Reflections on "Family Life" Genesis 37: 1-14; 17-35

 The was the first of three sermons on the Joseph story.  As I mentioned in the sermon, our fall preaching series is as follows:  three sermons from the Joseph story; three sermons on stewardship; three sermons on Esther; and then a final sermon in which Joseph and Esther will have a conversation! 

I have always loved the Joseph story, including Sondheim's musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."  Doing the story in three sermons probably moves too quickly, but that is the hand I dealt.  the text below was amplified quite a bit in the actual preached sermon.  I must not have prepared well enough since I kept adding to what was in the written part of the sermon!

I really liked the idea of seizing the grace moments we encounter and also trying to be a moment of grace for someone else.  In fact, as we started the church's Instagram (@standrewdenton) this week, we added a clip from the sermon and asked the question -  how can we be a moment of grace for someone else.  

“Family Life” Genesis 39:17-35; SAPC; Denton; Sept 18, 2022;  Richard B. Culp 

¹⁷The 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. ¹⁸They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. ¹⁹They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer. ²⁰Come 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.’ ²¹But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, ‘Let us not take his life.’ ²²Reuben 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. ²³So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; ²⁴and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

25 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. ²⁶Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? ²⁷Come, 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. ²⁸When 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.

29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes. ³⁰He returned to his brothers, and said, ‘The boy is gone; and I, where can I turn?’ ³¹Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. ³²They 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.’ ³³He recognized it, and said, ‘It is my son’s robe! A wild animal has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.’ ³⁴Then Jacob tore his garments, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son for many days. ³⁵All 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.

Introduction:  We begin our falling preaching series:

three weeks in the Joseph story -  we will read through parts of what is longest sustained narrative about a person in Genesis;  the Joseph story is also the last story that involves primarily a single clan.  After this, it will be about the people of Israel.

then, three weeks reflecting on stewardship; 

three weeks in the Esther story - one of those weeks will be the Fall Festival of Faith worship service with visual arts;   Esther is also the book of the Bible that never mentions God

 

Esther and Joseph meet one week right here at St. Andrew.  

and then Advent will be here!  My how the fall is already flying by!

Several themes from the Joseph story - this week we take our cue from the second verse of chapter 37:  “this is the story of the family of Jacob.”

We might add, “The dysfunctional family of Jacob.”

Move 1:  Look at dysfunctional family life of Jacob.

a. who do you want to be in this story?

1.  Jacob?  He is after all one of the patriarchs of God’s people.  when they call on the name of God, they call “God the father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”  Pretty heady crowd.

He has shown himself to be a shrewd businessperson.  

But, not so sure about his parenting style.  He seems to show favoritism.

Helps create a situation that pits brother against brother where killing off a brother seems like a good option.

one more story in genesis where the father seems to create brother rivalry.

2.  .  If not Jacob, do you want to be one of the brothers?

Not sure what redeeming qualities we find in the story, although before the story is done they do seem to show love for the family and all the brothers.  they do seem to take on some responsibility before its all said and done.

But, they are angry, jealous brothers with little concern for their brother Joseph or really their father.

3.  do you want to be Rachel or Leah or some of the other mothers of Jacob’s sons?

Jealousy abounds behind the scenes;  we do not know much about the women, except for Rachel and Leah, and not all that much about them.

But, it seems as if their lives were lived out at the mercy, or whim of Jacob. 

4.  what about Joseph?  Does anyone want to be Joseph?

Before the story is done, he will have lots of power and the opportunity to save God’s people.  so maybe being Joseph is a good thing.

But at this point in the story?  Joseph is the brother who tattles on the other brothers.

Joseph is the one who has dreams about the power he will have over his brothers, and he shares his dreams;

We might say he gloats over his brother.  

he might be Jacob’s favored son, but it does not seem like anyone really likes him.

b. Reminder that family life can be complicated.

1. Even for God’s people.  

2.  When asked if it felt weird being a liturgist when his parents (all people are adults) were in worship, the person responded:  “Well, usually we’re more likely to call each other names than read Scripture to each other!”

3.  I won’t ask for a show of hands from those here who see some dysfunction in their families, but if you do, you are right at home with one of the premier families in the Bible!

 

Move 2:  what might we learn from observing Jacob’s family life?  lots of lessons, but here are a few.

a.  Do not act out of the belief that there is not enough love to go around.

1.  I suspect that the real reason Joseph’s brothers resent Jacob’s show of favoritism for Joseph is that they interpret that to mean that Jacob does not have enough love for them.

2.  in their minds, to eliminate Joseph might free up some love for them.

3.  Family relationships are full of brokenness created by one person chasing what they perceive is a finite amount of love.

b.  Do not be afraid of the future and the change it will bring.!

1.  When the brothers see Joseph coming and decide to kill him, notice how they describe him “here comes the dreamer.” 

2.  As if by killing Joseph they can cling to their particular moment in time and then never have to deal with the future as it unfolds.

3.  the dreams are particularly threatening because they speak of future challenges that will demand change and a new way of life.

4.  the brothers can get rid of Joseph, but they cannot keep the future from unfolding.

5.  In fact, eventually they will need their family connections to deal with the future.

c.   Sense of humility

1.  Joseph, for all his brilliance and ability to dream, lacks humility.

2.  he seems to enjoy his favored status with his brother.  Can’t you see him prancing around in his long robe with sleeves?

3.  Can’t you hear the excitement in the voice as he announces to his brothers not just his dreams, but that the dreams mean his brothers will bow down to him, indeed, perhaps all the world will bow down to him.

Move 3:   Seize moments of grace

a. the plan is to kill brother Joseph.  

1.  Get rid of the problem, literally

2.  Except for Reuben.

3. Reuben cannot kill off his brother.

4. he can agree to throw Joseph in the pit, but not kill him. 

5. I’m not sure how that might work, since if Joseph gets out of the pit, he has one more thing to tattle about his brothers to Jacob, but the brothers relent.

6. Instead of killing Joseph, they sell him to some Ishmaelites passing through the area.  (by the way, If the twenty pieces of silver were shekels than the brothers received an average price for Joseph (Leviticus 27:5 notes that twenty shekels is the monetary equivalent of a male aged 5-20 years when paying off a vow).

 

b.  This moment of grace changes the story in the moment and the trajectory of the overall story of God’s people.

1. We know that this moment of grace will allow Joseph to live.

2. In doing so, it will allow God’s people to live later in the story.

3.  Reuben shows literally saving grace.

c.  Look for those moments of grace.

1.  in your complicated family relationships, look for those moments of grace.

2.  maybe unintended, but still moments of grace that allow you to move to the next place.

3.  Maybe surprising moments of grace - who would have expected such grace from that brother, or that sister, or that parent.

4. Look to be the moment of grace for others.

5. What can you do to breathe new life into broken relationships?

6.  Seize the grace-filled moment and let it reshape the relationship.

Conclusion:   Who do you want to be in the story?

Better yet, who do you want to be in your family relationships?

Reflections on “Coming and Going” Luke 3: 21-22

 

this was Rally Day worship wiith the commissioning of teachers, remembrance of 9/11, and reaffirmation of baptism.  The musicians did a wonderful job leading us through worship and the different "moods" of each part of worship.    The sermon was preached as an invitation for people to come forward and touch the baptismal water, grab a rock from the bottom of the font, and be anointed by one of the pastors.  I think the sermon worked well to set up the reaffirmation of baptism

“Coming and Going” Luke 3: 21-22; SAPC; Denton; Sept 11, 2022;  Richard B. Culp 

Luke 3: 21-22  1 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, ²²and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ 

Introduction:  We gather around the waters of baptism this morning in our worship - a font in the front of the sanctuary; a font in the back of the sanctuary;  perhaps a bowl of water on a table as you worship with us on live stream.

in a few minutes, you will be invited to rehearse a pattern followed again and again by disciples of Christ -  coming to the waters of baptism and then going from the waters of baptism.

coming and going.  

Move 1:  Coming to the waters of baptism.

a.  We know that Jesus sent the disciples out into the world to baptize others, but do you remember that people were showing up for baptism before they have even met Jesus or heard bout him?

1.  Before Jesus was baptized.

before the Holy Spirit descends upon him in the form of a dove.

before the voice from the heavens declares, “you are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

2. Before all of that people were coming to be baptized.

b.  Why were they coming to be baptized?

1.  maybe they felt a need to change their lives;

or they had a desire to move forward in a new way

or they were desperately hoping to find something that would make a difference in their lives.

2. Whatever the reason - they were coming to the waters of baptism.

c.  Like them, we come to the waters of baptism.

1.  Not a new place.

2.  Some have presented children for baptism

Some of us have knelt before the baptismal font as the water was spilled over onto us.

3. Some of us have not been baptized, but in coming to the waters are making that step that may lead us to baptism.

We are a people shaped by coming to the waters of baptism.

Move 2:  At the waters of baptism, God acts.

a.  We are not coming to the waters of baptism to be re-baptized.

1.  God acts in baptism, so we only need to be baptized once. 

2.   what God has done, does not need to be redone.

3.   sometimes we need reminders

b. Flannery O’Connor’s short story “The River” has a scene where a young boy is baptized in the river.  

 “Have you ever been Baptized?” the preacher asked.

“What’s that?” he murmured.

“If I Baptize you,” the preacher said,  [he goes on to describe baptism a little differently than we might]“ you’ll be able to go to the Kingdom of Christ. You’ll be washed in the river of suffering, son, and you’ll go by the deep river of life.   But then the preacher asks, “Do you want that?”

“Yes,” the child said, and thought, I won’t go back to the apartment then, I’ll go under the river.

“You won’t be the same again,” the preacher said. “You’ll count.”

(Flannery O Connor's short story, “The River.”  A variation of this quote was referenced by  P. C. Ennis, “The Power of Approval,” Journal for  Preachers, Easter, 2008, Volume XXXII, Number 3, 14; to read the complete short story go to http://www.doxaweb.com/assets/The_River.pdf)

We are coming to the waters of baptism to be reminded that when God acted in the waters of baptism, we were changed forever.

move 3:  Going from the waters of baptism

a.  The renowned preacher Reverend Peter J. Gomes, former Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard Divinity School and Minister at the Memorial Church, Harvard University, and American Baptist minister often noted that Baptism does not immunize one from temptation or from Satan: quite the contrary, it raises one's consciousness. The newly baptized meet temptations that they could not before ever imagine. (http://lutheranconfessions.blogspot.com/2011/03/peter-gomes-on-matthew-41-11.html)

1.  Being baptized does not remove you from the world through the magical splashing of water.

2.  Being baptized means being initiated into the body of Christ and following Christ into the world.

3.  in the waters of baptism we proclaim that we are joined with Christ in his death and resurrection, which also means we are joined with Christ in his work in the world.

b.  Martin Luther, the great Reformer, reputedly has this Latin phrase written in chalk on his desk.  

1. The phrase “Baptizatus Sum.” 

2.  It translates as “I am baptized.”

3.  In Latin, it has the sense of this ongoing thing. It’s not “I was baptized,” it’s “I have been and continue to be baptized.”  (https://lutheranhuskerblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/07/baptizatus-sum-sermon-for-1-7-2018/)

4.  For Luther, it stood as a reminder each day that we had been claimed by God.  There was nothing in the world that could separate him, or us, from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

5. For Luther that was a daily truth.

6. As church historian Martin Marty notes, For Luther, baptism "signifies that the old creature in us … is to be drowned and die through daily … repentance, and … that daily a new person is to come forth and arise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” (Martin Marty, "Luther: The Daily Gift of New Life,” Christianity Today, https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-86/luther-daily-gift-of-new-life.html

c. When you come to the waters of baptism, you are invited to take a rock from the water to go home with you.

1. Put it in your pocket

on your desk

or the kitchen table

or your dresser

2. See it or touch it each day and be reminded that you have been, or are going to be, and you continue to be baptized - claimed by God; united with Christ; sent by God.

Conclusion:  Come to the waters of baptism.

Go from the waters of baptism into the world.

“How Are You Doing” Joshua 24: 14-28; Ephesians 2: 1-10

This was the final sermon in the preaching series on how our Book of Order describes ministry of members.  

 “How Are YOu Doing” Joshua 24: 14-28; Ephesians 2: 1-10; SAPC; Denton; Sept 4, 2022;  Richard B. Culp 

Ephesians 2: 1-10  You were dead through the trespasses and sins ²in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. ³All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. ⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us ⁵even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— ⁹not the result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Introduction:  We finish our summer preaching series on the ministry of members expectations from our Book of Order this morning.  

Fittingly, we finish the expectation that we “

“reviewing and evaluating regularly the integrity of one’s membership, and considering ways in which one’s participation in the worship and service of the church may be increased and made more meaningful.” (G-1.0304, Book of Order)

it’s the “How are you doing as a member?” or “how are you doing as a disciple of Christ” sermon!

Just as Joshua challenged the Israelites at a particular time to renew and examine their lives, renew their covenant with God, and make changes to how they live, we are asked to reflect on our own lives of discipleship to see how we are doing.

Fittingly, this week’s sermon points us to next Sunday when we will gather around the baptismal font and Reaffirm the Baptismal covenant.

So consider this morning’s sermon as the first step of reflection as you prepare to reaffirm the baptismal covenant next week.

Move 1: First, rules for our self-evaluation.

a.  Rule one - No comparing yourself.

1. this is not about the person next to you in the pew.

2. it is not, “i am such a bad member or disciple or Christ compared to so-and-so.”

Nor is it, “I may not be perfect, but I am so much better than so-and-so.”  

3. it is about honest reflection on who we are these days and how we are doing following Christ.

b.  Rule two - You can find a biblical character or two to use as your partner in reflection.

1.  For one thing, none of the bible characters get it correct all the time, except for Jesus, so we can find comfort in knowing that the people of God are as imperfect as we are.

2.  But the biblical characters reveal people who have discovered their need for God’s presence and guidance and the power of God to give them gifts for the particular tasks to which they are called.

3. As you reflect on your life, feel free to discover the inner Moses, or Esther, or Puah, or Gideon, or Peter, or Mark, or any host of other biblical characters.

c. Rule three - Grace abounds.

1. Paul tells the Ephesians, and tells us, “by grace you have been saved.”

2.  Your reflection is not a way of proving yourself worthy of being saved, but a tool to help you better respond to God’s saving grace.

Move 2:  The question as you begin your reflections is “Who does God want me to be?”

a. In my work in the presbytery in OH, I traveled with the Executive presbyter to different churches on multiple occasions.  I heard her speak and preach fairly regularly.

1. she had a favorite story she often told about her aunt who work with clay.

2.  she would sit at a spinning wheel and shape the clay.

3. her aunt would tell how she molded the clay in the Eskimo tradition.  

that is, she would talk to the clay to get the spirit to guide her as to shape the clay into what it should be.

Apparently, as she molded the clay she would continually ask, “Who are you?”

Then, she would listen for the Spirit to answer and shape it as she heard the spirit guide her.

b. As you reflect on your life this week, as the Holy Spirit, who does God want me to be?

1.  Examine your life.

2. Listen for the Spirit to speak.

3.  be shaped by God.

c.  in our reflections, we also need to ask, “how does God want the world to look.”

1 Who God wants us to be is not just about us, as if God’s desires is strictly a personal desire for each of us.

2.  God redeems all the world and calls us to be a part of what God is doing in the whole world.

3. If you cannot see how God’s transformation of your life connects to God’s work in the world, then listen some more.

Move 4:  Pick one area you want to change or improve.

a.  Prayer life

b.  Reading the Bible 

1. Read in a year.

2.  Confirmation schedule

3.  pick a gospel.

c.  Worship

d.  Super Wednesday

e.  Mission project

f.  As you take your discipleship into the world, maybe there is an area there that needs your attention.

g.  If you join us on live stream, how are you living out your calling wherever you live?

h.  Have you ever seen the movie Mr. Holland's Opus?  It follows the life of Mr. Holland, a high school band director who has grand plans for his life, and then spends most of his life teaching and directing the band at the high school. 

the movie has a poignant scene when Mr. Holland’s wife tells him that she is pregnant.  He clearly lacks excitement about the news – it will change his plan for his life, after all – and she gets upset by his lack of excitement.

To help explain why he acted that way, he tells her a story. As a teen, he had been given a John Coltrane album and listened to it only he disliked music. But assuming he was missing something that the giver had seen or heard, he listened again, and again, and again, until John Coltrane was all he wanted to hear. From that time on he knew that music was his calling.  And, when his son is born, he names him Cole.

A tribute to how he worked and worked and it changed his life.

And if you have seen the movie, you know that his changed life shaped the lives of others.

Conclusion: Reflect on how you are doing as a disciple of Christ, and for some, a member of St. Andrew

Begin to make a change.

And remember, grace abounds.