It’s fun to play with the idea of Jesus as an undercover astrophysicist, hinting two millennia ago at the broad reaches of God’s imagination.
God blesses Jacob because God is love, not fear. And love — perfect, unconditional, redeeming love — is the most powerful form of encouragement of them all.
Our life is indeed a faint tracing on the surface of mystery, so don’t bother trying to make sense of it. If you find a penny, pick it up. If you have some love, give it. And leave the end of your story in God’s good hands.
There’s a road sign that says, rest here. Take this exit ramp and leave the grind and churn, the struggle to keep up, to push ever onwards. Lean up against a burden stone to feel the release of your burden.
We keep reading the Bible to witness encounters that hit us hard, remind us we don’t know everything, and also tell us again and again that even when we feel banished, far from human presence, we are never alone.