Sunday School Lesson - July 17 - Year A - Pentecost +5

This week's scripture is the story of Jacob's ladder and a different sower parable in which Jesus tells us to leave the weeds with the wheat, along with beautiful Psalms and wise words of wisdom from the Wisdom of Solomon that the righteous must be kind. 

The Rev. Dr. M. Craig Barnes offers important life lessons from Jacob's story, and Jacob's dream - our dreams.  One of his insights about Jacob, and us,  is: "You see, when it comes to dreams, the only good ones come from God. And God insists on just giving them to us. The most important dreams are things like being loved, having a child, beholding beauty, discovering your purpose in life, finding joy in your work, or finding a friend who will stick with you through anything, even the truth. Those dreams, the things for which we yearn most in life, come only as blessings from God. And blessings can only be received. There is, however, one thing we can do to prevent ourselves from enjoying these sacred gifts. We can insist on getting them for ourselves. That is the great flaw in Jacob's life. And my life. And maybe yours also. We keep trying to achieve what we can only receive as a gift.There is, however, one thing we can do to prevent ourselves from enjoying these sacred gifts - the stuff of our dreams. We can insist on getting them for ourselves. That is the great flaw in Jacob's life. And my life. And maybe yours also. We keep trying to achieve what we can only receive as a gift." Read more from Day 1.

The Rev. Dr. Joanna Adams gives us answers as to  "Why can't we pull up the weeds from the wheat?" Consider: "On a vastly greater and more serious scale, there are extremists all over the world today who believe they have a mandate from their god literally to destroy those whom they deem to be enemies of God. Surely the Christian church in a world so polarized and filled with terror because of religious excess, surely Christ's people have a special responsibility to bear witness to a better way." She says that Jesus tells us to just leave the weeds alone? What does she mean "Weeds to wheat?"  Read more from Day 1. [The ocean sunset picture was taken by a friend, Alan Rezek, July 2011.]