The Melody of Lent

 

Nearer, my God, to you, nearer to you.  I’ll bear the cross as Christ calls me to do and pray each day anew; Nearer my God to you, nearer my God, to you, nearer to you.

When I am wandering as Jacob did, and in the deepest night the path is hid, my dreams will bring me too, Nearer my God to you, nearer my God, to you, nearer to you.

Let Jacob’s ladder fill the sky above, and angels carry down the faith and love to keep this goal in view, Nearer my God to you, nearer my God, to you, nearer to you.

Then, waking from the night to morning air by Bethel’s stone, I’ll know you heard my prayer, and how my yearning grew, Nearer my God to you, nearer my God, to you, nearer to you.

Hymns tell a story.  So often when we are singing a hymn, we may not catch the unfolding narrative.  This hymn is based on Genesis 28, where Jacob sees angels ascending and descending the earth on a ladder.  A bit of backstory can help.  Jacob, and his fraternal twin brother, Esau, were born to Isaac and Rebekah.  Esau was born first, but Jacob came out holding his brother’s heel as if Jacob was willing himself to be the oldest.  There are stories that Esau and Jacob wrestled in the womb, which I am sure made for a great pregnancy (just kidding).  Jacob would wrestle his whole life long with feeling as if he was cheated out of the honor of being the first-born son.  Esau is described as a hairy man who liked to hunt.  I picture Esau like the actor/wrestler, Dwayne The Rock Johnson.  Jacob…well Jacob looks like me, which is the opposite of The Rock.  One day after Esau was out hunting (and apparently didn’t catch anything) he comes home famished.  Jacob has made a nice lentil stew which he “sells” to his brother Esau in exchange for that birthright blessing.  Ah, sibling rivalry, and you thought your family had problems!  And then Jacob goes, dresses like his brother Esau, tricks his dad, Isaac (whose eyesight was bad) into blessing him.  And Esau was just fine with all this.  I am totally kidding.  Of course, Esau fumed with frustration and flipped out about this.  So, Jacob ran away from home.  He ran so fast he left skid marks in the sand.  He ran until he could not run any more.  Exhausted, he takes a rock, puts it under his head, falls fast asleep and dreams of angels ascending and descending.  God blesses Jacob.  Jacob wakes up and says, “Surely God was in this place and I did not know it.”  He anoints, pours oil on that pillow rock, and calls the place Bethel, House of God.

And scene.

My first question is always, what do you mean God blesses this trickster, Jacob?  What do you mean God would promise God’s presence to someone whose ethic is Ben Franklin’s adage that God helps those who help themselves? 

My second question is do I miss God showing up in my life?  Do I miss the traces of God’s grace in my life?  How can I see the House of God here in the places and spaces I find myself?

Sometimes I can get so caught up in my first question, that I don’t ask the second question!

I wonder if hearing more about the story of Jacob on which this hymn is based and built helps open the hymn for you?  Go back, relisten to the hymn, sing along, and let the unfolding narrative speak to your story today.

Prayer: God bless the trickster within me  as I realize my own plotting and planning for today and help me live Jacob’s sermon that, “Surely You are right here and right now” in my life.  Amen.