Jacob’s Ladder ‘Poem’

I wrote this for our ‘Worship for All’service this morning. Am putting it here for whoever it was that asked me for it.

It was written in the style of a Bob Hartman poem – to be read dramatically – I used in a service entitled ‘Finding God in Unexpected Places’.

Jacob and his brother had a fight

Esau got into a huff,

Jacob took off into the rough

Jacob and his brother had a fight.

Jacob walked and he hiked till he dropped

He put his head upon a stone

And felt terribly alone

When he walked and he hiked till he dropped

Jacob yawned, then he snored, then he dreamt

He yawned then he snored then he dreamt

He dreamt that angels soared

He dreamt he saw the Lord

Jacob yawned, then he snored, then he dreamt.

Angels soared… Jacob snored..

Angels soared… Jacob snored

Heaven opened… Ladder lowered…

Heaven opened … Ladder lowered…

Then God SPOKE!

“You won’t be on your own for very long”

“Look around you

As far as you can see, it all belongs to me

But I will give it all to you…

but not just you…

You will have children.. and they will have children and they will have children (repeat mutiple times fast)

And all those people will be part of your family and my family

And from them I plan to do something so BIG that every family everywhere on the whole earth will be blessed”.

Blessed in his rest, Jacob woke up with a start

‘Holy Smoke’ – he said, or words to that effect.

This must be a holy place, I must remember

Where I’ve been and who I’ve seen…

So he took his pillow stone

And he made a strong thone

To remind himself of all that God had said.

He hadn’t got a map,

He hadn’t got a plan,

But now he knew he was God’s man

So he walked into his future and went off to find a wife

(or two.. or three… or may be even four….!)

But that’s another story.

Picture by Albert Houthuesen