Sunday, October 29, 2017

Sewickley Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Sewickley Presbyterian Church, 414 Grant Street, Sewickley, PA 15143, 412.741.4550, www.sewickleypresby.org, Rev. Kevin J. Long, Senior Pastor.


Scripture – Genesis 29:15-30 NASB

Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?" Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. And Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face. Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, "I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel." Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me." So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.

Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my time is completed, that I may go in to her." Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast. Now in the evening he took his daughter Leah, and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her. Laban also gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?" But Laban said, "It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years." Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. Laban also gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid. So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.


Bob’s thoughts:

We were looking for a church where we could be sure the 500th anniversary of the Reformation would be celebrated, and our welcome included bagpipes and plaid kilts.

The moment for stewardship was interesting: a young man talked of the church’s investment in him as a boy and his need to continue to return that investment to the youth of the church. We are easily caught up in stewardship of our dollars and forget the importance of investing our time.



The message was based on Genesis and Jacob’s plan to secure Rachel as his wife. Even Laban’s deceit could not derail God’s plan. The story from Jacob’s receiving his father’s blessing, or maybe back to his birth, offers a myriad of possibilities, from the interwoven deceits to Jacob’s marriage to Rachel, God was in control. I believe God puts a plan in motion but watches to see how we do on our own. When I reflect on the people used in Christ’s earthly lineage, He may just be able to use us broken sinners.
Maybe as we learn to love the Leah in ourselves we can love the Leah in others, and come to accept that Christ can love the Leah in us too.

I could write a lot more about this sermon but this was what God put on my heart. Sometimes He gets old people like me to think about the deeper message.

I also enjoyed the Associate Pastor, Sarah. She was as easy to hear and understand as the lead pastor, though we were sitting closer to the front, a rarity especially in a Presbyterian church. She spoke well and I appreciated her eloquent prayer.

Another joy was the music, especially Siyahamba, and the horn was a special addition. As always, I loved watching the children.

This was a blessed worship service; thank You Jesus for allowing us Rachels and Leahs to come before You.


Jan’s thoughts:

We wanted to attend a Presbyterian church for this special Reformation Sunday and this felt like the right one. We weren’t sure exactly what to expect, but we knew it would not be ignored.

We unexpectedly entered at the rear of the sanctuary which provided an up-close view of the incredibly intricate stained-glass windows. We found seats right away, so did not get to wander around the building at all.

Several people stopped to introduce themselves, and in a church with three services, that is impressive.

I’ve always loved bagpipes, so I was thrilled they were part of this worship celebration. Musical accompaniment included a saxophone, an acoustic guitar, and six vocalists. The organ and the bagpipe sounded superb together.

A member presented Sixty Seconds for Stewardship, and I expected a talk about monetary giving, this being the season. Instead he spoke of the promises made by this congregation at his baptism, that the members promised to teach him about God, and how they had done just that. They invested their time and energy in him, helping him learn that he was loved by God, and teaching him about faith in Christ. He assured them their investment in him was paying dividends as he was teaching the current communicant class, of which his daughter is a member. His talk was both enthusiastic and emotional, and this visitor appreciated his reminder.

The sermon was entitled “Family Matters: Sister Wives” and was based on the story of sisters Leah and Rachel, both of whom were married to Jacob. But the message went deeper, touching on how in every marriage, “we marry the person we love and are joined by an unwanted stranger…there is a beloved Rachel and a surprising Leah in every person, and there is no Rachel without Leah.” Only when we discover the love of Christ can we accept others as they are and see their beauty.

One fascinating point was that the term for Leah’s eyes could have been translated either “weak” or “lovely,” and the Leah in each of us can be viewed either way as well. He said everyone has both a Rachel and a Leah inside us, Jesus died for both, and His love redeemed both. He pointed out that Leah, though she was not loved well by Jacob, gave birth to six of Jacob’s sons…half of the 12 Tribes of Israel, including Judah, placing her in the lineage of Christ.

This message contained deep truth, and I’m so glad I was here today to hear it.

The recitation of the Apostles’ Creed was not in the order of worship, but it felt wonderfully appropriate.

We appreciated the pastor’s time in conversation.


Our prayer for this church:
Lord, we are grateful to visit You in Your church and pray You continue to bless and grow this growth in You. Amen.

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