Jakobo and Esau

Today I sat in on the Confirmation class observing. I think next week I will teach. The lesson today was from Genesis 27, about Jacob and Esau, although in Swahili it is Jakobo and Esau. I was pretty impressed with myself for following as closely as I did without having a word translated for me, luckily these two names were spoken frequently. You could say that Esau is pretty straight forward, but they don’t pronounce it “EEsaw” as we do, they say “eeSOWa”.

Pastor (Mchungagi) Mmanga told the story of the stolen inheritance from Genesis 27, but then he really focused on a verse from Genesis 28. This is after Jacob flees from his brother, and has a dream of a stairway reaching from earth to heaven.

Then Jacob says this:
If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshipping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me. (verses 20-22)

I love these stewardship lessons in the middle of the Old Testament and in the Middle of Africa! Pastor asked insisted that these students (who come from so little) make their lives a worship and an offering to God.

It reminded me that this morning I was reading Proverbs and meditating on the very same idea:

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. (Proverbs 3:9)

Honestly, every day, and in just about everything I see and take part in, I am watching people honor the Lord with the very best of who they are.

What a blessing!



And now for a random side note: Speaking of blessings. The pastor, when teaching about this stolen blessing, wrote the word “Baraka” on the board. I saw that and asked him if this word meant “blessing.” He responded: “Yes, just like Barack Obama is a blessing to America!” The African’s love Obama!!