bearing gifts

Good morning sisters and brothers,
As Jacob nears Esau he plans to send a generous gift ahead of him to soften his brother up. He sends this present in groups with servants bearing greetings accompanying each drove. Through repetition and generosity, coupled with the humility of calling Esau "lord" Jacob hopes he will be received well, or at least peaceably. We'll see how the plan plays out in future readings. Please make time today to pray for VBS and for our music director search.
Blessings on your day,
Sam

Genesis 32: 13-21

13So he spent that night there, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau, 14two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16These he delivered into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me, and put a space between drove and drove.”


17He instructed the foremost, “When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?’ 18then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob; they are a present sent to my lord Esau; and moreover he is behind us.’“ 19He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, “You shall say the same thing to Esau when you meet him, 20and you shall say, ‘Moreover your servant Jacob is behind us.’“ For he thought, “I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterwards I shall see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21So the present passed on ahead of him; and he himself spent that night in the camp.