We Begin Here

Within my previous Advent writings, I referred to my favorite ancient story about Jacob a couple different times. As is the case with any transcendent story, we revisit it again and again, because there is endless depth and invitation found swirling in and around all the details.

The story of Jacob running from the relational mess he created and then stopping to sleep for the night, which is where he experienced his massive dream, begins here: “Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set.”

I highlight “a certain place” because this loose, undefined language was a way for the Hebrew writers to communicate a space that was not religious or co-opted. It can be a way of saying a place that is understood as Godless, or what we might call secular. And yet, it’s here that Jacob encounters the Divine. This would be a mind bending, monumental statement for the original audience. This God can reach anyone, anywhere, at anytime? Incredible.

Then as we enter Jacob’s slumber, we read, “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and messengers of God were ascending and descending on it.”

First, contextually the picture at the bottom of this post is an excavated, ancient Ziggurat in the ancient city of Ur, which gives us an idea of what this stairway might have looked like. Secondly, we read that the messengers of God, which can also be interpreted as angels, were ascending and descending on the stairway. The rabbis point out that this would make their starting point and home base… here. The messengers/angels live among us and with us. Fascinating.

We keep reading as the Divine informs Jacob how, “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your progeny.” All peoples? The writer uses the most expansive language to explain Divine blessing. Brilliant.

Already we have the particles of the Christmas story collecting. The Divine faithfully meets humanity in the midst of their mess, in a space that has not been co-opted by any group or institution, and announces abundant blessing for one that will cascade into abundant blessing for all.

Jacob will awaken and proclaim that “the Divine was in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

Christmas is an invitation to awaken to Presence, to experience the immense blessing found in the fidelity of the Divine with us.

And then to extend the grace of Presence to everyone, everywhere.

Right here, in our messiness, the Divine embraces us with mercy and forgiveness that does not require religious faculties. Because it’s all gift. It’s grace offered to all.

The challenge for Jacob, which is still very much our challenge as well, is to simply receive the gift of Presence and then to humbly and generously extend that same grace to all people.

We begin here.