Bethel: God moves closer

Week 2: Thursday

Reading

Genesis 28.10-22

Jacob left Beer-sheba and went towards Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’ Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!’ And he was afraid, and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’
So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one-tenth to you.’

Reflection

Genesis 28 is a pivotal point in the story of Jacob, but also in the story of the ancient Hebrews. Movement is key to understanding this text. In Jacob’s dream, a ladder appears between heaven and earth. Angels are ascending and descending. Jacob is moving – in fact, escaping – from one place to another. Amid all this, God comes close to him, and reveals himself, and blesses him. Jacob awakes and calls the place “Bethel”, the House of God. He comes to see that the God of his ancestors moves with him, no matter where he might find himself.

God is present in our movement. The reality of forced migration for Black People across the globe has not meant the relinquishing of their faith. In fact, it’s in the upheavals of life that we come to know God more clearly and powerfully.

Watch

Think about the way migration and displacement of people has affected the history of faith.

...and pray

for deep encounters with God in the journeys of others you meet.

Copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2024.