Almighty God, you are with me wherever I go and whatever I do. I thank and praise you for your steadfast presence. Knowing you are always there is my source of comfort, strength, and joy. Amen.

Genesis 35:1-21 (Good News Translation) Come Together in Faith and Trust in God’s Promises Introduction Genesis 35:1-21: God tells Jacob to return to Bethel and appears to him again, reiterating the blessing of land and descendants. Jacob is told that from now on his name will be Israel. Rachel dies after giving birth to Benjamin, Jacob’s twelfth son. Chapter 35 concludes the narrative about Jacob. Today’s Scripture: Genesis 35:3b “I will build an altar to the God who helped me in the time of my trouble and who has been with me everywhere I have gone.” Today’s Reading 1 God said to Jacob, “Go to Bethel at once, and live there. Build an altar there to me, the God who appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his family and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that you have; purify yourselves and put on clean clothes. 3 We are going to leave here and go to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who helped me in the time of my trouble and who has been with me everywhere I have gone. ” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that they had and also the earrings that they were wearing. He buried them beneath the oak tree near Shechem. 5 When Jacob and his sons started to leave, great fear fell on the people of the nearby towns, and they did not pursue them. 6 Jacob came with all his people to Luz, which is now known as Bethel, in the land of Canaan. 7 He built an altar there and named the place for the God of Bethel, because God had revealed himself to him there when he was running away from his brother. 8 Rebecca's nurse Deborah died and was buried beneath the oak south of Bethel. So it was named “Oak of Weeping.” 9 When Jacob returned from Mesopotamia, God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but from now on it will be Israel.” So God named him Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am Almighty God. Have many children. Nations will be descended from you, and you will be the ancestor of kings. 12 I will give you the land which I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, and I will also give it to your descendants after you. ” 13 Then God left him. 14 There, where God had spoken to him, Jacob set up a memorial stone and consecrated it by pouring wine and olive oil on it. 15 He named the place Bethel. 16 Jacob and his family left Bethel, and when they were still some distance from Ephrath, the time came for Rachel to have her baby, and she was having difficult labor. 17 When her labor pains were at their worst, the midwife said to her, “Don't be afraid, Rachel; it's another boy.” 18 But she was dying, and as she breathed her last, she named her son Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin. 19 When Rachel died, she was buried beside the road to Ephrath, now known as Bethlehem. 20 Jacob set up a memorial stone there, and it still marks Rachel's grave to this day. 21 Jacob moved on and set up his camp on the other side of the tower of Eder. Reflect What does Jacob say he will do when he arrives in Bethel? What does he tell his family and all who are with him to do in preparation for worshiping God? How do you prepare yourself for worshiping God?