by Sr. Doreen, SSJD.
The November Anglican Church Calendar theme: “and he dreamed that there was a stairway set up on the earth; the top of it reaching to heaven.” (Genesis 28:12)
This November quote from Genesis sparked so many thoughts! One of which was remembering several plants that my sister and brother-in-law had in their garden, among them being Jacob’s ladder plant, or stairway to heaven plant. It is such an intriguing idea, however seeing the plant I noticed that the leaves were arranged on the stem in such a manner that it resembled the rungs on a ladder, with flowers coming along at intervals.
Stairways themselves provide such a cornucopia of ideas as well. This quote from Genesis comes within the story of Jacob, who has left town and set off for his uncle Laban’s house …the reason for his leaving town was to escape his brother Esau’s wrath, and possibility of being murdered, having robbed Esau of his birthright, and taken advantage of his father’s poor eyesight also taking what should have been Esau, the eldest’s, blessing. As Barbara Brown Taylor puts it in her book Gospel Medicine: “He is a two-time double crosser, who has robbed his brother of his birthright and his blessing. He is an accomplished deceiver, who has pulled the wool over his own smooth hands and his father’s blind eyes in order to steal what he wants. His is a con man on the run, who owes his compromised life to his conniving mother’s love. One thing is certain, he does not deserve the dream that he dreams.”
Don’t we all dream or wish from time to time that there was a ladder we could climb to reach God! But here Jacob is, a liar and a cheat and still he gets that dream, and with it all the promises from God … I will be with you, I will give you all you need, I promise you success, you are my chosen one, and Jacob realizes that indeed where he was is ‘none other than the house of God, this is the gate of heaven’. Jacob accepts this experience as God’s gift. So, it is with us – there is a real connection between heaven and earth, instead of climbing up to God, God comes down to us: that where we are is holy ground, where we are right now is none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven. Me with all my warts and wrinkles, all my faults and imperfections, am gifted with God’s presence, always and everywhere¸ and called and chosen as God’s own.
Sometimes we miss out by being too busy to take the time to dream! As Barbara Brown Taylor writes “We are too busy leading, managing, ministering, feeding, teaching, fixing, pleasing, working to dream. In order to dream, you must be able to flee all that and lie down in a lonely place now and then, a place where there is nothing going on but the slow passage of stars across the sky and a slight wind with a whisper in it. You must be willing to waste time, lie low, be good for nothing for a while.”
It is so important today to believe in this dream, this gift from God “I am with you, I will give you, I will not leave you, I have promised you.” It is our gift, to be shared now with others, inviting others to dream it with us, to dream of a healed earth, and to believe that that dream can become true, that God is with us.
The story of Jacob is really our story, the story of our struggle and adventure in following that yearning to deepen our understanding and our relationship with ourselves, others, and God. To open ourselves to new possibilities as we seek to, in our own small or big way, heal our broken world. It is the story of wrestling those things that keep us tied down, safe, in the familiar, and yet at the same time prevent us from laying hold of new life, new possibilities. It is the story of letting go of all that keeps us locked in on ourselves and keeps others locked out. It is the story of choice, of choosing a life that is a pilgrimage, a spiritual journey, of seeking God in all the places that we find ourselves in, much like Jacob whose journey took him to a foreign land, to a long period of working in difficult circumstances, in finally arriving at a time in his life when he could chose to be free, to return to the place that he left, to make amends and peace, to know after all his struggles that indeed God was with him all the way, and had chosen him, Jacob, as someone instrumental and important in God’s plan for God’s people and the world.
There are indeed stages along the way, steps towards heaven, a ladder if you like that symbol, that all of us are confronted with, and indeed, all of us seek. The stairway to heaven is not merely successive steps or steps in sequence, but are all interconnected, reflecting a journey of continuous growth and transformation. Like Jacob, we find ourselves going through periods of renunciation and detachment, often find ourselves in a place of exile that is uncomfortable and yet filled with riches beyond what we could imagine. We find ourselves actively wanting to more faithfully live the gospel values, the fruit of the spirit, to balance sorrow for brokenness within ourselves and around ourselves in the world with joy in God’s grace. Like Jacob we long to embrace a simple life, live humbly with ourselves, with others, and with God and to embrace a more straightforward approach to life, born of an inner peace, an acceptance of ourselves, a love of ourselves, a place of deep joy and gladness. The story of Jacob takes us through all the experiences of daily life, the triumphs and the failures, the joys and the sorrows in an ongoing spiritual growth, leading towards a deeper relationship with ourselves, others, and God, one of trust and openness, nurtured by constant remembering, times of stillness, and prayer.
I found myself thinking of two Saints both of whom spent their life contemplating the stairway to heaven. One is St John Climacus (climacus, means ‘of the ladder’). He is honoured by Holy Church as a great ascetic and author of the renowned spiritual book called THE LADDER, (The Ladder of Divine Ascent) it is a famous spiritual treatise by St. John Climacus, and outlines a path to spiritual perfection through 30 steps or rungs, each representing a virtue or struggle against a vice. The other is St Teresa of Avila and her concept of the ‘ladder of life’ and it refers to her own pondering of the soul’s journey towards ongoing spiritual growth, particularly through prayer. She describes this journey as a progressive ascent through different stages or ‘mansions’ within the ‘interior castle’, each representing a deeper relationship with oneself, others and God. For St Teresa this journey is a gradual process of growth and transformation, requiring effort, self-awareness, and a willingness to humbly accept daily life, in the good times and the difficult times, as held in the presence of God surrounded by those who love us.
For Jacob, for St John Climacus,for St Teresa, and for us, there are no shortcuts. Perseverance, effort, and a willingness to embrace both joys and challenges along the way are the ‘steps on the ladder’ in a journey of ongoing growth and transformation. The journey is not always smooth or easy. But the gift is more than we could ask for or imagine!
A song well known from Sunday School days, and only as one grows older does it begin to ring true both as a wisdom teaching biblical story but also as an affirming life-long experience and longing.
We are climbing Jacob’s ladder; we are climbing Jacob’s ladder
We are climbing Jacob’s ladder, soldiers of the cross.
Every round goes higher, higher; every round goes higher, higher
Every round goes higher, higher, soldiers of the cross.
Sinner, do you love my Jesus? Sinner do you love my Jesus?
Sinner, do you love my Jesus? Soldiers of the cross.
If you love him, why not serve him? If you love him, why not serve him?
If you love him, why not serve him? Soldiers of the cross.
(source: Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship #234)