by Norris Lineweaver, Board Secretary with Friends of the Jerusalem International YMCA
Over an early morning cup of coffee discussing the hope for peace in The Holy Land with a Palestinian friend from Ramallah, he said: “How can I have hope for peace with God if I do not have a relationship with my brother?”
Later that morning, we joined together in a worship service in the Oratory Chapel of the Jerusalem International YMCA, a landmark near the Old City, known as a ‘sermon in stone’.
On a wall at that Y near the altar composed of twelve stones, are sculpted bas-reliefs that tell the story of the twin brothers, Jacob and Esau, from the Book of Genesis.
It is one of the most remarkable stories about hope and restorative justice in the Bible.
This sacred story shows just how difficult reconciliation is.
It involves devastation, it comes with sacrifice, great struggle, even injury; and requires hope and trust in God.
Through striving to achieve reconciliation with his brother Esau, Jacob saw the face of God.
He named the place of his struggle and hope “Peniel” – which means “face of God”.
At noon my Palestinian friend and I traveled north through the Jordan Valley of lush green fields to end the day’s journey in Tiberius at the beautiful YMCA Peniel by Galilee Retreat Center.
From the shoreline of Galilee at Peniel one can see Mount Beatitude and the foothills of Capernaum.
Visitors come from around the world to rest from their struggles, to be reinvigorated spiritually.
Recently an unexpected fire raged up the Tiberius coast of Galilee severely damaging Peniel, leaving much of the property in ruins.
For many like me who have benefitted from coming “face to face” with God at YMCA Peniel, this devastation caused a loss of hope of it ever being restored to a place of reconciliation and spiritual renewal.
It’s easy to ask God why Peniel was not spared from the fires.
But in the struggle to rebuild the beloved retreat center God has come “face to face” with those in the YMCA working together as living stones in hope and trust: Jews, Muslims, and Palestinian Christians.
What are the fires in your life that have caused you to lose hope?
What are the struggles you experience that could be the place where God wants to meet you “face to face”?
How might you rebuild strained relationships in your life, like Jacob and Esau did, through trust and hope in God?
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.
When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.
Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.””
Genesis 32.24-30
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