5th Week of Epiphany

The Daily Office

This week we begin the saga of Jacob, "he who grabs by the heel," or "he who supplants," or to put it most bluntly, "he who cheats." And yet, he is also the first great example of God's grace, unmerited and undeserved. He cheats his older brother of his birthright as the eldest. He cheats his older brother of their father's blessing.

And yet, God chooses him to be the heir of his promise to Abraham, "In you shall all the families of the earth be blessed." With this choice, God upsets the apple cart of our all-too-human power arrangements. He overturns the understanding that power and privilege reside with the eldest. God is no more bound by the power arrangements of today anymore than he was in Jacob's time. Blessing is not ours to give, but God's. In what ways do we try to control God's blessing today? What powers and privileges do we assume as our possession, in this community and this nation?

Of course, Jacob must learn what God's blessing means. More than anyone, he must learn that God's blessing is given, not seized. And on Friday, he will hear that the first, and most important blessing of God is not wealth, or power, or security. The only blessing we need is the presence of our Maker with us wherever we go in this world. With God's presence, we receive much more than the perishable wealth of the world, or the worldly security that ends with our physical death. With God's presence, we receive wisdom and understanding. Let us always seek that understanding.