Being a Twin

Like Jacob, we all have a twin. From the day we are born we are measuring ourselves against some Esau, some standard of what we think we should be. Esau isn't just Jacob's older brother. He is also the person you and almost everyone else think you have to become before you are going to get any blessings. Esau is the person who is like you, but better. He is your preferred twin, the better projection of your potential. - Craig Barnes

I think many people are fascinated by twins. There is the challenge of identifying identical twins and the mystery of their almost supernatural connectivity. With any multiple birth there seems to be a certainty in always having a partner, a confidant. I have never heard the Esau and Jacob story told through this lens before, giving each of us the identity of being a twin. But instead of complimenting each other, we guard this relationship with our other self, warily observing each other like two boxers in a ring.

...He had done everything he could to resemble his preferred twin, who had overcome his own identity. So when he said, "I am Esau," he was almost telling the truth. The problem was that God had promised to bless Jacob. How pathetic this scene must have looked from heaven. Jacob, the man God had chosen to bless, was standing in front of his blind father with goat's wool taped to his neck and hands. God is not blind! God knows who you are and sees through the disguise. And God wants to bless you. - C. Barnes

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are a loving parent, bestowing blessings on all your children, knowing us and loving us still. While we aim to live the life of your creation, we are also hampered by our own manufacture of a giant ego, unable to let go, and unable to match. Believing we cannot meet expectations, or that we may fail to live up to our commitments, we choose to make no promises, trying to save future failures. Or we try to hide our intentions like Jacob. Dear God, you know our hearts, our strengths, and our weaknesses, and you bless us as we are. Allow us to embrace the person we are, the congregation we are, and give us eyes to see what we can accomplish with your blessings, using us as we are. Let us grow into your vision, grow into our faith, and grow out of the church walls into the world. Amen.