This week, we will be exploring Genesis 28:1-22 together, Grace According to God.
Grace, grace, God's grace.
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
Grace is such a beautiful word and such a beautiful attribute of our God.
We see His grace in Jacob's life.
Jacob is a heelcatcher, a finagler, a deceiver, a coward.
There is not much "good" in him when we meet him in Genesis 25-27.
But God has a purpose for him and God pursues him despite himself.
Genesis 28 is a beautiful chapter of God's grace.
Alone, wandering, discouraged, uncertain, exhausted, fearful. Jacob does not know what is next in his life. He is on the run. From his brother, from his family, from God.
But in the middle of the darkness, God reveals His glory and His grace to Jacob. Jacob has a dream that reminds him that he is always in the presence of God and he is never too far for God to reach down to him.
He also has a revelation of the future glory and grace to be revealed in Jesus Christ!
May God open our eyes to His glory and His grace as we worship Him together this Sunday!

This week, we will be exploring Genesis 29:1-30 together, Disappointment According to God.
Have you ever felt disappointed in life?
Have you ever wondered why life hasn't turned out as you expected?
Have you ever faced the stark reality that the people, things, relationships, and circumstances of this world will never fully satisfy?
In Genesis 29, Jacob is about to get a big dose of reality. In fact, he is going to get a big dose of his own medicine.
Life has pretty much always worked out the way Jacob planned. He was able to finagle situations, make things work, use his smarts to get what he wanted. He was pretty self-confident in his own abilities.
But in Genesis 29, Jacob meets his match... Laban.
He also meets his match made in heaven... Rachel!
He is in love. He is smitten. He is excited about the future. He is walking on cloud nine. And then it all comes crashing down.
It is a major lesson in big disappointment.
And a major step in his growth in the Lord.
This Sunday, we will examine seven practical principles for life in Genesis 29 based on Jacob's experience in Haran.
May God open our eyes to the realities of this world--not so that we will live in disappointment--but so that we will put our hopes in the only One who can truly satisfy!

This week, we will be exploring Genesis 26:34-28:9 together, The Blessing According to God.
In many ways, this passage is a sad story.
Isaac and Rebekah's marriage appears to be in shambles.
Rebekah rules the roost.
Isaac is ruled by his palate.
Jacob deceives his own aged father.
Esau wants to kill Jacob.
This is the last time that we will see this family together.
But in the midst of the dysfunction, God's sovereignty and grace still function.
God overrides the foolish decisions of His people for His own redemptive purposes.
And His blessing is passed down from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob.
What is the blessing? Why is it important? And what does it mean for us today?
We will answer these questions on Sunday.
May God's blessing be poured out on us for His glory and our good!
Study guides will be available in the foyer this Sunday. A $5 donation will help cover the cost of printing. You can also access a digital file online by visiting the Digital Resources section of our website, 516church.org.