Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Esau said, ‘Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright; and look, now he has taken away my blessing.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, September 21, 2019
by R. Fergus Moir, Clergy Stuff
Jacob was no saint. He who would later be known as Israel, who would be the patriarch of God’s chosen nation, was a jerk and scoundrel. He took advantage of his brother, Esau, to take Esau’s birthright, and then, with the help of their mother, he tricked his aged father into giving him his brother’s blessing. Are we to take some example from this? I should say not!
What I get from this is that God loves even the jerks and scoundrels among us. That I don’t have to be some kind of perfect person in order to be part of God’s greater plan, to be of use to God on some higher level. Because even though I didn’t exploit my siblings or defraud my dad, I’m no example of someone living a blameless life. Yet I know God has a purpose for me. I am part of God’s family and I can learn to love and serve even from my place of deep imperfection. And that’s good news to this lifelong perfectionist!
God, help me see past my flaws as you do, so that I might see my call to your purpose in the world. Amen.
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