I love to find the Bible characters that aren’t the typical “heroes” that we
normally hear sermons about. Moses and David and Paul were all wonderful men of
God, but sometimes I feel so inadequate when I read about their greatness.
Sometimes it’s encouraging to read about Bible characters who didn’t have such
notable lives or admirable qualities.
Leah is one such gal that I think all of us can
identify with in some way. Leah’s story started with her beautiful, younger
sister, Rachel. Rachel had met a man, Jacob, and the two fell almost instantly
in love. Jacob intensely wanted to marry Rachel and willingly worked seven years
to earn the right to marry her. After his wedding to a women with a long veil
over her face, Jacob realized he’d been tricked and had actually married Leah.
Jacob was visibly upset by this because he didn’t have any love for Leah. Leah
was said to have had “tender eyes” or “weak eyes” which most commentaries say
were blue eyes, which were considered undesirable in the region. So Jacob
rejects Leah, insists on marrying Rachel and agrees to work seven more years for
the love of his life. Jacob now has two wives: one he loves and one he despises.
Wouldn’t you like to be Leah? No one really would want
to, but most of us tend to have similar circumstances at times in our lives. We
are rejected because of some physical fault. Or we’re rejected and not even sure
why. We’re not as good as someone—and it seems to hurt when the someone is our
sibling—or a friend. Leah is the epitome of rejection and one who is always
second, at best. It’s no wonder that Leah’s name means “weary”. I think she
wearied of always feeling inadequate and unworthy. I think she wearied of always
competing with her sister for her own husband’s love. I think she was weary of
her lot in life—of the cards she had been dealt.
But God didn’t forget Leah. That’s one thing I love
about God—He’s for the underdog! That’s why I’m certain God is a Cub fan!! God
blesses Leah with a son. This was a huge advantage in her marriage over her
barren sister. She named her first son Reuben, which means “to see a son”. I
think his name is appropriate because I think that’s all she thought about for
nine months, “If I could only see a son come forth!” Leah also gives birth to
Jacob’s only daughter, Dinah, which means “justice”. Her children gave her a
sense of justice in the cruel life she was living.
Leah also birthed the lineage of priests—Levi. Levi
means “attached”. Leah’s children were her only attachment to her husband. Then
the most incredible thing happened to Leah, who seemed to keep her chin up
despite her life’s circumstances. Leah gave birth to Judah. Judah’s name means
“praise”. Leah’s beginning to transform from the unloved wife to a worshipper of
God. What Leah would never know is that God would use Leah to birth not only a
king of Israel, David, but the Redeemer of the world—Jesus Christ! Prior to
that, Judah would be the tribe that led Israel through the wilderness and in the
conquest of the Promised Land.
Leah may have been unloved by her own husband, but she had a God who loved her.
God blessed her and birthed redemption from her womb. Jesus came to pay the
price and redeem us from not only our physical and spiritual bondage, but from
our emotional bondage. Jesus paid the price to free us from rejection and
lovelessness.
Leah also birthed Simeon, which means “hearing” because
Leah knew God was hearing the cries of her heart. Then came Issachar, which
means “he will bring a rewarder” and lastly, Zebulun, which means “to seal” and
thus ended her lineage.
What I see in Leah is hope. With each child, her faith in God grew. With each
answered prayer, her heart expanded. Never do we see an outrage in Leah, only
from Rachel in her barrenness.
I want to tell you that God loves you—don’t let that be
a glib phrase that we say too freely. Let it be your life song—that you are
loved by the Creator of the world. Let it ever be in your heart that you are not
rejected—Jesus paid the price for every rejection we’ve ever faced and ever will
face. God does not forget the unlovely. God brings about a praise and a legacy
that will last forever. And can I tell you the best part of the story (at least
for a competitive woman such as myself!)? Guess who Jacob is buried with? No,
it’s not Rachel—she was left in the dirt on the road to Bethlehem after dying
during child birth. Jacob died in Egypt and told his son Joseph to bury him with
his father and that happened to be where Leah was buried too. So in the end,
Leah had her man all to herself! Your story isn’t over yet—God is still writing
the final chapters. God bless you.
~Trisha Kuster
May’s Schedule of Ministry
Greeters— William and Lisa McLaren
Janitor: Lisa McLaren
Special Music—
5/4—Communion—no special music
5/11—Trisha Kuster
5/18—John Wayne Jones
5/25—Melanie Parmer
Nursery—
5/4—Sunday School: Rita Jones
Worship: Kristen McNeil &
Samantha Saffold
5/11—Sunday School: Rita Jones
Worship: Joan Maze & Anthony
Nollen
5/18 -Sunday School: Rita Jones
Worship: Kara Hammond & Trisha
Kuster
5/25— Sunday School: Rita Jones
Worship: Rita Jones & Renee
Simpson
1—Caroline Bird
2—Marty Friday
5—Danielle Bundy
11—Amari McIntee
13—Khalil McIntee
17—Andrea Swift
18—Jeanna Heard
29—Marty & Janelle Friday’s Anniversary
30—Randy Mathias
30—Rebecca Henley
30—Pat Frederick
Mid-Week Fellowship
is on Wednesday Nights at 7:00 p.m. Join us for this exciting series!!Each Thursday at 7:00 p.m. is Prayer Night at the church. We pray for the needs of the church, our communities and surrounding areas. We invite you to join us for the most important night of the week!
Nursery Workers
Janitors
Wednesday Night Children Helpers
Volunteer Church Secretary
If you are interested in becoming involved in a church ministry or you just don’t know what’s available, please talk to Pastor Doug or Trisha. There’s always a place for you!!
(While WIU is in
session)
Corbin & Olson Halls 9:30 a.m.
(In the parking lot behind
the tennis courts)
Lincoln & Washington Halls 9:40 a.m.
(In the
new hall, U-shaped parking lot)
Thompson & Higgins Halls 9:50
a.m.
(In front of Thompson Hall)
Henninger, Bayliss, Wetzel &
Tanner Halls 10:00 a.m.
(In front of Henninger and Bayliss)
Look for
the light blue van with our church magnet!
Guest Speaker for May!
Join us on Sunday, May 4th, as we welcome Evangelist Billy Miller as our guest
speaker. Billy has ministered several times at our church and walks in a
powerful healing and prophetic anointing. You won’t want to miss this special
service!
1—Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.
2—Women’s Fellowship at Lisa McLaren’s
4—Billy Miller speaks/Graduation Sunday
7—Mid-Week Fellowship 7:00 p.m.
8—Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.
11—Mother’s Day Service - Celebrate Mother’s Day with us! This is an excellent
opportunity to bring your mother, sister, aunt or female friend. We’ll be giving
a small gift to all the ladies in attendance.
14—Mid-Week Fellowship 7:00 p.m.
15—Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.
16—Marriage Enrichment 7:00 p.m.
17– Men’s Fellowship Breakfast at the church at 9:00 a.m.
18—Mission Sunday/Church Council Meeting at 2:30 p.m.
21 —Mid-Week Fellowship 7:00 p.m.
22—Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.
23—Single’s Fellowship 6:00 p.m.
28—Mid-Week Fellowship 7:00 p.m.
29—Prayer Night 7:00 p.m.
Many of you met Stanley Nsofwa when he ministered here. What you may not realize is that Stanley oversees a ministry called Vision for Africa. This includes a school for 100 children, a Bible College, a medical clinic, an orphanage, and a farm. Stanley gets little ongoing support and spends a lot of his time soliciting for help and developing business ideas that would provide a steady income to meet all the needs of the ministry.
If you are interested in helping with Vision for Africa, place your offering in an envelope and mark it "Stanley." These funds will be sent to Groveland, IL monthly and wired to Stanley to support the mission.
We will be providing updates on the ministry as we receive the information.