Andrew Wood's Sermon Notes

Wrestling with God…
There are  three aspects to  Jacob’s wrestling with God which can help us understand our sense of calling:

1. He would not let go.  The River is a dangerous place – and night time especially so. There were many stories of being ambushed by enemies human and spiritual.  And Jacob, when put to the test here demonstrates an extraordinary perseverance, if not downright  stubbornness.

Jacob is after all the one who would not let go – of his inheritance, of his place (to the point of fearfulness of any loss – runs away with so many things, possessions, wives, blessings) – but here he will run no longer..  The Psalms are also full of a determination not to let go of God…Calling is about staying with something and allowing God’s call to shape our lives

2. He was called by his name Most of us have not chosen our name, and we may be amused by the meanings of our given names.. but there is another sort of name, the one given by God.

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus names Peter as “the rock”  - hardly a name he deserved by his actions, but it is a name founded in God’s future, when Peter will be strong and unmoving in the name of Jesus. And all Jesus needs to name him is a glimpse of that future, which he finds in Peters’ response “You are the Mesiiah…”

 And jacob is re-names Israel “For you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed” – it is in the struggle that we find God, in our moments of doubt and fear that we encounter our true names.  (one who strives doesn’t sound like an attractive or easy nam, but it is the one God gave him)

So, in the end, God will not let go of him…

 3. He saw the face of God. 

The face is a crucial way of communicating – although we’ve become much more attuned to body language, it’s the face that can give us away & still makes the most impact (only 10% of impact in the words we use!!).  We talk about meeting someone face-to-face (and many of our problems are because we can’t or won’t do that!)

The people of Israel were hugely concerned to protect the holiness of God – God could not be named or seen (always the mystery, the inviting one, the one in cloud or fire or light)

BUT in an extraordinary moment the face of God is seen (still mysterious, unknown in some way but as a mark of favour or commissioning)

At Bethel he saw a vision of the path to heaven, but at Jabbok he encountered God – a God who was interested in him, who knew his true nature & name and who would not le him go until he had shared that with him. 

And us… we see the face of god in others (Matthew 25), and supremely in Jesus..  calling is not just words, it’s about feeling, being drawn to something or someone (just as Fresh Expressions of church are a call to reach out to particular people or communities)