Monday reflections

I love preaching on the Joseph story because it is a great story, but I continue to find it a challenge to take a narrative passage and transition it to points of a sermon. I also find it hard work to differentiate each week's topic -- it is too easy to collapse each week into the same general point from Joseph's story.

What did I like about Sunday's sermon? The text messaging illustration seemed to work. The telling the Joseph story sections worked for me as well, although I noticed people in the pews who had not been here for several weeks, so I wonder if I should have given more background.

Overall, the idea that God works with us in the mess of our lives and our world seemed appropriate to the text and the congregation. I did struggle with the point about staying in relationship while working through issues when I looked out at saw several people who have experienced difficult divorces. I would not want the point to be interpreted as a critique of getting divorced, but I do think that even in divorce situations, as in most broken relationships, we still have to deal with mess we create.

What worked for you? What would you like to have heard? What did not work for you?