"Surely God is in this place"

I had the opportunity to preach at my home church, First Congregational Church of Christ Palo Alto on July 17, 2026. The scripture was Genesis 28:10-19a. Drawing on Jacob’s awakening at Bethel—“Surely God is in this place”—the sermon explored how fear can narrow our awareness and invited us to recognize that we do not merely encounter God occasionally, but live within the divine Presence.

Here is the link to the sermon on the church's website, with the scripture reading and sermon starting at 31:00:

Surely_God_is_in_This_Place_v13.pdf

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oow jacob July 17, 2026.pdf

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image from Jeffrey Eisen on Unsplash.com