Grace Valley Church

Even though Jacob had all the material possessions he needed, his time with Rebecca, Leah and their father Laban was frought with tension, emotional abuse and constant strife. God called Jacob and his family out of Paddan Aram, but it wasn't an easy call to follow, especially for Rebecca and Leah. Sometimes the "devil you know" is better than whatever the unknown future may be. But God was with Jacob, despite Jacobs own moral failures. It is comforting to know that He is with us too, despite ourselves, because God is the same today as He was back when Jacob lived (Heb. 13:8). In this story, we also get a peek into what life was like for Rebecca and Leah as they did not grow up with the faith that Jacob was raised with. Biblical accounts like these point us to a faithful God who orchestrates every human action and intention - from animal husbandry to stolen idols - for the good of His people and the glory of His name.

In Genesis 15, we find ourselves witnessing an intimate moment between Abram and the God who has called him out into the wilderness. Abram is overwhelmed with confusion and doubt of God's promises to bless him. He brings his doubt to the Lord's feet and God answers Him with kindness and care. God doesn't shame Abram for wondering. He is tender and He assures Abram that He will do what He said He would do. Pastor Paul takes us through the remarkable promise of God in this passage and the historical and cultural context surrounding it. When God promises, He delivers. We can trust that all of His promises that have yet to come to pass, will indeed be fulfilled in days to come.

We continue to follow Abram and his family as they travel along, led only by the voice of God spoken to Abram. Through famine and strife, they follow God's plan faithfully. But when confronted with the possibility that his life might be in danger, what does Abram do? He takes the reigns from God and tries to make his own plan. Sound familiar? Even though our modern ears will hear this passage and think, "I would never do that.", it's an important lesson to all of us to remain faithful to God's plan. Not just when it looks to be dangerous, but in the minor inconveniences in our every day lives. God's in control, all the time, and it's our job to keep our eyes focused and faithful to Him.

Recovering Eden. When we recover something, it's the act of returning to something we have already possessed. In this sermon, Pastor Mark speaks to us about how we were created for Eden and created to live in perfect harmony with God and one another. When we see how broken, divided and perverse our world can be, our hearts cry out to fix it, to repair it - to recover something that has been lost to us. Many of us do not live with the knowledge that we were created for something else, something infinitely better than what this world has to offer. But that is why our hearts are broken. Many of us wrestle with pervasive discontent, with striving and stretching towards earthly prizes and possessions until the we are so distorted we don't even recognize ourselves. That isn't how God intended us to live. The only way for our hearts to heal is to be in constant communion with our Lord and Creator. The One who made a way for us to return to the perfect paradise He created for us, fully and completely recovering what had been lost.

Preached by Rev. Mark Hordyk, December 28th, 2025.