Day 122 | Sunday, 19 July 2020

​Day 122  |  Sunday, 19 July 2020

The assigned scripture readings for this the 7th Sunday after Pentecost are: Genesis 28:10-19a; Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24; Romans 8:26-39 and Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.

Let the reading from Genesis and the hymn cause you to reflect on a time when you used to sing this song.  Has God come to you in your dreams?  Are we not descendants of Jacob?

Genesis 28:10-19 Jacob’s dream at Bethel CEB
“10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and set out for Haran. 11 He reached a certain place and spent the night there. When the sun had set, he took one of the stones at that place and put it near his head. Then he lay down there. 12 He dreamed and saw a raised staircase, its foundation on earth and its top touching the sky, and God’s messengers were ascending and descending on it. 13 Suddenly the Lord was standing on it and saying, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 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. 15 I am with you now, I will protect you everywhere you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done everything that I have promised you.” 16 When Jacob woke from his sleep, he thought to himself, The Lord is definitely in this place, but I didn’t know it. 17 He was terrified and thought, This sacred place is awesome. It’s none other than God’s house and the entrance to heaven. 18 After Jacob got up early in the morning, he took the stone that he had put near his head, set it up as a sacred pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He named that sacred place Bethel,”

The Message “10 Jacob left Beersheba and went to Haran. 11 He came to a certain place and camped for the night since the sun had set. He took one of the stones there, set it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground and it reached all the way to the sky; angels of God were going up and going down on it. 13 Then God was right before him, saying, "I am God, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. I'm giving the ground on which you are sleeping to you and to your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be as the dust of the Earth; they'll stretch from west to east and from north to south. All the families of the Earth will bless themselves in you and your descendants. 15 Yes. I'll stay with you, I'll protect you wherever you go, and I'll bring you back to this very ground. I'll stick with you until I've done everything I promised you." 16 Jacob woke up from his sleep. He said, "God is in this place - truly. And I didn't even know it!" 17 He was terrified. He whispered in awe, "Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God's House. This is the Gate of Heaven." 18 Jacob was up first thing in the morning. He took the stone he had used for his pillow and stood it up as a memorial pillar and poured oil over it. 19 He christened the place Bethel (God's House).”

We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder – Afro-American Spiritual

1.   “We are climbing Jacob’s ladder; we are climbing Jacob’s ladder, we are climbing Jacob’s ladder; soldiers of the cross.”

2.   “Every round goes higher, higher; every round goes higher, higher, every round goes higher, higher; soldiers of the cross.”

3.   “Sinner, do you love my Jesus? Sinner, do you love my Jesus? Sinner, do you love my Jesus? Soldiers of the cross.”

4.   “If you love him, why not serve him? If you love him, why not serve him? If you love him, why not serve him? Soldiers of the cross.”
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5.   “We are climbing higher, higher; we are climbing higher, higher, we are climbing higher, higher; soldiers of the cross.”