Well, if ever there was a falling out in a family the story of Jacob and Esau takes the biscuit. There had been rivalry between these two throughout their lives. This came to a head with Jacob deceiving his half- blind father Isaac, and was given a blessing that was really Esau’s. Esau then vows to kill Jacob. The mother learns of this and urges Jacob to leave home and travel to the home of his uncle Laban.

Sadly, Laban is just as deceitful as Jacob. Jacob ended up marrying the wrong sister and had to work another seven years to get Rachel as his wife. Jacob and his uncle match wits until eventually Jacob flees taking with him both of Laban’s daughters and most of his wealth.

And in this story from Genesis 32 he’s on his way home. He learns that Esau is coming to meet him with 400 men. So, Jacob sends gifts ahead, hoping to bribe his way back to his brother’s good books.

And today’s reading finds Jacob left alone by a dark river, and fearful of what lies ahead. There is darkness around him and darkness inside his mind. And then we read that a man wrestled with him, all night long. This is a very strange story because Jacob comes to believe that he is wrestling with God. There’s a lot about this that we can’t explain – how did God appear, and how did the wrestling go.

This bizarre tale was a favourite passage for Charles Wesley and he even wrote a hymn about it, 461 in “Singing the Faith”. But we’re not using that today – there are 12 verses!

In his struggle with himself and God, Jacob was made to look at himself. God calls us all to do that. We have to let God into our lives, into our darkest secrets and our deceit. But when we allow God into all that he gives us a new start, just as Jacob was given a new name, Israel.

The next morning Jacob and his family meet Esau and the 400 men.

The wrestling had left him lame, but he limped up to Esau and did something that could not have been easy. He bowed to the ground before his brother. And then, 20 years after he’d been hurt so badly, Esau threw his arms around his brother and kissed him.

Someone celebrating his 50th birthday received a card which included a list of things which change when you hit 50. One item was that you stop speaking about your left leg and your right leg and start speaking about your good leg and your bad leg!

When someone has a bad leg or a bad hip like Jacob, they all have something in common. They may lean. They lean on a stick or a walker or a spouse or a friend.  They lean.
When things go wrong for us perhaps that’s when God is teaching us to lean. To hold onto him each day and say, like Jacob, “God, I will not let you go unless you bless me”.  And whether God’s answer at the time is yes or no, we learn that when we are weak, then we are truly strong in Jesus. And he will not let us go.