall- to do things that we can't do while carrying extra weight; to live life to the fullest.
When I was reading this week’s text, I kept thinking, "This is exactly what happened to Jacob." Jacob had spent his whole life in survival mode- he had struggled since before he was born; first for birthright, then for blessings, then for a wife and for love and for freedom. Finally he struggled with God… and now that he heard to the call of God for himself, and understood his role in the covenant, it seemed like Jacob has achieved his goal.
But in order to really start living out the Promise of God, he now needs to switch mindsets- he needs to learn how to operate out of struggle and survival mode- he needs to learn how to live, 'after skinny'… Now that he has earned the title of patriarch, how does he live as a father of a nation?
When we last saw Jacob, God had told him to go home to the land of his Father. And on the way he met up and reconciled with, his brother. And although they made peace, Jacob decided not to join with Esau, but to go in a different direction. (Aside- once you reconcile with someone, it doesn't mean you have to live with them)
Jacob built a home in the city of Shechem- not exactly where God had told him to go, but in close enough for jazz (or at least for Jacob) But life in Shechem was not as rosy as Jacob had hoped. As the family settled in to the new home and got integrated into the community, Jacob let his guard down - or perhaps he didn’t see potential for problems- or maybe it just happened- but his daughter Dinah went out; (34:1) and was raped by the son of the Prince of the City. When her brothers heard about it, Jacob's sons crafted and carried out a horrid plan of revenge- and they slaughtered every man in the city, took their wives and children, and stole their livestock and material goods.
Through all of it, Jacob, father of a nation- is silent. We don’t know why- maybe he didn’t know how to handle the politics, or the danger of the situation; or maybe he was trying to figure out a way out. What we do know is that Jacob showed lack of leadership and in fear hides from the confrontation. Instead of learning to thrive, he was trapped in the old mindset of "survive."
But when it seemed that all hope was lost … God came to Jacob (isn’t it amazing that God continues to push us to be everything we are designed to be, even when we royally mess things up?) and God says to Jacob… “Get up, and go home to the land I told you to go to in the first place- where you first built the altar to God when you were running from your brother Esau.”
And that is enough to help Jacob get it. He understands that in not moving beyond survival mode, he has allowed his entire tribe to become unhealthy. He has allowed things that he knew were damaging to go on, and because of that, his family was put in jeopardy. They could not become all God had desired for them as long as they were compromising the way of the Lord and settling into the way of the world…
Once Jacob comes to this realization, in an act of repentance- a turning around- calls his people together, and he says “Put away all the foreign Gods that you have. Purify yourselves- put on clean clothes- we’re going home. And we are going to worship the God who answered me, not just when I was in trouble, but who has been with me ever since.”
...and the text says...
“They turned over to Jacob all the alien gods they'd been holding on to, along with their lucky-charm earrings. Jacob buried them under the oak tree in Shechem.”(Message)
Now you may be thinking, if Jacob had just listened to God fully in the first place, especially after everything God had brought him through, and gone home like God had told him to, all of this wouldn’t have happened. But between you and I, I’m kind of glad he didn’t.
Because I know there are many times that I know I’m supposed to do something, or go somewhere, or live out something God is calling me to, but I end up in Shechem instead of the promised land. It’s not that I’m not sincere in my faith… but after I start out on my journey, I sometimes get halfway there and decide, this is far enough.
I think "This place looks ok- and I can camp out or even build a home here for a while. It’s safe here… and staying here means I don’t have to risk anymore.”
But here’s the thing- stopping short of what God wants for us or has called us too, eventually leads to problems. In fact, sometimes when we stop short of where God wants us to be, we create problems for ourselves. We are drawn to our old patterns, to familiar- we live out comfortable… even when it's bad for us. We revert to old habits, or negative patterns because we know them- we know how to survive there, even though it's not good for us. Sometimes we get so used to operating in survival mode that we will even create problems in our lives and relationships to keep us there!
But guess what? I can’t move where the Spirit wants to lead me when I am content to stay in a place that is less than what God wants for me. I can’t go with God and stay where I am at the same time! I can't learn to thrive when I am content to just survive.
The same is true for our church. “Oh, now pastor don’t start saying we have to do anything else… we are tired, and some of us are a little burned out! I can't hear one more thing about using my gifts and following my call! I've joined 5 new committees this year and go to bible study, and breezeway chat and help in the food pantry and I even went to that boring foreign film festival you had this summer! Can't we take a break?"
And the funny thing is, all that is true. People have stepped up and stepped out all over the place in this church. People are not just engaged- they are energized! The youth program is building, the music department is diversifying, attendance is up, giving is up... new faces everywhere you look... people come in during the week just to hang out in the lounge downstairs! We are in full growth mode! And folks, these are fabulous signs of life- and should serve as an affirmation that the Spirit of God is moving in our midst.
And make no mistake- growth came as a result of people listening to the Spirit of God and following Gods direction- of letting God be God in their lives... and to do what we believed God has asked of us so far as individuals and as a community of faith!
But my friends, God has a message for us today…. “We’re not done yet.”
Because as much as I want to stop in Shecham build a home here to celebrate where we are and where we've come from... I can't help myself from also seeing the future potential of this church; for what God could be calling us to be as a community of faith- I see so many possibilities that I sometimes have to stop myself from dreaming so I can live in the right now! I believe that we are being called to take our place as a leader in the faith community- and I say this without bravado or ego. God has placed before us the opportunity again and again to step forward as advocates for justice, for peace, for love.
And while "where we are" is a great place to be, (this church has done so much already) we have a future before us that will take energy, and commitment, and faith.
And we are going to have to endure some growing pains... because in order to live out what God has for his church, we have to get by the territory wars and ownership issues about the way things have always been, the way WE like things, what WE want, or what WE think belongs to US, and give those things over to God. This is God's church!
And honestly... at some point, I’m hoping we collect all of those little "foreign gods" and take them out and bury them under a tree so we can be rid of them once and for all. Wouldn’t that be a great theme Sunday? Bury your saddle bag Sunday? We could give out little shovels?
Church, I believe God is saying to us this very day, get up! Throw away your foreign gods and purify yourselves. (Get rid of the petty things that are holding you back individually, and that hold us back as a people of God… whatever it is in your life that is causing you to stay in survival mode.... reconcile with one another) If you need help burying your stuff, let others help- let me help. Lent is the perfect time to look inside you and assess. And God’s spirit is always prodding you to heal relationships- of that you can be sure.
And then, go back to the text... put on clean clothing! (in other words, get a new outlook, a fresh start) That means, open yourself up the whatever new thing God might be telling you-even though its easier to stay in the familiar... even though what you already have on is comfortable.... we're not called to be comfortable! We are called to whatever new thing God may be trying to do with the gifts God has given us... and through us!
And if someone is approaching you, and you see that they are still wearing yesterday’s clothes- and they have a little foreign god in their hands… take a quick glance at that new white robe you’re wearing… and decide whether or not you want to let it get dirty again…
Please hear me... once Jacob decided to get up, and go home, he didn't live a problem free life... but Jacob, with faith and with courage and with hope, lived out everything that God had promised- the nation of Israel named for him- no longer “Israel” associated with struggle, but now called “Israel”- God Will Prevail.
I know how far you've come... I know how much you've struggled just to get here… but now that we have listened to the Spirit, and reached this place and achieved so much… we need to move on “After Skinny.” There is too much waiting for us in the Promised Land for us to stop and settle in Shechem. Come on Jacob! Let's go home...