Tawa Baptist

Redemption

Scripture: Genesis 42:1-24

Video Link: https://youtu.be/uimjqLmyGj8

Structure:

  • Introduction 
  • Redemption is God’s initiative
  • Redemption requires our participation
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

In the game of monopoly there is one card no one wants to be dealt and that is the Go to jail card. Getting sent to jail takes you out of the game so you can’t trade and you can’t pass Go and collect $200.

But at least the rules provide opportunities for redemption. To be released from jail and restored to the game, you must either throw a double or hand in a get out of jail free card.

This morning we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph focusing on Genesis chapter 42, verses 1-24. The next three chapters of the story show how God used Joseph to redeem his brothers; to release them from the prison they were in and restore their relationships.

To set the scene, famine has spread over the known world and people everywhere are at risk of starving. From Genesis 42, verse 1, we read…

1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” 2 He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”  3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. 5 So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. 6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.” 8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.  9 Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.” 10 “No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.” 12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.” 13 But they replied, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.” 14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! 15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17 And he put them all in custody for three days. 18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do. 21 They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.” 22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” 23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter. 24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s Word for us.

In this reading, we see God’s hand at work to redeem Joseph’s brothers. Two things we note here. Redemption happens at God’s initiative and redemption requires our participation. Let’s begin by considering God’s initiative in redeeming Joseph’s brothers.  

Redemption is God’s initiative:

If you get caught in a rip while swimming in the surf, there’s not a lot you can do. The best advice is to go with the current and not fight against it. Otherwise, you might end up exhausting yourself and going under.

In a situation like that, when you are relatively powerless to save yourself, you are dependent on the initiative of the surf life savers to come to your rescue in an IRB.

Likewise, if you are seriously injured or sick in some way, you are dependent on the initiative of the doctors to heal you.

Or if you are lost in the bush with a broken leg, you need land search and rescue to find you and bring you out.    

It’s similar with the redemption of our souls. We cannot save ourselves. Our redemption happens at God’s initiative.

One of the intriguing things about Joseph’s reconciliation with his family is that he does not initiate it himself. Joseph waits over 20 years before encountering his brothers again. And when he does finally meet them, it is not his doing nor is it his brothers’ doing. It is God’s doing. The Lord brings them together, at the right time, through a famine.

For more than seven years Joseph has been the second most powerful man in all of Egypt, next to Pharaoh. Joseph could have gone back to Canaan to find his family and confront his brothers. Joseph could have exacted his revenge if he wanted to. But he doesn’t.

In fact, far from nursing any resentment, Joseph has let the matter go. He has forgiven the past. As we heard last week, in Genesis 41, Joseph named his first-born Manasseh saying, ‘It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household’.

It’s interesting the way Joseph acknowledges God’s initiative here in making him forget his troubles. Joseph is able to forgive the past because God (by his grace) has enabled Joseph to let go of the hurt.

Joseph needed those 20 plus years, not only to rise to a position of power in Egypt where he could help his family, but also to allow God toheal him personally. To make him strong enough and wise enough to play a part in the redemption of his brothers.

Joseph may have forgotten the troubles of his past, but his brothers have not. They live with the burden of their guilt every day.

At the beginning of Joseph’s story, his brothers treated him badly. They sold him into slavery and added to their wrong by covering up what they had done so their father thought Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

By committing this sin and lying about it, Joseph’s brothers put themselves in a jail of sorts. Not an actual jail, with concrete walls and iron bars. But rather the mental and spiritual prison created by guilt and deceit. They had been incarcerated in their minds for over twenty years.

As Walter Brueggemann puts it…

The brothers have no room in which to act, no energy for imagination and no possibility of freedom. They are bound by the power of an unforgiven past, immobilized by guilt and driven by anxiety. [1]

That is a truly awful place to be. Perhaps some of you here understand all too well what this is like. The brothers are trapped in their minds and their spirit suffers for it. But God wants to redeem them, just as he wants to redeem you.

There are two aspects to God’s redemption; two arms if you like. Release and restoration. God’s redemption releases and restores.

That is why Jesus came. Jesus came at God’s initiative to redeem creation. Jesus releases humanity from sin and guilt, superstition and fear and all that robs us of life and corrodes our spirit.

At the same time Jesus restores us to right relationship with God and each other so we can love courageously and enjoy abundant life.

The deeds Jesus performed; healing the sick, casting out demons, forgiving sins, restoring sight to the blind, raising people from the dead and so on, are signs of God’s redemption.

As Christians, we believe our redemption will be fully realized when Jesus returns in glory. It’s been a long wait though, 2000 years in fact.

Because redemption is God’s initiative, it happens in God’s time, not ours. Our part is to be ready when God provides the opportunity. For redemption doesn’t happen to us automatically. Redemption requires our participation.

The thing is redemption may not feel all that pleasant at first. The road to redemption can be a bit bumpy. The early stages of our redemption may feel like a trial or a punishment, as it did for Joseph’s brothers.

Redemption requires our participation:

Many people believe the way to test whether a diamond is real or fake is to run it across a piece of glass. If the diamond is real, it will cut the glass, and if it’s fake, it won’t.

Apparently, this test is a myth. It’s just something they do in the movies. In real life, dragging a diamond across a piece of glass damages both the diamond and the glass.

However, there are other tests you can carry out to determine whether a diamond is real or not.

If the gem is unmounted, then try placing it over printed words. If you can clearly read through the stone, it’s not a diamond. Diamonds refract so much light you cannot see any lines or letters through them.

Or you could do the fog test. Just put the diamond in front of your mouth and breathe on it. If it stays fogged for 2-4 seconds, it’s a fake. A true diamond will disperse the heat instantaneously so by the time you look at it, it has already cleared up.

Just as we might know the true character of a diamond by testing it, so too Joseph seeks to know the true character of his brothers by testing them. Redemption tests for truth, because without truth there is no freedom and no peace.

At their father’s prompting, the brothers go to Egypt to buy grain.

And when they get there, they bow down before Joseph. As a boy of 17, Joseph was powerless to stop his brothers. Now, as a man in his 30’s, the tables have turned and the brothers are at Joseph’s mercy.

Remember the dream God gave Joseph, all those years before, when his brothers’ sheaves of grain bowed to his. This is the beginning of the fulfilment of the dream.

We know this but Joseph’s brothers don’t. Verses 7 & 8 tell us that as soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but they did not recognize him.

It is little wonder that Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him. Firstly, it had been over 20 years since they had last seen Joseph and they thought Joseph was dead anyway, so they were not expecting to see him.

Secondly, Joseph was speaking to them through an interpreter and thirdly, Joseph looked like an Egyptian. He was clean shaven and dressed in clothes foreign to the bearded Hebrews.

Why then does Joseph accuse his brothers of being spies? He knows full well they pose no threat to Egypt’s security.

Well, Joseph is testing his brothers’ character. He needs to know whether they have changed their ways. It’s one thing to forgive someone, but it’s another thing entirely to learn to trust them again. Forgiveness is a gift. Trust is earned.

Forgiveness is letting go of our hurt and anger, so that we no longer seek to get even with the person who has wronged us. Forgiveness releases us. Forgiveness is one of the ways we participate in our own redemption. If we don’t forgive, we end up with the other person living rent free in our head.

It is always necessary to forgive others, but it may not always be wise to trust them. Trust is precious and needs to be offered with discernment. Don’t put your pearls before swine, is what Jesus said.  

Some people think that reconciliation is the same as forgiveness. It’s not. Forgiveness is a necessary step in the process of reconciliation, but there is more to reconciliation than forgiving someone.

Reconciliation goes beyond forgiveness and seeks to restore the relationship fully by rebuilding trust. And for trust to be rebuilt, the truth must be faced. Joseph has forgiven his brothers. He just doesn’t know if he can trust them yet.

Joseph tests his brothers by speaking harshly and accusing them of being spies. And the brothers defend themselves against this accusation by explaining that they were twelve brothers from one father. But one of their brothers is at home and the other is no more.

This serves as proof because, if they were spies, their father would not risk ten of his sons. He would have sent just one or two.

Joseph pounces on the knowledge that one son (Benjamin) is still at home, saying, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! And this is how you will be tested… you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here…”

Joseph’s test involves subjecting his brothers to a small taste of their own medicine. Just as Joseph’s brothers had thrown Joseph into a pit and sold him into slavery, Joseph throws them in jail for three days. This is not revenge. This is sowing the seeds of understanding.  

Joseph does not enjoy it. As God’s agent of redemption, Joseph must put his brothers in a situation where they experience what it is like to be powerless and vulnerable.

Joseph wants to see if they have learned empathy and care for each other. Joseph needs to know whether his brothers are ready and willing to participate in their own redemption. Are they truly repentant in other words.

On the third day, Joseph releases his brothers from prison. The third day has special significance in the Christian imagination. The third day is the day of Jesus’ resurrection, a day of redemption. A day of release from death and restoration to eternal life.

Joseph says to his brothers, ‘If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back to your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me…’

This shows us Joseph is not being vindicative or vengeful. Joseph knows it has taken the brothers a week or so to travel from Canaan to Egypt and it will take a week to get back. He does not want his family to suffer. 

Joseph’s test works. The ten brothers say to one another, in verse 21…

“Surely we are being punished for our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.”

This verse marks a significant turning point in the brothers’ redemption. They face the truth of what they have done, making an honest confession of their guilt. They accept what is happening to them as just punishment. Little do they know that God is not punishing them. God is redeeming them.

In verse 22 Reuben says, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.”

At this Joseph turns aside to weep. When the brothers own up to their crime against him (albeit unwittingly), Joseph does not gloat. He weeps. These are not tears of bitterness and grief. These are tears of healing and release. Tears of redemption. 

Joseph weeps because, without knowing it, his brothers have shown him they have a conscience and they feel remorse for what they have done. The brothers have taken the first difficult step of participating in their own redemption.

Of course, it is one thing to admit wrongdoing. It is another thing entirely to translate those feelings of remorse into a change in behaviour.

As much as Joseph wants to reveal his true identity, he knows the test cannot end here. The brothers must return to Egypt with Benjamin. Benjamin is Joseph’s only full-blooded brother and Joseph wants to see if they will look after him.  

Simeon alone is made to stay behind as a hostage. Simeon is the second eldest and probably the most disliked and cruel of all the brothers. If they return for Simeon, then this will prove they care for one another.  

Conclusion:

I’m not sure what redemption you crave. I don’t know what holds your mind captive. But I am sure God wants to release you and restore you. He redeemed Joseph’s brothers, so he can redeem anyone.  

In first John chapter 1, verse 9, the apostle writes…

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

With the knowledge that God is gracious and wants to redeem, I invite you to pray this simple prayer with me now…

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

May God release you to walk in paths of righteousness and restore you to fruitfulness in his purpose. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is redemption? Discuss / reflect on the two arms of God’s redemption.
  • What does God do to redeem Joseph’s family? How do Joseph’s brothers participate in their own redemption?
  • What is forgiveness. How is forgiveness different from reconciliation? 
  • Why does Joseph speak harshly to his brothers and accuse them of spying? Why does Joseph weep in verse 24?
  • Can you remember a time in your life when you were powerless to save yourself? What happened? How was your life redeemed? What role did God have in your redemption? What did you need to do? How did you feel (before, during and after)?
  • What redemption do you crave? Make some time this week to talk with God about this. What do you need to be set free and restored? 

[1] Walter Brueggemann, Genesis, page 337. 

Tawa Baptist

Fruitful

Scripture: Genesis 41:41-57

Video Link: https://youtu.be/VTF9TNsC2-Q

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • What is fruitfulness
  • How to be fruitful
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Today we continue our series in the life of Joseph.

So far it’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Joseph. He lost his mother when he was young. Was put on a pedestal by his father. Hated and sold into slavery by his brothers. Promoted to general manager of Potiphar’s household. Falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison, before being brought into Pharaoh’s presence to interpret the king’s dreams.

There’s more twists and turns in this story than a corkscrew. From Genesis chapter 41, verse 41 we pick up the story…

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure. Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.” When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s Word for us.

When you are doing your personal devotions, it’s a good idea to begin by prayerfully reading through a passage of Scripture, asking God to highlight what he wants to say. Read the passage slowly, three or four times, until you sense God’s Spirit drawing your attention to a particular verse or idea.

It’s important not to rush the process. Don’t force it. Don’t try too hard. Let the word of God come to you. Once you have the verse, sit with it for a while. Meditate on it. Make room for the word of God to take root in your mind and grow.

As I was reading through Genesis 41 in this way, earlier in the week, Joseph’s words about God making him fruitful resonated with me. I sensed a certain creative energy stirring within me when I came to verse 52.

With this in view, today’s message explores the idea of God making Joseph fruitful. How does God make Joseph fruitful? And by extension, how can we be fruitful? Before diving into those questions though, we need to ask, what does it mean to be fruitful?

What is fruitfulness:

Well, on one level, fruitfulness has to do with reproducing life. But at a deeper level, fruitfulness also has to do with fulfilling our purpose.

Take wheat for example. A stalk of wheat is fruitful when it produces many heads of grain. The grain is full of life and the DNA of the plant. It can be sown in the ground to reproduce more wheat. Or the grain can be harvested and used for food. 

Wheat is fruitful, then, when it fulfills its life-giving purpose of multiplying itself and feeding God’s creatures.

Joseph is not a stalk of wheat though. Joseph is a human being. So what does it mean for a human person to be fruitful?

Well, our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. To say it another way, we are fruitful when we reflect God’s image. For example, God is creative and life-giving, therefore we reflect God’s image when we are creative and life-giving. God is love, so it follows that we glorify God when we love our neighbour as we love ourselves.

During the week we had an afternoon tea to remember Alison who passed away last Sunday. As I reflect on Alison’s life, I am mindful of the fruits of the Holy Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.

Alison’s life was fruitful for God’s glory. She reflected God’s image in the way she related with others.

Fruitfulness, for Christians, also has to do with reproducing a life of faith.

We do that, with the help of God’s Spirit, through the process of discipleship. That is, learning to trust and obey Jesus. First Jesus says, ‘come follow me’. Then he says, ‘go make disciples.’ That’s how we reproduce Christian faith.

Returning to Joseph. God’s purpose was to use Joseph to bless the nations. Joseph was fruitful in fulfilling God’s purpose by producing and storing grain in the years of plenty so people would have bread in the years of famine.

In this way, Joseph reflects God’s image as one who provides for people. Lord, give us this day our daily bread. 

To be fruitful then, is to reproduce a life of faith and fulfill our purpose of reflecting God’s image. The next question we might ask is, how can we be fruitful? We get some clues on how to be fruitful by considering how God made Joseph fruitful.

How to be fruitful:

Wheat grows best in warm climates, between 21 and 24 degrees Celsius. Wheat needs a lot of sunshine, especially when the grains are beginning to fill out. Wheat does not thrive when conditions are too damp.

In New Zealand, most wheat is grown in the Canterbury region because Canterbury has cold winters and warm dry summers. You don’t see much (if any) wheat grown in Wellington because the climate is not right.

One thing you need for fruitfulness then, is to plant in the right place at the right time. Keeping in mind God’s purpose to save millions from starvation, Joseph needed to be in the right place at the right time.

If Joseph had stayed in Canaan with his family, he would be in the wrong place to fulfill God’s purpose. Likewise, if Joseph had stayed in the dungeon, he would be in no position to help.

God made Joseph fruitful by getting Joseph into Pharaoh’s palace at just the right time to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. Then God gave Joseph favour in Pharaoh’s eyes, so that Joseph was made Prime Minister of Egypt. God planted Joseph in Egypt and Joseph grew in Egypt.

Where has God planted you? Grow where you are planted. The place you are planted could be the neighbourhood you live in or the faith community you are part of or the organization you work for or the vocation you give your life to.   

The place God plants you might be close to family or a long way from home. It might be easy to find, or it might take years to discover. It might feel like your choice, or it might be forced on you. But in the end, when the time is ripe, the place God plants you is the place you are fruitful.

Being planted in the right place at the right time is not enough by itself. Joseph also needed the right tools to be fruitful.  

In verses 41-45, of Genesis 41, we read of all the different tools Pharaoh gave Joseph to get the job done. Pharaoh handed Joseph his signet ring so that Joseph could seal official documents and make things happen.

Pharaoh dressed Joseph in fine clothes, put a gold chain around his neck and had Joseph ride in a chariot with fanfare, to show everyone that Joseph had Pharaoh’s full support.

Pharaoh also gave Joseph an Egyptian name so that other Egyptians would accept him. And Pharaoh arranged for Joseph to marry into a noble Egyptian family, so that he would be well connected.

These things were the tools and gifts Joseph needed to be fruitful for God’s purpose in this situation. And Joseph accepted them.

We are not all given the same tools or the same gifts. This is because we each have a different job to do. So the question becomes, what tools (or gifts) has God given you? Because that’s probably a clue as to what the Lord wants you to do?  

It is not enough to plant in the right place, at the right time. Nor is it enough to have the right tools for the job. To be fruitful you also need to know how to use the tools and grow the crop. You need the right skills to get the most out of the harvest.

God didn’t just take Joseph out of Canaan and plonk him Pharaoh’s palace overnight. No. God gave Joseph the experience he needed to gain the skills to govern Egypt and manage the world’s food security.

More than simply equipping Joseph with the right skills, God developed Joseph’s character. 

Joseph was raised in a complicated, dysfunctional family with all the politics that comes with that. Then Joseph rose through the ranks as a slave in Potiphar’s household, learning the Egyptian culture and some management skills along the way.

Eventually Joseph found himself in charge of a prison, with responsibility for the pastoral care and welfare needs of the inmates. God put Joseph through the school of hard knocks so that Joseph was prepared with the skills and backbone he needed to run the country.

It’s interesting the way Joseph says (in verse 52 of Genesis 41) that God has made me fruitful, in the land of my suffering.

I’m not sure we can be fruitful without suffering. I don’t want to glorify suffering much less try to explain it. Suffering is not ideal, but it is sometimes necessary. Much like pruning a fruit tree or a grape vine is necessary to ensure a good harvest.

Suffering has a way of shaping our character and our perspective, for better or worse. Too much suffering can undermine our character, making us bitter and brittle. Just as too little suffering can make us less resilient and more entitled.

The right amount of suffering though, coupled with the right support, can make you stronger and wiser.

God, in his inscrutable wisdom, deemed it necessary for Joseph to suffer as a slave for about 13 years. This crucible experience not only equipped Joseph with some valuable skills it also formed his character in a good way.

One thing that makes suffering especially hard is that we don’t necessarily know how God is going to use it for good. When you are going through a difficult time, you cannot always see the purpose.

Joseph probably didn’t understand what God was doing during those 13 years of his captivity, but he still trusted in the dream God had given him. Our dream, our hope, is based firmly on the resurrection of Christ. Jesus’ resurrection is what we trust in, through good times and bad.     

Reflecting on your own life. What skills and character-building experiences has God given you? How might you use your skills and experience in service of God’s purpose? 

Returning to our wheat metaphor. To be fruitful you need to clear the ground of rocks and obstacles. It does little good to try and sow seed on hard ground. The soil needs to be receptive to the seed.

Translating that for Joesph (and for us) ‘clearing the ground’ means forgiving the past, letting go of your hurts, accepting yourself. You cannot be very fruitful when you are carrying a chip on your shoulder.   

In verse 51 of Genesis 41, we read how Joseph named his eldest son, Manasseh saying, ‘it is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household’.

It’s not that Joseph literally doesn’t remember what his brothers did to him. It’s more that Joseph has managed, by God’s grace, to let it go.

God has compensated Joseph for the injustice he has suffered, so Joseph is able to stop dwelling on the past and enjoy life in the present.

This letting go of the troubles of his past happens before Joseph talks about God making him fruitful.

What hard ground in your soul does God want to soften? What hurts does the Lord want to heal? What do you need to let go of, from your past?  

The fifth thing required for fruitfulness is doing the work. You can be in the right place at the right time. You can have all the tools and skills you need. You can clear the ground and forgive the past, but if you don’t do the work, there will be no fruit.

In verses 48-49 of Genesis 41, we read how Joseph did the work. During the seven years of plenty he went throughout Egypt gathering grain and storing it.

There was quite a bit of effort and organization in doing this. Joseph would have arranged for silos to be built, grain to be planted and harvested and stored. I expect it was a busy time. But Joseph stuck to the plan. He did the mahi. He did the work. And he did it in a smart way.

Joseph did not put all his eggs (or grain) in one basket, so to speak. Joseph spread the risk by having grain silos throughout the country.

This was wise stewardship. If you put all the grain in one centralized place, then you make that city a target for attack. Spreading the silos also made distribution easier later on. 

Of course, the work did not stop when the seven years of plenty ended. When the famine started to bite, Joseph then had the tricky job of managing demand and supply.

Some of you may be thinking, ‘I can see how saving the excess of the good years was a helpful thing. But why does Joseph then sell it back to the same people in the years of famine? That doesn’t seem fair. Shouldn’t he have given it to them, without charging, since he took it without paying?’

Well, Joseph not only had to stockpile enough food for the famine, he also needed to make sure it lasted. Putting a price on the food enabled Joseph to control the supply in an equitable way.

Just as a bottleneck enables you to pour liquid in a controlled way.

The Reserve Bank do a similar thing to control inflation. If inflation rises, then the Reserve Bank creates a bottleneck on the flow of money by putting interest rates up.

Putting a price on the food made people more honest and realistic about their need. If Joseph gave the grain away for free, he would have no way of knowing whether some people were cheating the system by taking more than they needed.

Charging people not only made the system fairer, it also made the food last longer. Fairness and good stewardship go hand in hand with Joseph’s brand of fruitfulness.

Conclusion:

In talking about how we can be fruitful we must not miss the most important fact that it is God who made Joseph fruitful, just as it is God who makes us fruitful.

It is God who plants us in the right place at the right time to do his will.

It is God who provides the right tools together with the skills, experience and character we need to fulfil his purpose.

It is God who gives us the grace to forgive the past and the strength to complete the work.

Without God we cannot be fruitful. Therefore, it is essential that we take special care of our relationship with God, through Christ. 

In John 15, Jesus says…

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…

Let us pray…

Gracious God, help us to remain in Christ and be fruitful for your glory. Through Jesus we ask. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • How has God used you to reflect his image? How has God used you to reproduce a life of faith? (You might want to ask someone who knows you to help you answer these questions.)
  • Where has God planted you?
  • Why does God give us different tools? What tools has God given you? What is it God wants you to do? 
  • What skills and character-building experiences has God given you? How might you use your skills and experience in service of God’s purpose? 
  • What hard ground in your soul does God want to soften? What hurts does the Lord want to heal? What do you need to let go of, from your past? 
  • Why is it important that we take care of our relationship with God? How are you doing this?
Tawa Baptist

God’s Control & Compassion

Scripture: Genesis 41:1-40

Video Link: https://youtu.be/BkeLVZRDzN0

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Genesis 41:1-8
  • Genesis 41:9-16
  • Genesis 41:25-32
  • Genesis 41:33-40
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Many of you will know the story of king Canute. Canute the Great was king of England about a thousand years ago. He was a good ruler and the country enjoyed peace and prosperity during his reign.

One day king Canute decided to demonstrate to his flattering courtiers that there were some things outside of his control. To do this he set up his throne on the seashore and commanded the incoming tide to halt.

The tide continued to rise, of course, washing over his legs.

Then the king stood up and said, ‘Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings, for there is none worthy of the name, but He whom heaven, earth and sea obey by eternal laws’.

King Canute then hung his crown on a crucifix and never wore it again to honour God the Almighty King. 

Today we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph by focusing on Genesis 41, verse 1-40. In this passage, we see that God is in control and God is compassionate. God’s control and his compassion go together.

From verses 1-8 of Genesis 41 we read…

Genesis 41:1-8

1 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2 when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3 After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4 And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. 7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. 8 In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In Roald Dahl’s book, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, five children win golden tickets for a guided tour through Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Four of the five kids are used to always getting what they want and because of this they come to a sticky end.

Charlie is the only child who knows what it is to not get what he wants, and he is the only one to make it out unscathed.

You see, the problem with always getting what we want is that it creates the illusion that we are in control when, in reality, we are not.

Yes, we do have choices and we can control ourselves if we put our mind to it. But ultimately, we are limited in what we can do.

There are forces at work in the world more powerful than us which we must submit to. Trying to maintain the illusion that we are in control creates a great deal of stress and anxiety. Ultimately, we function better when we trust our lives to God.   

Unfortunately, Pharaoh is used to having his own way. He is the dictator of the Egyptian empire. He can have whatever he wants whenever he wants. This only serves to strengthen the illusion that he is in control.

For Pharaoh’s own good, God dismantles the illusion by giving Pharaoh a dream. God needed to disturb Pharaoh to get his attention. As king of the land, Pharaoh was not used to being disturbed. A man in his position had assistants who filtered out much of the riff raff and bad news.

But there is no filter for our dreams. We cannot control the great ocean of the unconscious.

Pharaoh’s dreams were frightening. It cannot be pleasant watching a scrawny cow eating a fat cow. Cows are supposed to eat grass, not each other. Same thing with grain. Both dreams depicted something outside of Pharaoh’s control and he did not know how to interpret them.  

Pharaoh was probably also disturbed by the fact that the River Nile featured in his dream. The ancient Egyptians believed the River Nile, and its annual flooding, were the source of life, fertility and prosperity.

Unlike Palestine, which relied on rainfall for successful crops, Egypt relied on the Nile. As long as the Nile watered everything, the people were happy and Pharaoh’s throne was secure. Any threat to the Nile was a threat to Pharaoh’s power.

Pharaoh’s magicians and wise men cannot figure out Pharaoh’s dream either, which only exacerbates Pharaoh’s anxiety. And this is where Joseph comes in. From verse 9 we read…

Genesis 41:9-16

9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11 Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. 13 And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.” 14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

Joseph in Pharaoh’s court reminds us, a little, of Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. When Charlie won his golden ticket, things changed for him, and quite quickly. He was lifted out of poverty and his dreams came true. It was similar for Joseph.

Joseph’s sudden rise from the dungeon to the palace sounds a note of hope for us. Sometimes when we are in the pit, we can feel like we have no future, with nothing good to look forward to. The truth is none of us knows what’s around the corner. God can change things for the better very quickly, so don’t give up.

When we feel down and out, we do well to remember the words of Jesus, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. 

Joseph did not abandon his hope in God. Joseph remained close to the Lord in prison. Then, when his opportunity came, he was ready.      

Standing before Pharaoh, Joseph was under no illusion as to the limits of his power and control. Joseph understands he can no more interpret Pharaoh’s dreams than hold back the tide. Joseph is quick to credit God as the one with the answer Pharaoh desires.

What we notice here, in verse 16, is Joseph’s complete confidence in God. Despite everything he has been through, Joseph is totally convinced that God is in control, not Pharaoh or anyone else. More than this, Joseph also believes God is compassionate.

Joseph listens carefully while the king retells his dreams…

Genesis 41:25-32

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine. 28 “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

Have you ever looked at a puzzle or a problem and not been able to make sense of it? Then someone comes along with the insight you need which unlocks the answer for you. All at once everything makes sense. In hindsight it seems so obvious.

This is what God does for Pharaoh through Joseph. God unlocks the meaning of the dream. Pharaoh does not question or doubt the interpretation. It all makes sense the moment it is explained.

What is perhaps less obvious is the way Joseph repeatedly underlines the fact that God is in control and God is compassionate.

In verse 16, Joseph says God will give the answer.

Then in verses 25 & 28, Joseph says that God has revealed what he is going to do.

And in verse 32 we read that, God has decided the matter, it will happen soon. 

Joseph is speaking truth to power in these verses and the message is clear: ‘Pharaoh, you are not in control of this. You have no say in the matter. But don’t worry. God is in control and God is compassionate.’

That is a brave statement for Joseph to make. Especially to a man who could take his head off.

The idea that God is in control is not difficult to grasp; we see this in the way Joseph says, God will do it soon, the matter is firmly decided.

It’s a little harder, though, to see how God’s compassion comes into it. After all, the seven good years are followed by seven years of famine, so severe that the good years are forgotten. 

Well, we see God’s compassion in the warning he gives. God is not angry with Egypt. There is no call to repentance here. The seven years of famine are not a judgement or a punishment. They are simply bad weather.

God has revealed to Pharaoh what’s going to happen,so Pharaoh can take action ahead of time to save lives. God, in his compassion, gives a long-range weather forecast so the king can avoid a humanitarian crisis.

There was a problem with one of the air forces’ planes during the week which meant our Prime Minister was late to some important meetings in Australia. I kept thinking, how good it was that our air force personnel were on to it and detected the fault before the plane took off.

The flight might have ended badly if the plane had taken off with faulty landing gear. To my mind, God’s control of the situation and his compassion were at work through the care and initiative of the air force crew.     

For some people, the story of Pharaoh’s dream raises a philosophical question. Is the future fixed or flexible? Is the future closed or open? Is the course of history set in stone or more fluid, like a braided river?

Well, I don’t think we can draw any firm conclusions based solely on Pharaoh’s dream and Joseph’s interpretation. It would appear, from a broader reading of Scripture, that God does determine some things in advance but not everything.

The fact that God, in his inscrutable wisdom, predetermined seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, in Genesis 41, does not negate human initiative.

As Walter Brueggemann points out, the fixed purpose of God is no occasion for human abdication. God’s purpose is not the end of human planning but the ground for it.  

Knowing what God has planned is no excuse for throwing our hands in the air and saying, there’s nothing we can do anyway. To the contrary, knowing God’s purpose for the future gives clarity about how to proceed in the present. The choices we make matter.

This is certainly how Joseph sees it. Joseph is confident in God. He does not wait to hear if Pharaoh agrees with his interpretation. Joseph sees himself primarily as a servant of Yahweh, more than a servant of Pharaoh.

With this in view, Joseph offers a prudent response, a plan of action to save Egypt. From verse 33 Joseph says…

Genesis 41:33-40

33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

One thing that churches throughout the country are wrestling with currently is the ever-increasing cost of insurance. If we knew when disaster was going to strike, we could prepare for it.

But, unlike Pharaoh and Joseph, we don’t know what the future holds. We live by faith. Thankfully, the life of the church and our salvation are not based on our insurance policy. The future of the church depends on God. And Jesus has said, ‘I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’.

Bearing that in mind, it is still prudent to have insurance if you can afford it. Joseph’s plan is to insure against the coming years of famine by putting aside the overflow of the good years.      

37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”  39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

Pharaoh, a man who up till that point in his life had trusted in a river, found faith to publicly acknowledge that the ‘spirit of God’ is in Joseph.

And while it is not clear what Pharaoh meant by the ‘spirit of God’, it is clear that Pharaoh trusted Joseph in a very real way. For Pharaoh made Joseph second in command of the entire Egyptian empire.  

Throughout today’s reading we have seen Joseph’s confidence in God. Now we observe Pharaoh’s confidence in Joseph and his faith in God.

Pharaoh is like king Canute in the way he recognizes the limits of his power and control. Pharaoh understands he can no more prevent the coming famine than he can hold back the tide.

By handing Joseph the keys of his kingdom, Pharaoh acknowledges that God is in control and God is compassionate.

Conclusion:

When we look at the world we live in today, a world scarred by war, hunger, injustice, climate change and a whole catalogue of evils, it may be difficult to swallow this belief that God is in control and God is compassionate. If that is true, if God is in control and God is compassionate, then why is there so much suffering in the world?

God has not given us an explanation for suffering. Instead, God has given us his Son, Jesus, who shares in the suffering of the world.

When you are in the thick of it, you don’t need an explanation. What you need is to know that you are not alone and the suffering will not last. The best is yet to come. Jesus’ death and resurrection communicate divine presence and hope in ways that words cannot.

God sent Jesus to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth. Whether we can see it or not, the Spirit of Jesus is at work in the world to bring an end to the chaos and violence. Jesus came to make all things new.

Herod could not prevent the birth of Jesus and Pilate could not prevent the death of Jesus. For God had already decided that Jesus would be born human, die on a cross and raised to eternal life. 

It may not be in our power to stop the crisis in Gaza or the war in Ukraine or domestic violence in New Zealand. But it is in our power to put our faith and hope in Jesus. And so that is what we do.    

May God open our eyes to see his control and compassion at work in the world around us. Amen.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What sorts of things are outside of our control? What, in your life, can you control? What strategies do you have for dealing with the things you cannot control?
  • Can you think of a time when God lifted you out of a pit? What happened? How does that experience strengthen you to face the future? 
  • Why does Joseph tell Pharaoh that he cannot interpret dreams, but God will give Pharaoh the answer?  
  • In what ways do we see God’s control and God’s compassion at work in Genesis 41? In what ways can you see God’s control and God’s compassion at work in the world today?
  • Why does God reveal the future to Pharaoh? What plans do you have for the future? How do your plans fit with what you know of God’s plans? 
  • Discuss/reflect on the ways Jesus embodies/works out God’s control and compassion. 
Tawa Baptist

Living in Hope

Scripture: Genesis 40

Video Link: https://youtu.be/4goHi0qKgzg

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Living in hope
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

The American poet, Emily Dickinson, once wrote…

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tunes without words and never stops at all.

Hope is the enduring belief that something better waits for us in the future. Hope gives our soul wings. It makes the present, with all its trials and difficulties, easier to bear.

Today we continue our sermon series in the life of Joseph, focusing on Genesis chapter 40. We see hope woven through this passage. Joseph is living in hope, even while in prison. From Genesis 40, verse 1, we read…

Sometime later the king of Egypt’s wine steward and his chief baker offended the king. 2 He was angry with these two officials 3 and put them in prison in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same place where Joseph was being kept. 4 They spent a long time in prison, and the captain assigned Joseph as their servant. 5 One night there in prison the wine steward and the chief baker each had a dream, and the dreams had different meanings. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were upset. 7 He asked them, “Why do you look so worried today?”  8 

They answered, “Each of us had a dream, and there is no one here to explain what the dreams mean.”

“It is God who gives the ability to interpret dreams,” Joseph said. “Tell me your dreams.”

9 So the wine steward said, “In my dream there was a grapevine in front of me 10 with three branches on it. As soon as the leaves came out, the blossoms appeared, and the grapes ripened. 11 I was holding the king’s cup; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into the cup and gave it to him.”

12 Joseph said, “This is what it means: the three branches are three days. 13 In three days the king will release you, pardon you, and restore you to your position. You will give him his cup as you did before when you were his wine steward. 14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to the king and help me get out of this prison. 15 After all, I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here in Egypt I didn’t do anything to deserve being put in prison.”

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the wine steward’s dream was favourable, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream too; I was carrying three breadbaskets on my head. 17 In the top basket there were all kinds of baked goods for the king, and the birds were eating them.”

18 Joseph answered, “This is what it means: the three baskets are three days. 19 In three days the king will release you—and have your head cut off! Then he will hang your body on a pole, and the birds will eat your flesh.”

20 On his birthday three days later the king gave a banquet for all his officials; he released his wine steward and his chief baker and brought them before his officials.

21 He restored the wine steward to his former position, 22 but he executed the chief baker. It all happened just as Joseph had said. 23 But the wine steward never gave Joseph another thought—he forgot all about him.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Living in hope:

Robert Schuller once said…

Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.

This is about not looking back in bitterness but instead imagining a better future. Not as easy as it sounds. It’s not like you can flick a switch to turn off our hurts and turn on our hope.

Some hurts run deep and long. Some hurts need to be faced and disarmed, like a bomb. Other hurts are smaller though and can be brushed off before they settle in the mind and take root in the soul.

Letting your hopes, and not your hurts, shape your future requires a renewing of the mind. A change of thinking.

Just as you grow a plant by watering it so too you grow an idea by thinking about it. The more you consider your hurts, the bigger your resentment grows and the more turned in on yourself you become.

Likewise, the more you think about your hopes and the good coming your way, the deeper your feelings of gratitude and the more outward looking you are.       

Joseph had suffered some significant hurts. Hated by his brothers. Sold into slavery. Falsely accused and put in prison. The temptation for Joseph was to look back in anger. To feed his hurt with fantasies of revenge.

But Joseph does not water his hurts. He refuses to let bitterness take hold. Joseph chooses to look forward in hope. God has given Joseph a dream, even if to some it seems like a nightmare.

Despite his present circumstances, Joseph believes the good God has promised will come true. Joseph let’s hope shape his future.

What hurts do you need to brush off or disarm?

What hopes do you need to water?

Genesis 40 begins by telling us the king’s wine steward and chief baker had offended the king of Egypt, so Pharaoh threw them both in prison to await investigation.    

The wine steward and chief baker had special roles in protecting the king’s food and hiring reliable staff. They were men Pharaoh trusted with his life. When the text says that these men offended the king, it probably means that one of them behaved in a way that put Pharaoh’s life at risk.

Because of the power and position he held Pharaoh had to be constantly on his guard against those who might try to kill him. It is no small irony that powerful people cannot afford to live in hope. More often powerful people live defensively, viewing others with suspicion.

Joseph does not live in suspicion though. Unlike the king, he has nothing to lose. Being assigned to look after these court officials raises Joseph’s hope.

After some time in prison, the cup bearer and the baker both had a different dream on the same night. They woke up the next day visibly upset.

Contemporary psychology says that most dreams are about the person’s past, not their future. But in the ancient world people were inclined to view their dreams as an omen from the gods; a prediction of things to come. Hence the wine steward and baker’s anxiety. Are their dreams heralding good news or bad news?   

Joseph notices something is wrong and asks why they look so worried. Hopeful people (like Joseph) tend to be outward looking. Hopeful people are not so focused on themselves that they miss the cues other people give. Hopeful people are inclined to show empathy and to offer help.

The two court officials were worried because they had dreams about their future and no way to interpret them.

But Joseph lives in hope and replies, “It is God who gives the ability to interpret dreams, so why don’t you tell me your dreams”.

In this verse we see that God is the basis for Joseph’s hope.

Hope doesn’t just happen by itself. Joseph has cultivated hope in God. He has taken care of his relationship with God. We know this because Joseph’s default setting, his instinctive reaction, is to reach out to God for help. Joseph is confident God will answer him.   

And God does answer Joseph. After listening carefully Joseph explains the symbolism of the dream, reassuring the wine steward that in three days he will be restored and all will be well. Now the wine steward is living in hope too.

Believing in a better future for himself, Joseph sees an opportunity to give his future a helping hand, saying…

But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to the king and help me get out of this prison…”

The word translated as kindness, in verse 14, is Ḥeseḏ in the original Hebrew. Joseph is asking the wine steward to show him Ḥeseḏ.

You may remember from last week that Ḥeseḏ is a word loaded with meaning and history. Ḥeseḏ is an action essential to the survival or the basic wellbeing of the recipient. Given the circumstances no one else can do it. And Ḥeseḏ takes place in the context of an existing relationship.

Ḥeseḏ is pregnant with hope. If someone promises to do Ḥeseḏ for you, then you have a basis for believing the future will be better.  

Some commentators criticize Joseph for asking the wine steward for help. They think he should not have sought to gain from the situation. Perhaps those commentators have never been in a tight spot like Joseph was.

There’s nothing wrong with asking for help when you cannot help yourself. Joseph did not leverage the wine steward. He did not try to coerce or manipulate anyone. Joseph did not say, ‘I will only interpret your dream if you promise to help me first’. No, Joseph helped the wine steward freely, in hope that the good he did would return to him.

By asking for help Joseph shows humility and trust. Giving is often easier than receiving. It takes a certain kind of grace to accept help.

Hope is infectious. If you spend time with hopeful people, their hope tends to rub off on you. In verse 16 we read…

“When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the wine steward’s dream was favourable, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream too…”

This might betray a guilty conscience on the baker’s behalf. The wine steward told his dream first, without fear, indicating a clear conscience – nothing to hide.

But the baker holds back sharing his dream until he hears a favourable response. Perhaps the baker knows he is to blame for their predicament and is somehow hoping to get off the hook.

Whatever the case, the baker’s hope is misplaced. Hope can be a dangerous thing if it is not fulfilled. After listening carefully to the baker’s dream, Joseph gives the interpretation.

In three days the king will release you—and have your head cut off! Then he will hang your body on a pole, and the birds will eat your flesh.

Joseph speaks the difficult truth. The flip side of hope is judgment.

The oppressed are not set free unless the oppressor is removed.

The righteous cannot prosper unless the wicked are stopped.

We cannot expect the future to be better if those who do evil are allowed to continue. We cannot have hope without judgment.

The trick is being on the right side of hope. Jesus came to save us from judgement. Jesus came to give us a future with hope. Receive Jesus, trust in his righteousness, and you will have hope for eternal life.

If you confess with your mouth that ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved.      

Three days later, on the king’s birthday, everything happened just as Joseph said it would. The king restored the wine steward and he had the baker executed.

23 But the wine steward never gave Joseph another thought— he forgot all about him.

It would be two more years before Joseph was remembered. God does things in his own way and his own time. The text does not tell us how Joseph felt to be forgotten. We don’t really hear much about Joseph’s feelings until the end of his story.

But, from our own experience, we know that feeling of darkness which settles in the heart when we realize the help we had hoped for is less and less likely to come through.

Francis Bacon once said…

Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.

Perhaps what he meant was, hope that remains unfulfilled is not good.

It is helpful to start with hope. Hope sustains you through the morning and afternoon of life. But if, by the end of the day, your hope has come to nothing, you are left feeling emptier than ever.

Sometimes as Christians we pray earnestly and sincerely for someone or something, fully believing that God will answer our prayer as we wish. But, despite our faith, the good we had asked for does not happen and our hope is dealt a savage blow.

We may feel disappointed and angry with God or at least confused and questioning. There is risk with hope, just as there is mystery with prayer. Sometimes God answers our prayers with a yes. Other times with a no. And quite often with wait. Yet we cannot understand why.

We don’t always get what we want in this life. This life is not always fair, but this life is not all there is. God raised Jesus from the dead and so the hope we have in Christ transcends death. God has a way of making things right, if not in this life, then in the next. God’s timing is not always our timing.

The beatitudes of Jesus are statements of hope. Jesus says…

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.   

When we put our hope in Jesus we get some comfort, some filling and some knowledge of God in this life, but our hope is not fully realized until Jesus returns in glory. In the meantime, like Joseph, we eat the breakfast of hope.

The early Christian author, Tertullian, once wrote…

Hope is patience with the lamp lit.

Hope is not always invigorating or vibrant or strong. Sometimes hope is muted and fragile, a quiet waiting in the dark, comforting yourself with the warm thought that things will change for the better, even if you cannot imagine how.    

Whatever disappointment Joseph may have felt, he did not abandon his hope. Joseph kept believing in the dream God had given him. He kept waiting to be remembered.   

Sometimes we are like Joseph, feeling forgotten as we wait in the dark of not knowing. Hang in there. Don’t let the lamp of your hope go out. Ask for help if you need it. Be patient and remember, God’s timing is not always our timing.

Other times we are more like the wine steward, forgetting those who have helped us. Remember with thanks those who have been there for you when you were anxious or sad. Do they need your help now?

How can you pay their kindness forward? Who can you light the lamp of hope for?   

Conclusion:

Today, because it is the first Sunday of the month, we are sharing communion. Interesting that this reading, featuring a server of wine and a baker of bread, just happened to fall on a communion Sunday. I did not plan it that way. Was it God’s providence? Maybe.

Communion is a time to remember Jesus.

To remember someone, in Christian thought, means more than simply recalling that person to mind. It’s more than merely thinking, ‘Oh Jesus, yea I remember him. He was that guy who died on a cross 2000 years ago, right?’

For believers, to remember is to make good on a commitment.

To remember someone is to show kindness to them.

To remember Jesus is put into practice his teaching in our daily lives.

We don’t just remember Jesus while eating the bread and drinking from the cup. We remember Jesus by loving God and by loving our neighbour as we love ourselves.

Remembering is both personal and practical. Yes, remembering is meant to happen in church on a Sunday, but we also need to remember throughout the rest of our lives, Monday to Saturday.    

The problem with human beings is that we tend to forget. We get caught up in our own stuff and stuck in our heads. We forget our purpose and we get a bit lost. We need to be reminded of who we are and why we are. That’s what communion is about.

May God’s Ḥeseḏ for us, in Christ, be a lamp of hope for all, through the long dark night of waiting. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What is hope? How does hope help us?
  • How might we let go of our hurts and give more attention to our hopes? What hurts do you need to brush off or disarm? What hopes do you need to water?
  • Why is it harder for powerful people to live in hope? When has hope been most real in your life?
  • Discuss / reflect on the relationship between judgement and hope? How can we get on the right side of hope?
  • Who has been there for you? How can you remember them? How can you pay their kindness forward? Who can you light a lamp of hope for?   
  • What does it mean to remember Christ? How do we (you) remember Jesus?