Pastor David's Sermon, "Limping Jacob," November 10, 2024

Rev. David Cushman is interim pastor of the Baptist Church in the Great Valley, Devon, PA. Visit us at bcgv.org.
In Genesis, chapter 32, we follow Jacob as he travels home with his family and possessions to face Esau, his twin, and make amends for what he has done. Along the way to this fearful encounter, Jacob wrestles with God in human form, suffers a hip injury, and is then renamed as though he had been born anew. His name is changed from “Jacob” to “Israel.” We sometimes speak as though we could easily put the past behind us and move on. But we know that this is not always so easily done. Indeed, as we leave Jacob limping into the dawn, we know that our own woundedness can either open us to our fellow human beings, or we can allow it to close us in on ourselves.