Broken Together – Genesis 29:15-30
/Lectionary Readings for July 26, 2020
Genesis 29:15-28 Jacob Marries Laban’s Daughters
Psalm 105:1-11, 45b v1 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.
Romans 8:26-39 v26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Parable of the Mustard Seed and Parable of the Yeast
Peace Quotes
“When you make the sacrifice in marriage, you’re sacrificing not to each other but to unity in a relationship.” ~ Joseph Campbell
“Every good relationship, especially marriage, is based on respect. If it’s not based on respect, nothing that appears to be goodwill last very long.” ~ Amy Grant
Any time I preach or lead a group, regardless of age, I start the same way. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm.
God made me. God loves me. God has plans for me.
Preface to Today’s Scripture Reading
Today's story is both hilarious and heartbreaking all at once.
The humor lies in the fact that Jacob, who has recently cheated his older brother Esau out of his birthright and his father’s blessing, this same Jacob is now cheated by a family member.
The tragedy lies in the heartbreak Leah must have felt as she realized that, quite possibly against her will, she was being used by her father so that he could get what he wanted – free labor and social stability for his family. The sibling rivalry Jacob and Esau shared is now transferred to Leah and Rachel.
Fun Fact: This “swap the bride at night trick” resulted in the 3,000+ year old tradition of brides lifting their veils before they take their wedding vows. It’s a chance for the groom to confirm he’s marrying the right woman.
And if you think today’s story is a bit racy, I encourage you to read the rest of this chapter as well as the next chapter. It’s nothing short of a modern, best-selling adult novel or tabloid headline. Here’s a teaser: Today’s lover’s triangle results in Jacob fathering children through both of his wives as well as through each of their maidservants.
Those 12 sons (and oh yeah, there’s one daughter in there, but she’s a girl, so, in their culture… who cares), those 12 sons become the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Leah, whom Jacob seems to tolerate, has 6 sons and 1 daughter – more kids than the rest of the ladies put together. This deepens the animosity between the two wives.
As you look at this family tree, notice that it is through Leah’s lineage, through the descendants of the least desirable bride, that we get our legendary heroes of Moses, Aaron, David, and eventually Jesus.
Remember, about 200 years ago, Jacob’s grandfather Abraham was wedged in his own lover’s triangle with Sarah and Hagar (Genesis 21).
It’s interesting how family patterns seem to repeat – for better or for worse.
But this is the legend of Jewish origins, of our origins. No family has a “perfect” history, and the Christian family is no exception. But despite crooked deals and bitter feelings, God remains true to His promises – through imperfect grandparents, parents, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren.
As you listen to today’s story, imagine yourself as one of the main characters: Jacob, Leah, or Rachel. How would you feel if you were in their shoes? How does their experience connect with a time in your life when you felt cheated or like you had to work twice as hard as necessary for what you wanted?
In the verses leading up to today’s story, we learn that Jacob has traveled a long distance, recently met Rachel at a well, and has spent the past month been Rachel’s father Laban water his flocks.
Let’s open our ears, minds, and hearts as Anne reads today’s passage.
Read Genesis 29:15-30
It would be easy to use today’s story as fodder for a sermon on karma – Jacob finally got the raw end of a sneaky deal. Or maybe a sermon on, “be super careful and double-check everything so you don’t get cheated.” But as I thought about this week’s story and pondered, “What’s the bigger picture here,” two songs came to my mind – both of which are about six years old. Both have been popular on Christian radio despite their atypical messages.
The first song is from a young lady named Francesca Battistelli. Her song If We’re Honest challenges our modern American culture’s instincts to protect our feelings, our pride, and our reputations by hiding our flaws and our secrets. The opening verses include this line, “I’m a mess and so are you.” Well there’s a solid starting point! And it’s absolutely true. What if we began every church service with that?!?
“Good morning! My name is Charles White; I’m the pastor here at Susanville UMC. I am a mess, and so are you. It is great to be surrounded by so many wonderful, amazing, and messed up people. This morning, let’s embrace all that we are and the Good News that God offers us a path to be more of who we can be!”
I don’t know about you, but I would find that church shockingly refreshing and encouraging. Francesca goes on to sing…
“Bring your brokenness, and I’ll bring mine.
‘Cause love can heal what hurt divides
And mercy’s waiting on the other side, If we’re honest”
In this month’s series of stories from Genesis, we’ve seen how Jacob has led a life of dishonesty and suffered as a result. Today’s passage adds layer upon layer of deception, heartbreak, and dishonesty to Jacob’s family history; these are heavy burdens that will be carried for generations.
Imagine how different our lives would be if we could be positively, constructively honest with each other in ways that follow Methodism’s 3 Simple rules: do no harm, do good, and stay in relationship with God. People would think we’d lost our minds! But what an environment it would create!
The other song that came to my mind is from a contemporary Christian band called Casting Crowns. They released a love song of sorts titled Broken Together. Tears came to my eyes the first time I heard it and often come again whenever I allow myself to stop and let the song embrace me. You see, it is a brutally honest song about betrayal, repentance, and a struggle for forgiveness. Some of the lyrics are…
“If you can bring your shattered dreams and I’ll bring mine
Could healing still be spoken and save us?
The only way we’ll last forever is broken together”
That is not the typical “I’m blessed, praise God” kind of song you expect to hear on Christian radio. With a basic concept of “we’re in a mess, what do we do now?,” it’s not the kind of song you really expect to hear on ANY radio station. But it’s real. It is honest. And it’s what millions of couples from all faith backgrounds around the world experience every day. It’s the experience that should drive people into churches where we are waiting to receive them, welcome them, and help them begin a process of healing that may or may or may not include their spouse.
For decades, the American divorce rate has been the same for Christians and non-Christians. I’ve always considered that an indictment of how our churches have neglected to nurture marriages. Perhaps that trend of inattention is something we here at Susanville UMC can start to change. Think about it. Pray about it.
As I replay those lyrics in my head, I think about Leah more than Rachel. Leah the firstborn daughter, but always in the shadow of her more beloved sister. This story invites speculation in so many ways. Despite bearing Jacob seven children, Leah never escaped Rachel’s shadow; she never captured Jacob’s heart. And Rachel spent years desperately trying to conceive and thus prove her value to her family and community. They and their maidservants – which you can read about in the next chapter – they were all broken, together.
The song goes on to say, Only God can change our minds. For me, that’s the key. Left to our own devices, we remain broken, unable to function to our fullest abilities, unable to find a way to move from where we are to where we want to be, to being the people we want to be.
But when we invite our relationship with God into our human relationships, then we give God the freedom to work in us, with us, and through us to change our hearts and minds. That’s the Good News of our faith – that we are not broken and without hope. Rather, we are broken with hope and with direction.
Jesus offers us direction through His actions and in the numerous lessons learned in His brilliant parables. The foundation of His life and ministry, and thus the foundation for our lives and ministries, can be found in the Great Commandments in Matthew 22:34-40: Love God, love yourself, and love others. Those seem so simple, and yet, we spend our lives exploring them, practicing them, messing them up, and starting over. And that’s good!
Next week we’ll celebrate communion, once again online. We will celebrate it by inviting everyone present to join us around our virtual table. We will celebrate it by retelling the story of Jesus sharing the Passover feast with His closest friends including His betrayer. Despite their brokenness, Jesus shared His love, His hopes, His dreams, and His forgiveness with them 2,000 years ago and shares the same with us today.
To requote the song, the only way that Jesus, his followers, and 2,000 years of Christians have survived is by being broken, together. The only way that Methodism in general will survive – and our church specifically – is if we are broken, together.
When we offer each other our imperfections, our fears, and our brokenness, THEN we can allow the Holy Spirit to work through us sharing specific words of life and actions of support with each other.
I encourage you to invite someone to join you in this service next week. Our community is filled with people who need to experience the freedom and love our family offers. Because when we can all celebrate the Good News that God loves us despite our brokenness, we – as a diverse family of faith – can help make our community a little more like the Kingdom of God. Amen? Amen!