“God’s Vision: Going Places” Genesis 28: 10-22

Jacob has always been a character in the Hebrew Scriptures that I’m not quite sure what to do with. On one hand, he is the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. On the other hand, he did some really awful things. In fact, he was perhaps one of the best known tricksters in scripture. 

Jacob, the one who stole the blessing of his dying father from his brother who was off doing what he was told. Jacob, the one who had to flee from his furious brother. Sent off to live his his mother’s brother, his Uncle Laban, in a distant country until his bother no longer wanted to kill him. Jacob, the one who even though he deceived his family, is still given caring advice from his father before he is sent away with another blessing. And yet, it is this same Jacob who received the powerful message from God, conveyed in a vision, that we hear about today. Hence why we aren’t quite sure what to do with Jacob in particular. 

Last week, we talked about the covenant that God made with Abraham to give him more decedents then he would know what to do with. More people claiming him in their lineage then stars in the sky. But the truth is, Abraham only ended up with two sons - Ishmael and Issac. And we are told that Issac had two sons - Jacob and Esau. It is hard to imagine that this slowly growing family would be equivalent to the nations that God had promised. 

But then God carried on the vision through Jacob. Through Jacob the trickster. Through Jacob that we aren’t quite sure what to do with. God came to Jacob, yes that Jacob, and said: I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.Your descendants will become like the dust of the earth; you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. Every family of earth will be blessed because of you and your descendants. Why Jacob? Why now? Why will he become the one to carry on the promise given to Abraham?

I sometimes wonder if we have some of those same questions about ourselves. Who are we to be the one through whom God is going to reach out to this community? Who are we for God to call us to be partners in spreading the Gospel message? Why us? Why now? Especially in all of our flaws and brokenness and sin?

But then we look at people in scripture like Jacob and realize that if God can use them, then God can use us. God came to Jacob and gave him a vision that was so much bigger than anything he could imagine on his own and essentially said - I’m going to use you in this way. I know that its so big.  But trust and believe that I am going to be with you every where that you will go. 

Friends, are those the type of visions that we are praying for in this place? Visions of revival? Visions that are so big that we know that they have to from God? Because that’s what I see when I look at Biblical visions like this - they are so large that they challenge even the most fearful among us and call for us to trust God. 

A few years ago I was part of the Young Pastors Network, led by Adam Hamilton and Mike Slaughter. What I deeply appreciated about both of these pastors is that God gave them both a vision. Not just any vision, but a huge, God-sized vision. For Rev. Hamilton, he saw God calling him to start a faith community for those folks who didn’t quite know what to do with religion. Those who were nominally involved or were non-religious. But what some folks don’t realize about the story about Church of the Resurrection was that Rev. Hamilton was an associate pastor at the time he had that vision - and folks higher up kept trying to push him off, time after time and year after year. They didn’t see the vision at first that he had in his heart. 

Rev. Slaughter was a pastor of a church smaller than us gathered here today when he first got to Ginghamsburg. And then he preached the word of God so convictingly that they got smaller, not bigger. Folks that were there to make the church about them, left. But as the congregation was shrinking God was placing a vision in Mike’s heart that thousands would come and worship here and be led to the Lord. What some people don’t realize about Ginhamsburg is that it is in a small town. Yet, out of that small town mission and ministry has come that has changed the world. 

Church, do we have a vision of who God is calling us to be? Not just any vision, but a God-sized vision? A vision that we could never do on our own. One that we can only even begin to entertain because we trust that our God is able?

Sometimes, we dream to small church. We want to do things that make sense to us and that we know that we can do. And that is well and good and has a time and a purpose. But are we limiting ourselves by what we think we can do instead of dreaming of what God wants to do through us?

Jacob knew when he woke up that he was standing on holy ground. And that thought terrified him. He was struck by the fact that he was in the awesome presence of the Lord Almighty. So he made a monument, a sign of worship, and made a promise that the Lord would be his God. 

Church, now is the time for us to vision together. Now is the time for us to trust and believe in the Lord our God. How do we seek a vision that is God-sized? First, we pray to the God of vision. We pray that God open up our hearts to be stirring with the Holy Spirit. We pray that God start to give us glimpses of vision in our hearts. 

Second, we need be out in the community that God has planted us in. I have said many times before, that I don’t have problems with having multiple denominations or milmultiple churches in a given place, so long as they are seeking to make disciples of Jesus Christ, because different people may come to know Jesus at different places. However, I also believe that in order for those different churches to be effective, they need to have a Kingdom mind-set, otherwise, they can quickly become just a gathering place instead of a mission-outpost. In order to have a Kingdom mindset, we need to pray that God give us a vision for the people here, the people we are planted to serve. 

One of my favorite things to do is go to public places and just listen. To listen to the hum of people around me. Sometimes to overhear snippets of conversations that reveal the needs people have and the concerns on people’s hearts. Do we know the needs of people around us church? Does our heart break for this community? Do we want people to come to know Jesus and what are we willing to do about it? If we don’t have a vision that connects with the people we are being called to reach, then we have missed the point. 

So I ask you again, people of God. Are we praying for revival? Are we praying for a God-sized vision? Are we praying for this community? Are we seeking the face of God? Amen.