This sermon was preached for online worship for St. Andrew's and St. Michael's on August 2, 2020. The text for this sermon was Genesis 32:22-31.
This story from our Old Testament reading today is a really pivotal moment in Jacob’s life. It’s out of this wrestling with God and himself that Jacob receives a new name and a new calling – one that the people of God will carry throughout the scriptures, and generations, to today – Israel the one who struggles with God.
The powerful message of this story though, lies in when this moment occurs in Jacob’s life. You may remember Jacob was born the youngest twin. After tricking his older brother out of his birthright as firstborn not once but twice, Jacob runs off into exile and makes a new family. This moment happens just before Jacob is about to return home and meet his brother for the first time.
He does not know what we know – that across the river Esau will forgive and embrace him. The moment of reconciliation between wronged brother and exiled brother is coming.
There’s something he must do first. Jacob must struggle with God, wrestle within himself. And Jacob needs to hang on in the struggle, to persevere and persist, even when his hip is dislocated, even as dawn is breaking. He stays engaged until he is blessed, until he has clarity on the way forward, on who he is to be.
In so many ways, we are standing right now on the bank of the Jabbok River. As a nation – as a world- we are divided and broken, wronged and exiled. The promised moment of reconciliation lies ahead, sometimes I’m not totally sure it’s coming. Perhaps you stand here, too, in your own life, struggling between parts of yourself, struggling with your families and communities. Whether to regather or stay closed, whether to shift funding away from police or double-down on law and order, whether to start college or defer, whether stay in this job or marriage or town that’s tearing you apart.
The good news of Jacob’s story is that this struggle is holy. God is in this struggle. We just need to hang on until we are blessed by it, until our way forward is clear.
Our prayer book teaches that the ministry of the church – our purpose here on earth – is reconciliation. We are to continue the work of Jesus Christ in reconciling God to humanity, us to one another. We promise to strive for justice and peace among all people and God promises right back – the moment of reconciliation is coming. It’s just over the stream.
A couple weeks ago, I met up with over fifty middle and high school youth from across the Diocese, including seven St. Andrew’s kids. These kids chose to come to virtual camp, to gave up two hours of their summer every day for a week, because these teens are passionate about racial justice. They wanted to learn how to be in the struggle.
And struggle we did. I listened as white kids from the suburbs grappled with feelings of shame and guilt and powerlessness, as black youth spoke about why this moment in our country matters. We stayed in it, in uncomfortable conversations, in disagreement and wondering, and I’ll tell you by the end, man, did I feel blessed. Blessed by these kids and the voices they discovered, the power and purpose they found within themselves. And on that Friday, a group of St. Andrew’s kids meet with their state senator to share about what they learned—one of our sophomores got up and told her story about why fair treatment of her black classmates in school mattered to her. And our kids, they stayed on that Zoom call until the representative blessed them and committed to staying with them in the struggle for fairness and reconciliation in Massachusetts schools.
The struggle itself is holy. God is in this struggle. And through it, we can find our way.
I’m so proud of St. Andrew’s for taking on watching the film 13th about racism and reading Dr. Kendi’s book on anti-racism, and for St. Michael’s for taking up anti-racist learning and study, as well. We are stepping into this struggle together, as parish communities. Not because we all agree, not because we know exactly what to do next to heal the world. But because the story of Jacob teaches us, our youth are teaching us, this struggle, this grappling, is holy, and necessary, and of God. And we need to stay in it.
So as you’re reading and watching and discussing, remember Jacob on the Jabbok river. When you find yourself getting angry or overwhelmed, when you want to throw the book across the room—Keep reading. When you feel dislocated and out of joint, like the person you’re talking with is speaking a whole different language--Keep listening. When you feel as if you cannot hang on any longer, not sure of who you are and what you’re meant for—Keep engaged. Stay with this until we are all blessed by it, stay in this until we know in our hearts, our new purpose and call.
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