Brueggermann, Walter. Genesis, "Interpretation: a Biblical commen¬ tary for teaching and preaching." John Knox Press, 1982, page 256 (1) stand that our God always stands with the powerless,* with those who feel so small, those who feel they can't make the mark, with those who feel they'll never grow up and amount to anything. And our God is a God that picks that person up. Even in the midst of all our scriptures, there's many, many stories where the second one born is the one who is blest, (e.g. The prodigal son). You can think of these stories. More importantly, my sense of the story is — a com¬ ing home! I don't know how many here have ever been broken in your relationship with your brother or your sister. If you have broth¬ ers or sisters do you love them all the time? I have brothers and sis¬ ters and there were times, I was really angry with them. The Bible says, "Thou shalt not murder and the judgement will come against you." To be angry with someone is to wish them dead. It's to kill the relationship. Esau was killing the relationship and he had the power in this story to do that. We may believe his anger was justified as he had been stripped of his inheritance. Our God takes Jacob and He says, "What is your name? And Jacob says, "I'm Jacob the trickster." "No" He said, "Your name is now Israel." Jacob is now Israel, the one who strives with God . God worked with Abraham, He worked with Isaac, now God works with poor Jacob. God started building his Kingdom by choosing individuals of faith who move to form a faith community. Israel emerges wounded from that battle. In faith we move from being wounded to being reconciled and forgiven. Part of the hardship of this story is that 09/11/01 terrorists have threatened our security. We are devastated with terror. The question I think coming out of the story is, "How is it if we feel we have been robbed of our heritage of safety, and network, how is it we like Esau will come to reconciliation? How many years must go by before this world we live in will experience a sense of security and peace at last? Our God is looking upon us and my sense is that not only is there the conflict, but other faith groups like Islam, now have problems where they have brothers and sisters who are hurting them. And so it is that our God would ask us, "If you are Esau, how will you minister? How will you help?" Essentially at the time of Isaac's death these two brothers wan¬ dered and are coming home, they are coming home! They are com¬ ing home! They have to get back together. They have to reconcile and God brings them together for the embrace of love. Our story is always, We are coming home. We are wounded and we are broken yet, we are God 's people of faith. We are a people entrusted with God 's story and may it live on now and forever. AMEN. 318 United Church and Its People