Worship Sundays at 9 am
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“Faith and Reconciliation in the Life of Jacob”
Fall Focus Coming Sept. 21 – Oct. 12
Overview and Where We Are Going
Jacob doesn’t begin life with any particular sense of faith. He experiences all of the family dynamics that challenge many of our personal families, not to mention our church families. But somehow amid the human drama the presence and promises of God come shining through. As faith develops in Jacob we will see how resolution begins to happen in Jacob’s life. Resolution begins where he is (in a faraway country) and will eventually invite Jacob to consider God’s call to face his own past and his own demons and to head “home” for reconciliation with his brother. All along the way the eyes of faith begin to see the hand of God guiding and sustaining Jacob. In this process of wrestling with people and wrestling with God, Jacob comes to a new name and a new identity of faith; he becomes Israel – a community of peoples.
Curiously, there is a wealth that comes along with this faith and reconciliation, but one is left to wonder if the real wealth of Jacob is in the sheep and goats and servants he owns or if the real wealth of Jacob is his developing confidence in God’s love and blessings and the faithfulness of God’s guidance in Jacob’s life. What would it be like to live our lives in faith with such confidence that we see every blessing flowing from the love and goodness of God? It might just flow from us in gratitude, blessing, and praise for what God continues to do in our lives.
We will notice how this journey of faith for Jacob continues in the lives of Jacob’s sons. We will wonder together how this journey of faith might be playing out in our own lives right now – in our hearts and before our very eyes.
Each of the four Sundays in this adventure we will read a new chapter in Jacob’s journey of faith. Join us in worship for these readings and a sermon to explore the implications for our faith journeys. You might also enjoy joining a small group during this Fall Focus to dig deeper into the rest of the story and talk about these themes in our lives. See the signboard in the Fellowship Hall.
We hope you will join us in this journey of faith – discovering deep connections between our humanity, God’s activity, and the gifts that come with faith in God’s faithfulness. We pray every blessing upon you as you journey these questions of faith in your life too.
–Pastor Mitch