Genesis 32:22-31
The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
Today we are beginning a sermon series about Biblical road trips. It’s a clever idea from Pastor Mark, who realized that the themes of journey, exile, and movement resonate with how many of us have experienced these past several months. We, like Jesus, have left the building. In the coming weeks we will explore some stories in scripture about what can happen when we hit the road. Trust me when I say, it’s good news.
I have watched my fair share of movies whose plots are built around the road trip motif. The road trip genre--a uniquely American contribution to cinema--is one of my favorite genres. You can probably think of several examples on your own, but here are a few movie title just to help you understand what we’re talking about: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Thelma and Louise, Easy Rider, Little Miss Sunshine, The Road to Perdition, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Green Book, RV, Are We There Yet?, just to name a few. Most road trip movies follow the same plot structure. The story begins with an individual or collection of people who are clearly lacking something, most often a healthy emotional connection to someone else. This person or groups sets off on a presumably straightforward journey. Something unexpected happens which prompts a series of shenanigans and encounters with people that challenge them. They are forced to reckon with parts of themselves they prefer to keep hidden, resulting in a process of personal growth that is painful but often hilarious and heartwarming. They arrive at the destination, or return home, having uncovered a deeper purpose to the trip than they originally anticipated. The end.
If you haven’t recently seen a movie from the great American road trip genre, I encourage you to check one out before we get too deep into this sermon series. You will likely see some important parallels and it will help make sense both of what we’re doing here as well as what you’re experiencing as this pandemic and quarantine existence continues.
I’m no stranger to the great American road trip experience myself, having lived in so many different states over the past two decades. I have a couple favorite road trip stories that I will space out over the course of this sermon series. Here’s my first:
In the mid-2000’s my wife and I lived in Southern California. It was there where we made our first big purchase as a married couple: a used 2-person ocean kayak. It was 12’ and 60 lbs of open-topped molded royal blue plastic. It was fantastic. We found the only free beach parking in all of So Cal and would coast along the top of the Pacific alongside dolphins, seals, and even once a whale that came close enough to our kayak to slightly unnerve us both.
My ocean kayak circa 2007.
When it came time to move from California to Minnesota we plotted out a course that would allow us to stop at a different body of water each day and use the kayak. As the movers started to shut the door to the van packed with our stuff they reminded us there was still room to put the kayak in the van. That was not part of the plan, so we politely declined and instead strapped it on the roof of our Nissan Sentra and embarked on a 2,250-mile journey to our new home. Our first stop was to be the San Francisco Bay.
Several hours later, as we were driving north on I-5 through the agricultural heart of California we were met with incredible gusts of wind that were pummeling the driver’s side of the car. We stopped at a rest area and double-checked the knots and straps that were holding the kayak to the roof rack and the roof rack to the car. All secure.
Not ten minutes after continuing our windblown journey north on the interstate, we felt the car shift, heard a horrific metallic scratching noise, and caught a glimpse of a flash of blue out the passenger side windows. Though I had witnessed the whole event, I could hardly believe my wife when she told me the kayak had blown off our car. I immediately pulled onto the shoulder of the interstate, waited for a break in the traffic, and got out to inspect the damage. The only thing left on top of the car was one roof rack bar and two huge indents where the other bar had once been adhered. Down the 30’ slope down to the ditch, and about 50 yards behind, I saw the overturned kayak. In no time at all a CHiPs officer pulled up behind our car and he was completely uninterested in our story or in trying to help us. He demanded we get off the shoulder immediately. There was no way to put the kayak back on the car so we got back in the car and drove away in shock and disbelief. That was the last we ever saw that kayak, though I imagine that CHiPs officer came back for it and still enjoys using it today.
Here’s why I tell that story alongside today’s story of Jacob’s roadside wrestling match with an angel: the stories illustrate the difference in personal agency in demanding to receive God’s promise of good gifts in the midst of difficult situations.
In the biblical story, Jacob demanded something good to come out of his tribulations. He did not have a single moral or ethical leg to stand on, yet he demanded a divine blessing from the God whom he knew freely gave out blessings, and would not let go of the angel until he received it. That takes some chutzpah. The man known as “the deceiver” felt he was as entitled to the blessings of God as anyone else. And he was absolutely correct.
In my story, we did not demand anything from the situation. We didn’t demand the officer help us. We didn’t demand the roof rack company admit their product was faulty. We didn’t demand anything from anyone that would have helped us get that kayak out of the ditch and back into our possession. We walked away, feeling only shock and disappointment. I remember thinking “We’re good people, why did this happen to us?” Of course, I immediately felt ashamed for thinking like that, given how it was such a minor inconvenience and there were obviously other people who had more to complain about than we did. There are very few biblical examples of people being filled with shame and still receiving blessings from God.
We gave away our agency and floated along the current of life (which would have been fun to do on a kayak). In our disappointment we felt and acted powerless. But not Jacob. That dude demanded a blessing despite not having any right to it. The whole reason Jacob was on his road trip was because he knew his brother would kill him for his earlier betrayal of him. If a guy like that could demand and receive a blessing from God, why couldn't we?
I tell you this story because I want you to demand blessings from God. You have every right to demand blessings from God for yourself and for others. It is very clear from scripture and tradition that God enjoys giving blessings to those who ask. It seems that God simply likes to be asked. Failing to demand blessings from God is not an exercise in humility; rather, failing to demand blessings from God is a sign that you’re hedging your bets because deep down you don’t trust God. I never once prayed that God would help me with the kayak situation. The reason is because I didn’t think God would help in that situation. I never asked and I never received. Imagine how much better that story would be if I had pulled off on the shoulder of the road, prayed to God for help, and looked up in time to see our moving van pull up behind us and put the kayak on the van!
But road movies don't end when the disruptions start happening. Those events take place in the middle of the story in order to introduce humor and tension and set the stage for later character development. The resolution or climax of the story comes later, when those disruptions start to change the characters for the better, so that they can return home not simply with souvenirs such as beat-up cars, new friends, or a newfound criminal history, but rather with a new perspective on life and personal agency.
I have told my kayak story many many many times, but only recently have I started to see the lesson of it. Only recently have I started to demand more from God. I have started asking God for things. I have tried to familiarize myself with God’s word so that I would trust the things I ask for are in line with what God is eager to give me. I pray for healing for people who are suffering. I pray for equality and justice for those who are oppressed. I pray that the planet would be stewarded so that future generations can not just enjoy God’s creation but simply survive in it. I pray for safety and security and daily bread. I pray for these things because I have come to see God as a loving giver of gifts. I pray that you would come to see God in this same way. Amen.
