My wife, Jennifer, has served our church as pastoral associate for nearly a year. One of the potential responsibilities of a PA is that they are occasionally asked to fill in the pulpit when our pastor is away. This past week was such a time, and Jennifer was asked to preach the sermon.
The lectionary text that Jenn settled on was the Genesis 29 account of Jacob marrying Leah and Rachel. This story has special significance to us for a couple of reasons. First, it is the centerpiece behind one of our favorite songs by Rich Mullins (Jacob and 2 Women). Second, Jenn's dad wrote and sang us a song for our wedding, in which he compared us to Rachel and Jacob. As soon as I looked at the lectionary texts for that particular week, I knew which one Jenn would select.
As one might imagine, there are a number of sermons available on the internet on this passage. It's a juicy story, filled with drama, love, and even a plot twist. The vast majority of sermons focus on Laban's trick, when he switches brides on the wedding night. "The Trickster is Tricked" can be found in many sermon titles. Jenn decided to go in a different direction, and I think this demonstrates some of the gifts that she has to offer. She looked at the unfolding narrative from Leah's perspective, and then asked us to consider how we as children of God would minister to Leah. It's a profound reflection that left many in our church telling Jenn that they would consider her sermon for some time to come.
Here is the link to the DaySpring Baptist Church web site, and to Jenn's sermon (July 24, 2011):
http://ourdayspring.org/sermon-texts.php
About Me
- Scott Rushing
- I am a graduate student in Christian theology at Baylor University. The Paradosis blog is a forum for sharing my reflections about the Church Fathers, Tradition, Baptist Life, and Spiritual Formation.
