"Remembering" sermon

“Remembering” August 22, 2010; Exodus 1: 1-14 Joseph series

Introduction: Read Genesis 50: 15-20
Rev. Ed cartoon: Beetle Bailey: Two guys are leaving church and passing by the the church sign that has the sermon title prominently posted with an asterisk. “What the asterisk for?” “Read the find print at the bottom.” “portions of this sermon have been previously preached.” “it's a rerun!”
As we finish the preaching series on Joseph, this sermon is sort of a rerun.
My two points have been previously preached.
Move 1: God will remember
a. I had been out of seminary several years before I discovered that that Exodus immediately follows Genesis.
1.I mean, I already knew that in the sense that Exodus was the book immediately following Genesis, but I had not tied the end of Genesis to the beginning of Exodus.
2.Read Joseph lots of times.
3.Read Exodus lots of times.
4.Even had Old Testament in seminary.
5.But there I was, reading through the Bible in a year (like some of us did two years ago here). End of Genesis one day; beginning of Exodus the next day.
6.You've got to be kidding me! I went back and read it again.
7.I sat there stunned.
8.Surely there is something missing.
9.This cannot be happening.
10.Joseph saves Israel by bringing them to Egypt, and then one chapter later the Israelites are slaves in Egypt.
11. Wow!
b. The world changes.
1.Jacob dies.
2.Joseph dies.
3.New leader in Egypt is worried about production; the new leader is worried about those foreigners who are rapidly multiplying (sounds like it's taken straight from today's headlines).
4.New leader cares about production, not salvation.
5.The world has changed for the Israelites.
6.Our world changes, too.
c. When the world changes and no one remembers you, God.
1. When a new Pharaoh is in charge and does not remember Joseph and Joseph's ancestors, God will remember.
2. Salvation comes in starts and spurts because humans have a tendency to forget; but, God will remember.
3. salvation may follow a circuitous route; but, God will remember.
Move 2: Not only does God remember, but God continues to be at work.
a. Follow the story lines.
1. Joseph
2.Exodus
3.Broaden the context
4.God wants to be at work in a loving relationship, so God creates.
5.God wants to be at work with a particular people, so God calls Abraham and Sarah to lead a new people, the Israelites.
6.God wants to save Israel, so Joseph.
7.God wants to lead the Israelites back from their sinfulness, so God works through the prophets
8.God wants to redeem the world, so God acts in Jesus Christ.
9.God wants to continue to be at work in the world, so God sends the Holy Spirit.
b. God will be at work for good.
1.Wicked: Witches before they were witches. They speak of their relationship with a sense of foreboding, but they acknowledge that having known each other had changed them for the good.
2.God has a long history of changing people and situations for good.
3.Joseph and his brothers – saw how they were changed for the good.
4.God is at work in our lives – we are called to be changed for the good.
5.God sends us into the world – to change people for the good.
6.Giving Tree – entering into people's lives in the name of Christ to help them and invite them to new opportunities that can change them for the good.
Conclusion:
1. She had been shopping with her mom in a store. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to flow down the spout.

We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the store. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world.

Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in.

"Mom, let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked. "Let's run through the rain!" She repeated. "No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied. This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, Let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said. "No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, He can get us through anything!'"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.
Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case.

They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.
We may not know the storms we will encounter.
We may not know whether we will stay dry in the rain or get a washing.
But we know the God who remembers us and is at work in our lives and the world.