One of the most compelling Biblical stories for me comes from Genesis 32:22-32. Here's a link so that you can look at it: http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=187880844.
In the passage, Jacob has sent his family across the ford of the river Jabbok, and has remained alone on the other side. There, a man wrestles with him until daybreak. At daybreak, the stranger strikes him on the hip, knocking it out of joint. Nevertheless, Jacob will not let go, without first receiving the stranger's blessing. The stranger blesses him, saying, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." After the encounter, Jacob names the place Peniel (In Hebrew, literally, "The face of God,") "For," he declares, "I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."
My faith is defined by this wrestling. I believe that God calls us into a dynamic, challenging relationship that requires much more than just belief. It calls for us to struggle with our beliefs, question and challenge what we are told, and strive to follow God wherever God leads us. And it is in the wrestling that we find ourselves closest to God.
The word "Israel" first appears in this passage, but it becomes the name of the community of God's followers. I see it as significant that the name Israel comes about in this moment of wrestling with God. Being involved in a community of faith involves a lot of wrestling. Communities are messy places, full of disagreement and difficulty, but communities are also the places where God's grace is most evident, in forgiveness, in collaboration, and in sharing with one other in suffering and celebration. Being a part of a community of faith pushes us to great heights and pulls us into closeness with God.
This is why my blog is titled, "atthejabbok." I'll to talk about issues that we wrestle with in faith and community, along with updates on my world, sermons and prayers I've written, and anything else that comes to mind. Hopefully, this blog will spark conversations, deepen relationships, grow faiths, and create support networks as we all share in wrestling with God in community.
