We celebrate a wonderful RFS last week. It was good to be together for seven days of learning, worship, laughter, prayer, and food! Now, it is time to begin an eight-week rhythm of community life on campus and in our hybrid spaces.

This is a special year in the history of Luther Seminary. We mark the final year on our current campus. I have been working with members of the faculty to craft a worship series for the year that will help us seek the wisdom and consolation of God to navigate this transitional time.

We begin our journey with a four-week series from the Old Testament. These are stories of how people followed God’s call to unknown places. I hope that we can spend the whole week wrestling with these texts in community.

On Tuesdays we will read the text and enter contemplative practice. I invite you to join us in the OCC meditation chapel or on Zoom to sit in centering prayer or contemplative sketching as we soak in the text for the week.

On Wednesday we will hear a sermon on the text, celebrate Holy Communion and enjoy fellowship in the Chapel Cafe. Join us in the Chapel of the Incarnation or on YouTube.

Here’s the Wednesday Chapel schedule with the text and the preacher:

• 9/20 – Genesis 28:10-17 – Dr. Jennie Wojciechowski
• 10/7 – Exodus 3:1-12 – Dr. Cameron Howard
• 10/14 – Exodus 16:1-14 – Dr. Steve Thomason
• 10/21 – Joshua 1 – Dr. Shamani Shikwambi

On Thursdays we will discuss the text and the sermon around a community meal in Lunch Church. Join us in the Dining Room. This is in-person only.

Reflections on Genesis 28:10-17

We begin with the story of Jacob. He just stole the birthright and blessing from his brother, Esau. His father, Isaac, tells Jacob to go back to their homeland in Paddan-aram to find a wife. This is the place where Abram began his journey in Genesis 12.

Jacob stops along his journey to sleep for the night. He has a dream where he sees a ladder/stairway that reaches from earth to the heavens as angels of God ascend and descend. The LORD appears to Jacob in the dream and reestablishes the covenant that God had made to Abram. The promise ends with, “and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring.”

Jacob wakes up and says, “How awesome (yarah, invoking fear and awe) is this place!” He built an altar and named the place Bethel (the house of God).

I invite you to dwell in this story throughout the week, both in the quiet of your heart and in community each day.

This is a sketch I did during my 365 Daily Devo Doodle experiment. Enjoy!