This Stone

Genesis 28:10-22
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

This is a story about when a pillow becomes a pillar. Rocks don’t typically make nice pillows. I like my pillow to be fluffy (but not too fluffy) as if my head is resting on a cloud. It has to be the right amount of fluffiness to give proper alignment. If it’s too fluffy or flat, my neck doesn’t get the right amount of support. That’s the real purpose of a pillow – to support our heads or to prop them against something so we can have a restful sleep.

Jacob didn’t have many choices for pillows when he was in this in-between place. He had left home, but he had not quite arrived at his destination. He was in the middle place between his past and his future. He stopped at this place to rest, and he grabbed the first thing he saw – a stone -- just to prop up his head off the ground.

Little did he know, what seemed like an ordinary stone was actually sacred because it was connected to this sacred place when he would experience a divine encounter. When Jacob is sleeping, God comes to him in a dream. As far as we know, Jacob had never met God personally. He had known about God through his father and grandfather and even prayed to God. But this was the moment when he had his own encounter with the divine, and it completely changed his life.

Jacob found himself in this middle place because of his own doing. His rivalry and deception consumed him until he stole his brother’s birthright and blessing, which infuriated Esau to the point where Jacob was afraid for his life. He fled to this in-between place, this liminal space, for safety and to put to rest his part of the family conflict. But this liminal space becomes a sacred place because God meets him right where he is in this space.

When Jacob awakes from the dream, he is so moved that he sees the sacredness in this place. He takes the stone that was an ordinary pillow and makes it a pillar for the house of God. He anoints it, and makes a vow to follow God back to this place of peace. “This stone” that was once merely a stone now marks the holy place where heaven and earth joined, where Jacob met the divine. This stone that supported Jacob’s head for rest now will be the supporting foundation for the house of God. This stone marked this sacred liminal space where Jacob can let go of his past in order to fully embrace his future which includes peace within his family.

​Have you ever found yourself in a liminal space? Liminal spaces often seem like a bad thing. It’s that place where something has already happened, but the next thing hasn’t happened yet. No one likes to be in the waiting, transitional place, where we’re uncertain which way to go or how long we have to wait. Often, we just feel lost or alone. Jacob was certainly alone in the middle of (what seemed like) nowhere, but the middle of nowhere was exactly where Jacob needed to be in order to meet the divine. Jacob needed to be in this place, so he could be removed from the dysfunction in his family, address his own triggers, and open himself to God’s peace. God meets us in the liminal space too – when we least expect it – and promises to never leave us. God will be with us and keep us until we find peace.   
     
Reflection questions:
What is the significance of Jacob’s dream? The ladder or stairway? The stone?
In what liminal space do you find yourself?  
What do you need to let go from your past?
Where do you need God’s guidance for your future?
 
Action: Look for a stone that could mark a sacred liminal space. Make it a visual reminder that God has called you to this sacred place. Hold it in your hand when you pray, to connect to the sacred.