When Pastor Don was a little boy, a stern church lady caught him racing around the pews and scolded, “Stop running! This is the house of God!” Decades later, he asks the question behind her words: what actually makes a place God’s house?
The answer goes back to Jacob, a young man running for his life after deceiving his father and stealing his brother’s blessing, sure he’d ruined everything. But on that very first night, God met him in a dream, renewed His promises, and showed him a stairway between heaven and earth.
In this message, Pastor Don shows how that stairway points straight to Jesus, and why God’s grace is still bigger than our worst mistakes.
"I'm not depending on how hard you hold me. I'll hold you in my grace."
— Pastor Don Patterson
Questions to Ponder
- Jacob’s first night away from home, he must have wondered if he’d blown it so badly that God was no longer on his side. Have you ever felt that way? What does God’s answer to Jacob at Bethel tell you about how He sees you?
- Pastor Don says that at church we hear our new name: not “the one who let everyone down,” but washed clean, made righteous, and dearly loved. What old name do you tend to call yourself? What would change if you believed God’s name for you instead?
Prayer
Lord God, like Jacob, I sometimes wonder if I’ve wandered too far for you to still be with me. Thank you for sending Jesus, the bridge between heaven and earth, and for holding me in your grace even when my grip on you is weak. Give me a new heart, and make me someone who welcomes others with your love. Amen.
Scripture to sit with this week:
- Genesis 28:10–22 (sermon text)
- John 1:47–51 (where Jesus calls Himself the stairway)
- Genesis 35:1–15 (Jacob returns to Bethel and receives the name Israel)
- Isaiah 41:10 (comfort and reassurance)
Know someone who feels like they’ve messed up too badly for God? Forward this to them.
