Sermon: Living, dreaming, and Reconciling”

By Traci Hubbard                              October 5^th, 2025

A little girl was sitting on her grandpa's lap while he read her a story. She kept taking her eyes of the book and reaching up and touching his old, wrinkled face. After a few times doing this, she finally asked, "Grandpa, were you made by God?" "Yes, dear." he replied. "I was made by God a long time ago." The little girl paused for a moment and then asked, "And did God make me?" "Of course, dear." replied her grandfather. "God made you not long ago." The girl felt her own face and then her grandpa's again, thought for a moment and then said, "God's getting better at it, isn't he?"

Let’s be honest—if you ever feel like your family is complicated, just open the book of Genesis and you’ll feel better about yours. I mean, Abraham’s wife laughs at the Divine, Jacob tricks his brother out of his birthright, Esau plots murder, and somehow—somehow—the Holy still calls these people “blessed.” That’s proof right there that the Universe’s grace runs deeper than our family drama.

Have you ever heard a promise that sounds like a joke?

Abraham and Sarah are the original “senior saints.” They get a promise from YHWH: “You’re going to have a child.” And Sarah laughs—not a polite church laugh, but a loud Julia Roberts in the movie Pretty Woman laugh. You can almost hear her: “Sure, Oh Great Jehovah… that’s a good one! Do you want to tell the joke about the camel going through the eye of a needle next?”

But here’s the thing, the Universe wasn’t joking. Sometimes LOVE’s promises sound so absurd that laughter is the only honest response.

When the strange messengers told Abraham and Sarah what was going to happen, they begin to imagine how that could ever be possible. Just picture them looking at each other and laughing saying, “How in the world? I don’t remember the last time, the last year, we had a date night.” Folks, faith isn’t grounded on how; it’s focused on Who…and our connection with LOVE.

We laugh because the timing looks wrong. We laugh because the odds are impossible. We laugh because it’s been too long.

But the Universes’ timing doesn’t run on our scheduled plans. LOVE is the only energy who can turn a nursery into a miracle the second after becoming eligible for our senior discount at Shopper’s. I imagine if Sarah were around today, she’d be on social media posting, “Ladies, I’m 90 and pregnant! #GodDidIt #Don’tTryThisAtHome.”

And MYSTERY would reply in the comments saying, “Told you so. #FaithBeatsForebodingJoyEveryTime”

Now fast forward a couple generations. Abraham’s grandson Jacob has his own drama. He steals his brother Esau’s blessing by pretending to be him, fooling his blind father! All of us can recall a time when instead of being our authentic self, we tried to become like someone else, hoping it would deliver what we wanted? How did that turn out? When we remember moments where we were not living in alignment and respect, our intentions were akin to duct taping on some goat skin to feel hairy like Esau. That’s not just deceit—that’s dedication to a lie expecting a blessing. That’s entitlement on fire.

Twenty years after the goat skin fiasco, Jacob is terrified to face his brother again. He’s sure Esau will kill him the first chance he gets. But instead, Esau runs to him, throws his arms around him, and weeps. Jacob never conceived to imagine reconciliation with his brother. Just as LOVE opened Sarah’s womb, LOVE also opened Esau’s heart. LOVE always loves us beyond anything we can imagine, and we only learn this as we live in alignment with love and integrity. When we participate with daily spiritual awareness and practices that stretch us out of our comfort zones, we continue to evolve, gaining deeper insight, simple wisdom, gentle kindness and loving understanding. 

Sometimes the hardest “impossible dream” is forgiving the person who has hurt us—or being forgiven by the one we have wounded. The meaning in Jacob and Esau’s story speaks to what happens when grace, unmerited, unearned favor shows up: Jacob says to Esau, “Seeing your face is like seeing the face of God.” (Genesis 33:10). In other words, reconciliation reveals LOVE is always loving, and the universe is always for our highest good. We don’t need to encounter angels or burning bushes. All we need to do is look at two siblings who began listening to understand the other, creating space for healing and rich connection.

Imagine the family reunion after the brothers reconciled. The family is on eggshells, looking out the window, biting their fingernails, over drinking, watching the brothers walk up the sidewalk together, worried that another holiday together is going to be ruined by the tension between them, when Esau throws the front door open and says, “Hey everyone, remember when Jacob stole my birthright and I wanted to kill him? Yeah… we’ve moved past that. So, who brought the hummus?”

I asked permission to share this story that most of you already know. Mike is a double lung transplant survivor and goes through medical regiments of tests and medicine every week. Uncertainty is a constant reality for Mike, Marg, and their family. When we witness the love and life in Mike and Marg’s relationship with themselves, with one another, and with all of us, we have front row seats to humans living in the present moment…not in what if’s…not in fear, but choosing to live in the present moment with gratitude, faith, hope, and love…all wrapped in the ribbon of a peace that passes understanding. Last Wednesday, at 1 pm, I walked into the sanctuary to rehearse with Sharon. Mike had been there since 9:30 am, working on the audio equipment. I heard him playing his guitar and his energy, his heart, through his music and presence warmed me. He smiled…I could feel him smiling as he listened to Sharon playing the piano, and me trying to find the right key to sing for the song. Marg was volunteering in the Thrift store, smiling and greeting customers, her energy warming the room, the mood. I peered in and watched her light shine. Uncertainty may be a reality for Mike and Marg, but they choose to live into their love, into their dreams, all wrapped in gratitude for the present moment. Both of you show us what grace under pressure can become diamonds in our lives, and how choosing joy despite the odds is truly holy and wholehearted living, proving dreams really do come true. You bless us, humble us, and your story calls us to dare to imagine reconciling with what is, rising above what is, and living into an adventure that is truthfully out of this world. Like Mike and Marg, each one of us free to choose how we think, feel, dream and live.

Tell Anthony’s Story –

Folks, LOVE’s dream for us is always larger than our doubts, fears, and all forms of emotional and physical prisons.  There are six types of Courage – and courage and vulnerability go hand in hand.

Physical Courage: To keep going with resiliency, balance, and awareness.

Social Courage: To be yourself unapologetically.

Moral Courage: Doing the right thing even when it’s uncomfortable or unpopular.

Emotional Courage: Feeling all your emotions (positive and negative) without guilt or attachment.

Intellectual Courage: To learn, unlearn and relearn with an open and flexible mind.

Spiritual Courage: Living with purpose and meaning through a heart centered approach towards all life and oneself.

These biblical stories, and the real life stories of Mike, Marg, and Anthony show that LOVE’s promises do not depend on people being flawless. Sarah doubted. Abraham lied. Jacob deceived. Esau got angry. Mike and Marg do not allow uncertainty to direct their thoughts and ways of being in our world. And Anthony did not allow uncertainty and the darkness of 30 years on death row steal his ability to imagine a life full of adventure and love. He chose to open his heart and practice what he needed – he practiced listening to his fellow inmates through a lens of empathy, withholding all judgement. 

Maybe the Universe is calling you to something that seems impossible…maybe it’s a relationship that needs healing. Maybe it’s starting over after a loss of a relationship, loss of a loved one, a home, a career, health, or a shattered dream. Maybe you are being nudged to forgive yourself or forgive the person who criticized you so much that you began doubting yourself, feeling less than because you exchanged the truth of who you truly are for the lie born from another person’s inferiority. Or maybe you are entering a new season of life that feels like it just snuck up on you, and you’re pushing against what is unfolding, draining your energy and joy.

I believe one of the many lessons in these stories is that no matter our age or circumstance, no matter our physical, spiritual, or emotional wrinkles, we are free to choose our thoughts. We are free to choose to live and practice hope, grace, gratitude and joy. Folks, LOVE doesn’t just make impossible things happen. The Spirit co-creates with us, making impossible people possible — people just like us.

So, laugh if you must. Cry if you need to. But never stop dreaming with LOVE. Anthony and Mike and Marg are living proof that no type of prison can hold us captive if we choose to live, dream, and breathe into the present moment. May we leave this place refusing to be fenced in to yesterday or fear. May we imagine ourselves to new life, breathing into every moment the holy presence that lives in you and me. May it be so, amen.