Listen

After Jacob got up early in the morning, he took the stone that he had put near his head, set it up as a sacred pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. He named that sacred place Bethel, though Luz was the city’s original name.

Genesis 28:18-19a

Think

Jacob renamed this city Bethel. Bethel has a connection to Jacob’s family and to us. Bethel means a holy place, or the house of God. So, a Bethel is a place where we might hear God speak. This can happen in the sanctuary on a Sunday morning or the apex of a mountain hike, at camp or almost anywhere. Can you think of a time and place where you have experienced God’s presence? Speak it out loud right now.

For Jacob, it was where he slept beside a rock and had a dream. He took that rock and made a sacred pillar and poured oil over it. Oil is poured to represent the presence of God’s spirit. Oil makes it official. It’s an anointing.

Today, mark the holy moments in your life, your youth group, your church – those moments where we feel we have heard from God. We do this to remember and to mark these times as Holy. Often the time between these holy moments can be long and lonesome. But as we remember, we relive the stories of our faith.

David Burroughs

Pray

God, thank you for the holy moments you have shared with me through the years. They are reminders of your faithfulness shared through all generations. Thank you for loving me. May I remember how you have cared for me, so that I may care for others through your grace. Amen.

Go

Take a moment and breathe in these words: “Suddenly the Lord was saying, I am with you now, and will protect you wherever you go.”