It’s a strange story isn’t it? A man called Jacob lies his head down on a rock, miraculously manages to fall asleep (how many of us would sleep well with a hunk of limestone for a pillow?) has a weird dream about a ladder stretching from earth to heaven with angels climbing up and down on it, wakes up - and immediately understands that his weird dream is one of the most significant God-moments of his life. So he takes the stone he used as a pillow, builds it into a pillar, tips olive oil on it, renames the place he stayed the night and moves on.
What is that about?
Let me ask you, do you find it an easy story to relate to? Maybe the dreamers amongst us get this story more than the rest of us…
Do you dream a lot? Hands up if you dream quite often… Do you ever think about what your dreams mean? Apparently, there are several accepted interpretations for common dreams. Dreams when you’re flying are supposed to be about gaining a new outlook in life or having control of a situation. Has anyone ever had a dream where you’re waiting for a bus or walking along the street and then it dawns on you that you are underdressed or completely naked? I used to have that dream quite often when I was a teenager. According to psychologists those dreams are apparently about insecurity or anxiety about secrets. To see birds in a dream is said to symbolize your goals, aspirations and hopes.
I’m sure some of you have heard the story about the woman who wakes up and turns to her husband saying, “I just had a dream that you gave me a pearl necklace for our anniversary. What do you think it means?”
He thinks about it and says, “Well, you’ll know tonight.” So that evening, he comes home with a small package and says “Happy anniversary.” Her face breaks into a smile; she opens the present… and it’s a book called “The Meaning of Dreams.”
If you’re like me, you seem to never have dreams (or rather you never remember them – the experts say that everyone dreams).
Some people though actually don’t dream that much because they are insomniacs – they find it really hard to get to sleep at night. They count sheep, they think about yawning people, they drink camomile tea, they try changing position… I try and list in my mind the 44 dioceses of the Church of England. How sad is that?
A friend of mine once said to me, “When you can’t sleep, just lie right on the edge of the bed. You’ll soon drop off.” If you’re insomniac you might find that helpful. If that doesn’t work, log on to the All Saints’ website and listen to one of my sermons – that will do the trick.
Verse for the Year
We find the whole realm of dreams a bit strange – and it is really. We might find this story a bit curious too but, when you get beyond the surface, it is packed with truth and light and revelation.
The MDT were praying at the end of last year about our priorities for 2012 and we were drawn to v16-17 of our passage where Jacob wakes up and says;
Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it. How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.
We felt that there was particular significance in these verses for us, that God was speaking to us through it and impressing upon us our need to become newly aware of his presence, newly alert to his purposes among us. God comes to us in surprising and unexpected ways.
But before we break those verses down, let’s try and get into what the whole passage is about…
Jacob’s Journey
Genesis 28 finds this character Jacob at a major crossroads, running to save his life. He has just fled his home and left his family, after causing an almighty bust-up in which he robbed his elder brother of his inheritance. If you’ve read the story of Jacob up to this point (Genesis 25-27) you’ll know what a rascal, what a rogue, this man is. You wouldn’t want to buy a second-hand car from Jacob! You’d think twice about lending him a tenner. He’s a double-crossing, sneaky, devious, deceitful old fox and unquestionably he has been spiritually asleep his whole life, but God is about to wake him up.
Listen, you’re on a journey too and so am I. And no matter how long you might have been running from God, how long you’ve been deaf to his voice, it is not too late. No matter how low you’ve sunk, how godless you are, how bad you’ve been, God is waiting for an opportunity to wake you up and begin something new in your life.
Anyway, after travelling about 55 miles the sun is setting so Jacob finds a smooth, cylinder-shaped rock to support his head anhe camps out under the stars.
The Dream
The dream is of a great staircase or ladder stretching from earth to heaven and wide enough for angels to pass one another as they ascend and descend on it.
What is the ladder all about? Firstly, it’s about the vast gulf and separation between heaven and earth. It’s about the infinite distance between the eternal supremacy of God and the trifling lowliness of man. In Christ, God holds the whole universe together and all things exist through him and for him. Human beings live for about 80 years, do stuff and then die.
Secondly, what about the angels? I think the angels in the dream are saying that the gap between heaven and earth is spiritual in nature; this is angel territory. In other words, no one can ever attain heaven without a supernatural work of God. It is futile to try and reach God on the strength of our merits.
But, thirdly, the ladder is not just about the yawning spiritual gulf between the human and the divine. It also says this; even though we have no chance of getting to heaven on our own, God has provided a way for men and women to reach heaven. He has bridged the gap.
We have to say all three. We must tell people the truth and say all three. 1. Our sin (this is true for all of us) our sin has separated us from God and the chasm between us and him is too wide for us to cross. 2. Our biggest issue is not a matter of culture or education or politics; we are spiritually stuck and we must admit it. I've never met anyone who was convinced they were good enough for heaven; the doubt always lingers that however good they are, they might not have been good enough. They’re right. None of us are good enough.
And 3. We must also say that, God, in his amazing love and out of sheer grace, has sent us a Saviour. He has provided a stairway that reaches into eternity. There is a way for us to be forgiven and cleansed of our sins - and that way is Christ.
In fact, we know that the ladder in Jacob’s dream is all about Jesus. He himself said it was in John 1.51.
Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.
Jesus is the ladder; he the only way God has provided for souls to reach heaven and for heaven to invade earth.He is the lens through which God becomes real to us.
And when we meet with God, through Christ, we encounter a place of promise, of blessing, of hope.
God speaks personally to Jacob about his future in the dream. Jacob is not even married at this point but God makes breathtaking promises to him; I am with you. I will keep you wherever you go. Your descendants will be like the dust – there’ll be millions and millions of them. I will never leave you.
All God’s promises to you are “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ. That’s what Jacob’s dream is all about.
The House of God and the Gate of Heaven
But the word I believe God has for us today is focused on Jacob’s response to his dream. I want you to notice this man’s newly awakened spiritual consciousness. There is a stirring in his perception of what God is doing in his life.
How aware are you of God’s presence and power in this place?
Jacob wakes up and says, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it. I didn’t even know. Are there spiritual realities all around us that we miss? Are we insensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit?
How awesome is this place! says Jacob. This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.
This is a bit disturbing isn’t it? It tells me that I can be in a church where God is moving in power and not even know it! God’s presence is something we have to discern, be alive to. Could it be that the Lord is often at work among us in ways we do not perceive and need to become more aware of?
I had a conversation with John Greenwood before Christmas and we talked about going to places where your heart sinks a little. Every Church of England minister is familiar with this experience! Every now and then you go on a training day or you fill in for someone on holiday or ill and… it’s depressing frankly. And John (who is much more gracious than I am) said to me “Well, I try to look for what God is doing there and go with that.” I like that.I learned something that day.
I was walking outside early yesterday morning. The sun was up and it was a crisp, clear day. I looked east and squinted at the sun for a brief moment. For the next five minutes or so I saw the sun’s image every time I blinked, even though I was looking away from it. Have you had that experience? It struck me that our relationship with God is like that. The more you look to him, the more you’re able to see him at work everywhere else.
This is none other than the house of God says Jacob. Of course the reality of God’s house in the New Covenant is much more than buildings. There is a sense in which this is God’s house, but God doesn’t live here – he lives in us. We are his house.
We are being built into a temple of which Christ Jesus is the chief cornerstone. Look to Christ, look for him, and he will open your eyes to what he is doing in the lives of the people sitting around you today. Surely God is in this place, this is the house of God.
This is none other than the gate of heaven says Jacob. In other words, our Christian community, the unity that God blesses us with, is a portal through which the kingdom of heaven breaks in to our experience.
We will be moving on with our vision this year. You’ll be hearing about all that’s planned in a few weeks from now and it's really exciting. We believe that every home in our parish should know that they have a vibrant Christian community at the heart of their neighbourhood. That vibrant Christian community is, for them, more than just an enthusiastic church in Dunottar Avenue; it is an open door to heaven.
Ending
Take a card and put it on your mantelpiece or by your computer or above the TV. Pray that this year will be one of increasing awareness of God’s awe-inspiring presence here. Pray that random people, to their great surprise, will dream of Christ, or encounter him in other ways, and turn to him. Be open to God surprising you. Look for the working of the Holy Spirit in this place. Seek first the kingdom. Fix your eyes on Jesus so intently that you see him everywhere else.
Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 15th January 2012
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