Jacob and Easu

Jacob and Esau. The conflicting twin boys who came out of the womb fighting each other. They became the subject of our sermon this past Sunday, a sermon that you can find here.

I admit to enjoying these Old Testament stories of family conflict and rivalry. They seem to ring so true to contemporary life and appear to be mirrored in every age. From the rivalry of Emperors’ of Rome, to the struggle of European monarchies, from Popes to Reformers, maybe even in the conflicts of Republicans and Democrats, there are those underlying structures of family and power.

And then in our own lives, as so well expressed by Paul, there are our personal struggles. The singer/songwriter Garth Brooks comments, “The greatest conflicts are not between two people but between one person and himself.”

As I read these stories I am reminded of our urgent need for the Grace of God to redeem us and for the Holy Spirit to recreate our lives. And I don’t mean just in some abstract way, but in a daily way that touches on the way we approach our routine tasks and how we speak and act with one another… in the present.

Thankfully the promises of God’s grace towards us are universal in application. Let us reach out and make them ours this week!

Prayer : “Lord, help me find my way in Your way! Amen.”