For Such a Time As This – For Such A Time As This – Jarena Lee

Esther 4:12-17; 1 Corinthians 13:1-8

Intro – Our theme for this month – For Such a Time As This comes from the story of Esther – a woman

who became queen because of her beauty, but who was able to flip that into saving her people from a

genocide. Last week we began looking at the life of Jarena Lee, a more modern day Esther.

Recap

 Born into a free Black family in New Jersey on February 11, 1783

 From 7 yrs old she was a live-in servant for a white family

 1804 - At 21 – saved by a Presbyterian missionary  moves to Philly attending Mother Bethel

 She found healing around her struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts

 In 1807 Lee felt the call to preach but Richard Allen says no

 1811 gets married and has two children - husband doesn’t want her to preach, he dies in 1817

 In 1819 she starts preaching from pew– Allen sees the calling and makes her an exhorter.

 1836 - first Black woman to publish - The Life and Religious Experience of Jarena Lee

Three Core Concepts of Jarena Lee’s preaching

1. The Gospel is Good News

2. God can heal and transform us (but we must accept it)

3. Our call is to a life long journey of becoming the people who God has made us to be

Continuing the story – Focusing person this round – Coming back in Pentecost

 In one year Jarena travelled 2,325 miles, and preached 178 sermons

 Crowds were often racially diverse and some came just to see a woman preach

 Her existence, experience and excellence were used by God to make a powerful impact

1. Our existence can be a testament to God’s creativity

a. She heard the call and didn’t give up

b. She went to the people rather than waiting for them to come to her

2. Our experience can help others to find their voice –

a. She told the truth about her life and testimony in her sermons and her book

3. Our excellence can shift people’s notion of what is possible –

a. She manifested her calling with boldness not waiting for permission

b. She re-edited her book to tell more of her story and get it out there.

Jarena Lee really wasn’t an organizer. She was a person with a singular mission who played her role.

She didn’t root in communities but she travelled throughout the country and played an important role

in contributing both to the Second Great Awakening and the Anti-Slavery movement (which ended up

having a strong overlap in part because of the contribution of folks like her.)

Reflections Questions

1. Jarena dared to exist as a Black woman preacher when folks didn’t think that could exist. Are

there dreams and callings God has placed in you that you need to be ready to embody?

2. Are their parts of your experience that are a testimony of who God is or that could really offer

insight and healing to others? How can you lean into sharing your experience so that others can

grow from it?

3. Jarena went all in on her calling to preach and was known for bringing the fire. Is there a place

in your life that you are called to lean in to get to a greater level of excellence?