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September 22, 2024

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Genesis 37:3-8, 17b-22, 22-34; 50: 15-21
Luke 6:27-31

Sermon Text:

Grace to you and peace from God, our Creator, and from our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The stories in the book of Genesis are foundational to our faith today. They happened thousands of years ago, but they teach us about the formation of people’s faith in God – how having a relationship with one God was a brand new thing. We learn about how they experienced God’s faithfulness to them, how they learned to trust God’s promises. And we learn, too, that they didn’t do it perfectly – that they didn’t always trust God.

The story of Joseph is part of that collection of stories. And in our reading today, we only get the beginning and end of his story. But it spans 14 chapters, so there’s a lot that happens in between.

The high points are that Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt. He rose to a position of prominence with Potiphar, working in his household. Then Potiphar’s wife sexually harassed Joseph and falsely accused him of sexual assault.

But Potiphar believed his wife and had Joseph thrown in jail. While he was there, he won the favor of the guards and helped care for other prisoners. He was released when he interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams that revealed a famine was coming. And he rose to a position of prominence with Pharaoh.

Joseph ultimately became the one in Pharaoh’s government that saved up food to get the people through. And he not only saved the people of Egypt, he also helped the people of Canaan because the famine struck the whole region.

Joseph’s father and brothers left Canaan and went to Egypt hoping to buy food. They didn’t recognize Joseph, but he recognized them. He eventually told them who he was, and saved them. And they seemed to be reconciled. They even relocated to Egypt. But when their father died, the brothers lied about his dying wish to make sure Joseph really had forgiven them.

Even with the deception, it’s hard to overstate the significance of the reconciliation that happens between Joseph and his brothers because of the complexity of their family dynamics. Because the family was broken.

Jacob, or Israel as he’s sometimes called in this part of the story, saw the son he really wanted in Joseph. And it was at the expense of his other sons. Jealousy led to hatred, which led to a serious consideration of premeditated murder, but ended up with human trafficking instead – which isn’t any better.

All through this story, all through this family, were lies and deception. But none of that was the end of the story. God worked in and through all those things toward a future that preserves life. But that does not mean that God caused or wanted or willed any of the hurt, pain, or harm that was inflicted in this story.

God didn’t cause Jacob to love unequally, or the brothers to be envious and cruel and jealous – they made their choices. Jacob chose to love his sons the way he did. And the brothers let jealousy, and the fear that underlies it, get the better of them.

It’s really important to remember that those were choices made by human beings. Because it is never God’s will that anyone should suffer or be harmed, or cause harm.

In Joseph’s story, God worked through the awful things that were done to him and brought life out of them. [1]And Joseph said as much; and it’s important that Joseph said it, because he’s the one that lived through it. For anyone else to say that, it risks becoming “everything happens for a reason” or “that was God’s plan for you all along.”

Both of those statements are dangerous and incorrect theology. Because, again, God didn’t cause the horrible things that happened to Joseph. But God worked through the sinful acts of human beings and brought life out of them.

Situations like what happened to Joseph have played out over and over again in countless situations in our world throughout history. And God continues to work through them, over and over again, to fulfill the promises God has made to always love humanity and bring life out of the places of death that humans create.

[2]As Christians, our most tangible example of that is Jesus. Jesus was crucified because sinful human beings executed him. And still, in and through that action, God was able to bring life by turning the worst of human sin into an occasion for bestowing grace and bringing life.

A few weeks ago, a false claim was made about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. It isn’t the first time that has happened to a group of people. And, unfortunately, it probably won’t be the last.

It has been widely denounced, but it still went viral for all the wrong reasons. It has led to bomb threats at local schools and other security issues.

Last week, it was reported that non-Haitian people in Springfield are packing into Haitian restaurants to show their support for that community. And that is beautiful. I believe it’s a sign of God at work bringing life. And God will continue to work and bring life out of that situation.

But it doesn’t erase the harm that was caused, and is being caused, because that statement never should have been made in the first place. It wasn’t God’s will or part of God’s plan.

And even though it happened halfway across the country, we need to pay attention to it because it can just as easily happen here.

[3]As people of faith, we claim God’s goodness and provision and intention. As part of that claim, we also promise to not harm anyone, and to prevent others from causing harm. And when we can’t prevent it, we promise to take action to correct it as best we can and bring healing.

[4]Because as Christians, we claim that our belief in Jesus means that our worldview, the way we live and understand the world, is one that creates, builds, and heals. And we claim that that means we live in such a way that we help others envision that way of life.

And that is a really bold claim! But it’s what our faith demands.

Living through that lens prohibits us from painting one person or group of people with broad strokes, limiting our understanding of them and potentially dehumanizing them.

The lens of our faith in Jesus helps us acknowledge the humanity of each person. It keeps jealousy and fear from taking root and getting the better of us. It enables us to recognize hatred and false teachings, and gives us the courage to speak the truth.

And when we speak that truth with a shaky voice, or when we don’t make as good a choice as we could have, God is still at work bringing forth life.

The world we live in was created by God, but it’s shaped by human action. And humanity has proven it can do some pretty awful things.

But throughout history, God has taught us that even in the worst that humans can do, God is at work. That in and through whatever we do or don’t do, God is able to bring life by turning the worst of human sin into an occasion for bestowing grace and bringing life.

That is what we claim, and that is what we trust. Thanks be to God! Amen.

[1] https://www.workingpreacher.org/podcasts/nl-podcast-418-god-works-through-joseph

[2] https://www.workingpreacher.org/podcasts/nl-podcast-418-god-works-through-joseph

[3] https://www.workingpreacher.org/podcasts/590-god-works-through-joseph-sept-22-2024

[4] https://www.christiancentury.org/first-words/posture-hope