Reflection for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost: What Goes Up Must Come Down

One of the first songs I remember learning as a child was “We are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder.”  I only remember the first verse from memory

We are climbing Jacob's ladder,
We are climbing Jacob's ladder,
We are climbing Jacob's ladder,
Soldiers of the cross.

Since the Bible story (Gen. 28:10-19) is one of the reading for this week, I refreshed my recollection as to the others.

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. 

(Thanks to Cyberhymnal, http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/e/wearecjl.htm)

I’m intrigued by how my memory of Scripture is incomplete, influenced no doubt by the song.  I remember the word climbing, from the verse committed to my memory.  The song emphasizes higher, as in “every round goes higher, higher.”  The image in my mind is of Jacob’s ladder leading up, up to where Jesus is.

That is not what the story says, though.  “And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”  (Gen. 28:12)  The angels are ascending and descending.  They climb up and they climb down.  It is interesting, I think, that we forget the going down part.

The song actually does not do that, although it could perhaps be more explicit.  The third verse is about loving Jesus.  The fourth verse is about serving Jesus.  And, we should not forget, every verse ends with the refrain, “Soldiers of the cross.” 

Climbing up. Higher, higher.  Loving Jesus.  Serving Jesus. 

We climb up.  And, like the angles, we climb down.  That’s how Jacob’s ladder works.  What goes up, must come down.  That’s where the serving part happens.  We must not forget the latter part.  That, after all, is where Jesus really is, at least for Soldiers of the cross. 

                                                                        Agape,

                                                                        +Stacy