Amends

Genesis 42:1-24New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at one another? I have heard,” he said, “that there is grain in Egypt; go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he feared that harm might come to him. Thus the sons of Israel were among the other people who came to buy grain, for the famine had reached the land of Canaan.

Now Joseph was governor over the land; it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” Although Joseph had recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Joseph also remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them. He said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land!” They said to him, “No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food. We are all sons of one man; we are honest men; your servants have never been spies.” But he said to them, “No, you have come to see the nakedness of the land!” They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of a certain man in the land of Canaan; the youngest, however, is now with our father, and one is no more.” But Joseph said to them, “It is just as I have said to you; you are spies! Here is how you shall be tested: as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here! Let one of you go and bring your brother, while the rest of you remain in prison, in order that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you; or else, as Pharaoh lives, surely you are spies.” And he put them all together in prison for three days.

On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here where you are imprisoned. The rest of you shall go and carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me. Thus your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they agreed to do so. They said to one another, “Alas, we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother; we saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this anguish has come upon us.” Then Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy? But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” They did not know that Joseph understood them, since he spoke with them through an interpreter. He turned away from them and wept.

Skipping ahead a little bit.  You know Joseph got in good with Pharaoh, right?

This is the climax of the story, isn't it? Great drama, with the brothers getting somewhat of the comeuppance that literature seems to call for, and yet also the grace that God calls for.

And after all the ups and downs of his life, Joseph weeps.  It's got to be a huge swell of emotion.  It's all there: revenge, love and forgiveness.  Despite what his brothers have done to him, Joseph weeps to see them again.

And Rueben gets to say "I told you so!"

What's it like to forgive someone close to you who has wronged you? To be reunited and have amends made.

Step 9 of the 12 Step program is all about making amends to those whom you have wronged, and I've always thought it was an important step for healthy spirituality.  We talk often of forgiving others - as Joseph does here - but we don't seem to talk as often about seeking forgiveness.  How do we do that? Asking for forgiveness and making amends takes courage, but when it's done, the reward can be worth it all.

Is there someone you need to make amends with? Someone close who it will take courage and fortitude to ask for forgiveness?

If so, may God bless you and strengthen you and may the reunion be emotionally rewarding!

Lord, open my eyes, my mind, and my heart so I can honestly see the places in my life where I need to seek forgiveness and give me the courage to ask it.  Amen.

Remember

Genesis 41:1-13New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, and there came up out of the Nile seven sleek and fat cows, and they grazed in the reed grass. Then seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. The ugly and thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. And Pharaoh awoke. Then he fell asleep and dreamed a second time; seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. Then seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them. The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and it was a dream. In the morning his spirit was troubled; so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my faults today. Once Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard. We dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own meaning. A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each according to his dream. As he interpreted to us, so it turned out; I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”

He remembered!  Yay, cupbearer!

I love that line: "I remember my faults today."

Sometimes, memory works that way.  You are going along happy as a clam and then - BAM! - you remember something you did to someone.  Or to God.  Or to yourself. Or against yourself.  Or in spite of yourself and you repent.

A big part of repenting is remembering.  And then turning around.  Repentance, as it is used scripturally, actually means "to change ones mind." So, in remembering, we often are then changing our mind.  And then, the next big part of repentance is to turn back toward God.

As we enter into the time of Lent, maybe a good practice would be to take time each day to "remember."  Remember your faults, as the cup bearer did, but also remember those moments you are grateful for.  In remembering, we often find ourselves turning back to God.

God of memory, spark mine and help me to remember and turn back to you.  Amen.

Forgetfulness

Genesis 40 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he waited on them; and they continued for some time in custody. One night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own meaning. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. So he asked Pharaoh’s officers, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms came out and the clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days; within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But remember me when it is well with you; please do me the kindness to make mention of me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this place. For in fact I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon.”

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” And Joseph answered, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a pole; and the birds will eat the flesh from you.”

On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants, and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his cupbearing, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand; but the chief baker he hanged, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Two things stand out for me with this story: that the baker expected a good interpretation to his dream and that the cupbearer, who DID get a good interpretation, forgot Joseph when he was freed.

How many times have you, like me, taken for granted those times that go well in your life? I can't count how many for me.  Time and time again when I am restored to joy or hope or good news after a time of suffering or want, it doesn't take long for me to take for granted my good fortune and sometimes even forget the person or persons who helped bring me there.  (usually it is family members I take for granted the most!)

Often, fortunately, I remember and am able to repent my forgetfulness.  But sometimes, life goes on as before and I remain in blissful ignorance of the people I have forgotten helped me in my journey.

Will the cupbearer repent for his forgetfulness of Joseph?  

Tune in tomorrow! :-)

Merciful God, remind me to repent when I forget to show gratitude to those who extended grace to me.  Amen.

Ash Wednesday & Lent

Taking a brief break from the story of Joseph for a little plug for Ash Wednesday.  And rather than reinvent the wheel, I want to share two sources that I found through Facebook that are wonderful as we prepare to enter into Lent.

The first is from the great group at Busted Halo. It's a short two-minute explanation of what both Ash Wednesday and Lent are.  

(Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3L3c23MfC0)

Now the video mentions three things as practices for Ash Wednesday (and I'd say for Lent also): fasting, praying, and almsgiving.  As we enter into the Lenten season, you might be wondering what are some ways you can use these three practices (one or all of them) for Lenten Disciplines.

If so, then here is another great resource.  Writer Rachel Held Evans each year puts together a list of suggestions for Lenten practices. You might find these inspiring and helpful as you prepare for Lent:

http://rachelheldevans.com/blog/40-ideas-for-lent-2015

In addition, some churches offer special worship services or faith formation opportunities during Lent.  Our church of St. Paul's Lutheran will be doing a soup supper followed by Holden Evening Prayer and a course called Animate: Practices on Wednesday evenings starting at 6:00 pm.

I hope that wherever or however you feel called, that this Lenten season is one that will enrich your life of faith and fill your spirit with the love of Christ.

Integrity

Genesis 39 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man; he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lordcaused all that he did to prosper in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him; he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lordblessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge; and, with him there, he had no concern for anything but the food that he ate.

Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my hand. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” And although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not consent to lie beside her or to be with her. One day, however, when he went into the house to do his work, and while no one else was in the house, she caught hold of his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, she called out to the members of her household and said to them, “See, my husband has brought among us a Hebrew to insult us! He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice; and when he heard me raise my voice and cry out, he left his garment beside me, and fled outside.” Then she kept his garment by her until his master came home, and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to insult me; but as soon as I raised my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me, and fled outside.”

When his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, saying, “This is the way your servant treated me,” he became enraged. And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; he remained there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love; he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s care all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The chief jailer paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

There is one main theme that jumps out at me in this passage: integrity.  At the beginning, we hear about Joseph's integrity - as well as the lack of integrity of Potiphar's wife, and arguably Potiphar himself who condemned Joseph when all evidence to Joseph's good character should have told him otherwise.  And we have the integrity of God, who stays with Joseph - and true then to God's own covenant.

What IS integrity? When you hear the word, what's the definition that comes to your mind? Who is someone that has always embodied that definition for you?

One of the definitions I read says that integrity is moral uprightness, or having strong moral principles.  That I suppose can be part of it: but I've know people with strong moral principles that I'm not sure I'd say embody integrity.

Instead, the definition I prefer is "trustworthy" or engendering trust.  The word "integrity" comes from the Latin "integer," meaning "whole" or "complete."  That's it I think for me.  Living as a whole being - where what you say matches what you do.  It makes you trustworthy.  What you see is what you get.

Of course, even some of the most seemingly whole people struggle with 100% integrity.  I listened to Fr. Richard Rohr, a teacher and leader I value highly for his integrity, talk about how it is hard to live up to your principles 100% of the time because we are, after all, human and imperfect.

Unlike Joseph here! :-)

Joseph, that young lad who seemed to brag to his brothers about how they would bow to him, now seems to be a man of integrity, trustyworthiness AND high morals.  

Are we supposed to just look at Joseph as an impossible ideal? Or do we see Joseph as a man who lives into being the person God created him to be?

With integrity.

What are ways that you can see God working through you and what are ways that you live a life of integrity?

Lord of life, help me to be who you created me to be - in all I say and in all I do.  Amen.

Reuben

Genesis 37:14b-36 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

(Joseph) came to Shechem, and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” “I am seeking my brothers,” he said; “tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” The man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers agreed. When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes. He returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone; and I, where can I turn?” Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. They had the long robe with sleeves taken to their father, and they said, “This we have found; see now whether it is your son’s robe or not.” He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s robe! A wild animal has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” Then Jacob tore his garments, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters sought to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father bewailed him. Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.

Reuben was the oldest.  I imagine that being the oldest of twelve brothers must have come with some natural stress.  I was the oldest of two, and I admit that sometimes as a kid really I really thought I got the short end of the stick. I always had to be the responsible one!

There's a streak of responsibility running though Reuben.  He plans to save Joseph out of the pit - secretly - after his brothers have left. I can empathize with him: facing off with ten angry brothers to try to bargain for Joseph's life probably was more than a little intimidating.

And then that moment came when he realized Joseph was taken.  He was deep in the lie already at this point and so his culpability grew.

There are moments in our life when we know what the right thing is, and maybe we even plan on doing the right thing.  And then there are moments when we know that the right thing isn't going to be easy to do, and yet to do the right thing, we can't be quiet about it.

From Reuben we see that knowing what the right thing to do isn't usually enough. Reuben gets caught up in a lie and compounds that lie, letting his father believe his brother is dead.

Have you had any Reuben moments in your life? Times where you wanted to do a thing you knew was right, but couldn't find the courage? Or times when you found it so difficult to admit your guilt in something?

Reuben's story doesn't end here, and ours doesn't either.  There will always be those times where were need the courage to stand loudly and with integrity for what we are called to do, and we have a God who will stand with us when those times come.

Lord of mercy, forgive me when I know what you would have me do and yet do not act on it, and help me to live in truth and integrity always.  Amen.

Joseph - favorite?

Genesis 37:1-8  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. This is the story of the family of Jacob.

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves.But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream that I dreamed. There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves gathered around it, and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words.

A little something different today.  Tonight is the opening of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at my church, St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Lionville, PA.  We've got an amazing group of youth in our Troupe of ACTS performers who each year put on a musical production for the congregation and the community.  This year it is "Joseph.." so to celebrate it's opening this Friday the 13th, I think it might be fun to take a look at the story of the dreamer from Genesis.

I've always been partial to this story.  Maybe because I've always loved stories about family dramas.  This is good soap opera stuff here, Jacob favoring his one son over the others.  We know from Jacob himself that complicated things happen in scripture when one son is favored over another.

And Joseph himself.  I mean, really.  Here at the beginning, who can't feel sorry for the brothers?  Joseph isn't exactly initially endearing.  Who tells all their older brothers this type of dream?

So, I wonder.  When have I favored someone over someone else? I've been blessed with one child, so I've never had to wonder about that kind of favoritism.  But I've been both the recipient of favoritism and its opposite!  

And yet, what is most interesting to me about the favoritism in this story is that we know through Peter in the New Testament that "God shows no partiality,"  and yet we also see in scripture stories of those who are presented as favorites of God: Moses, David.

One of the reasons I love this story of Joseph so much is that while it starts as the story of a favored son, it becomes much more than that.  The favoritism is a jumping off point for a story of redemption for a whole family and vehicle where we will see God's grace work in a most unlikely place - a divided family!

God of family, help me to see my place in your kin-dom and know your enduring love, no matter how I might feel like sometimes in the place in my own family.  Amen.

Aroma of Christ

2 Corinthians 2:15-16a - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. 

This isn't a verse we hear often on Sunday mornings in church, if ever.  But it is one of my favorites.  I'm a sucker for a good metaphor, and when it is one that engages senses beyond seeing and hearing, all the better.  Tasting, that's one we might also hear from time to time.  And feeling.

But smelling?

Yep. Scripture engages all our senses.

What a great T-shirt it would be, wouldn't it: Smelling for Christ! 

Of smelling like Christ!

OK, maybe not.  But nevertheless, this metaphor from Paul is brilliant to me. Think of all the great smells in your life: baking cookies or bread, lavender, lilacs, coffee, basil, freshly washed sheets.  Those are some of my favorites, and I'll bet you have a few more of your own.

I've read that smell is something that can bring a flood of memories on. What kind of smell would evoke memories of Jesus for us?

I also read of a church that makes sure they bake their communion bread on Sunday mornings so the church smells like bread when people arrive.

Wonderful!

There is something deeply satisfying about a beautiful smell.  And that, says Paul, is what we are called to be: the aroma of Christ.

But more than that - a fragrance "from death to death" for one, and "from life to life" for another.  If smell evokes memories, what smells and memories carry us between life and death?

How do you want to smell for Christ? What aroma should announce your arrival? What memories do you want to stir?

God of all senses, let my aroma be as pleasing as incense and bring memories of life to those who are lost.  Amen.

Voices from God

Job 36:1-23New International Version (NIV)

Elihu continued:

“Bear with me a little longer and I will show you
    that there is more to be said in God’s behalf.
I get my knowledge from afar;
    I will ascribe justice to my Maker.
Be assured that my words are not false;
    one who has perfect knowledge is with you.

“God is mighty, but despises no one;
    he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.
He does not keep the wicked alive
    but gives the afflicted their rights.
He does not take his eyes off the righteous;
    he enthrones them with kings
    and exalts them forever.
But if people are bound in chains,
    held fast by cords of affliction,
he tells them what they have done—
    that they have sinned arrogantly.
He makes them listen to correction
    and commands them to repent of their evil.
If they obey and serve him,
    they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity
    and their years in contentment.
But if they do not listen,
    they will perish by the sword
    and die without knowledge.

“The godless in heart harbor resentment;
    even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.
They die in their youth,
    among male prostitutes of the shrines.
But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
    he speaks to them in their affliction.

“He is wooing you from the jaws of distress
    to a spacious place free from restriction,
    to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.
But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;
    judgment and justice have taken hold of you.
Be careful that no one entices you by riches;
    do not let a large bribe turn you aside.
Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts
    sustain you so you would not be in distress?
Do not long for the night,
    to drag people away from their homes.
Beware of turning to evil,
    which you seem to prefer to affliction.

“God is exalted in his power.
    Who is a teacher like him?
Who has prescribed his ways for him,      

    or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?

Who is Elihu?

He isn't one of the three friends/antagonists in the Book of Job who lecture Job endlessly about the cause of Job's suffering.  Instead, Elihu just shows up out of no where in chapter  32 almost as if he has simply heard enough of the rantings of Job's "friends" and needs to defend God.

I see him in some ways as an advocate.  A spokesperson.

He speaks of wisdom coming from God and of the mystery of God's ways. He is a transition character from the speeches of Job and his three friends, to the appearance of God's very self.

Who is a voice of God for you when all the voices around you seem to drown out God's word in your life? When the messages you hear elsewhere seem to be messages that go against God's wisdom? Is there someone to whom you turn?

I'm not sure that Job turned to Elihu, or if Elihu was just a great big buttinsky who had something important to say.  

Either way, those voices in our lives are important to have.  Voices we trust to tell us the truth when we've gone off the rails.  Voices of wisdom who see things we don't and miss things we overlook.

Voices who speak God to us.

Who's your Elihu?

God of Word and Service, help us to hear your voice in those you send to us when we really need to hear you.  Amen.