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Rev. Charles Lehmann + Genesis 50:15-21 + Pentecost 17 In the Name of + Jesus. Amen. Our world is full of strange things. One of the most odd is that many of you actually want to be here. The Lord promises to speak His Word in the church. He has given the Holy Scriptures. He has even called me here to preach His Word to you. He has placed me into the office of the ministry by the laying on of hands. And He wants me to speak for Him. But why would any reasonable sinner want to hear what God has to say? Why would anyone who knows that they are sinful want to hear the word of the Holy One who cannot tolerate sin? God's holiness will always destroy sinners. It's really strange, if you look at it logically, that any of you want to be here or to hear that. So why are you here? I suspect that it's because you know something I haven't mentioned yet. Maybe you think that God doesn't just have a word of Law for you. If that's what you're thinking, then you're absolutely right. Hear the Word of the Lord: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. Do not fear, people loved by God. Your Lord has sent me to comfort you. He has sent me to proclaim the year of His favor. God has died for you on the cross. He has forgiven your sins. He has won life and salvation for you and for all who believe. So, really, it's not so strange that you want to be here. It makes a lot of sense that you want to hear God say that He loves you. That's because you know what sort of God you have. You know that He has already poured out His anger on His Son. He loves you. It is a strange and wonderful thing to be a sinner who is loved by the holy and righteous God. By comparison, the story that we hear in today's Old Testament reading is very normal. It's not surprising that Joseph's brothers are afraid of him. It's not surprising that they don't expect to survive the encounter. No Hollywood screenwriter could write a scene more dramatic than the one we heard this morning in Genesis 50. Joseph is the regent of Pharaoh. He has been holding court and speaking for the king of Egypt for twenty-six years. He is dressed in gold and fine linen. His beard is braided, oiled, and adorned with gold. Joseph, son of Jacob, oozes power. At fifty-six years old he is the most powerful man in the world. With one word he can kill. With another he can bestow immense wealth. And at his feet, lying prostrate, are his brothers. They are terrified. Joseph has their lives in his hand. His brothers know that all Joseph needs to do is speak a word, and they will be killed in an instant. Death is what Joseph's brothers expect. And more than that, it is exactly what they deserve. In order to understand why this is so, we have to think about what had happened forty years before. When Joseph was just seventeen, his brothers were jealous of him. They hated him for the love given to him by Jacob, and they hated him for the dreams given to him by God. Because of their jealousy, they stripped him naked, threw him into a cistern, and then, after they changed their minds about killing him outright, they sold Joseph into slavery. Boys will be boys, and brothers will be brothers. Scratches, scrapes, and black eyes aren't uncommon in houses filled with little men. We've all seen it, and some of us have lived it. Conflict is never worse than when it's in your own family. And though it's unlikely that any of you have been stripped, beaten, and sold into slavery by your brothers, we all know what it feels like to be hurt by people we love. The only thing worse than being hurt by our loved ones is when we hurt them. The knife of betrayal hurts us most when we're the ones holding it. Joseph had lost everything at the hand of his brothers. His freedom, his family, and all that he had known during his seventeen years of life had been taken from him. First he was a slave, and then he was thrown into prison because he had been falsely accused of rape by his master's wife. By the evil act of selling their brother for twenty shekels of silver, Joseph's brothers had made him one the most hated members of Egyptian society. As far as the Egyptians were concerned, Joseph was a slave, a traitor, and a rapist. But we're not just talking about Joseph and his brothers. It happens in our families too. We don't have to go to the Scriptures to find examples of families that have been hurt by jealousy, pride, and all sorts of sin. Evil is all around us. It afflicts all of our relationships. But what Joseph's brothers meant for evil, God used for good. God used their hatred, jealousy, and the suffering they inflicted on Joseph to save thousands of lives. God used Joseph's brothers to send him to Egypt, and then, by giving Joseph the interpretations of Pharaoh's dreams, God had enabled Egypt to store food during seven years of bountiful harvests. This, in turn, allowed Egypt to provide for both their own people and those of the surrounding nations when seven years of famine struck the land. Because of the gift of interpretation that God had given Joseph, Pharaoh made him governor of Egypt when the seven years of plenty had begun. Nine years into Joseph's reign as Pharaoh's governor, the famine had struck Canaan and Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to buy food. Joseph could have killed his brothers on that day twenty-four years before today's reading, but he didn't. Instead, Joseph hid his identity from his brothers, filled their bags with grain, and sent all their money back with them. Joseph's brothers deserved his full wrath, and he could have given it. He had the power. He had the authority. But what Joseph's wicked brothers actually received from him was love and mercy. Gift upon gift. When Joseph's brothers were on their way home, they found the money in their bags along with the grain. This worried them greatly. They didn't know Joseph had hidden the money in their bags. When they needed food again, they were afraid to return to Egypt. They expected him to accuse them of theft. But they didn't have any choice. Only Egypt had food. So Joseph's brothers returned to Egypt with double the money they'd brought the first time. They still didn't know they were talking to Joseph. They protested their innocence. They swore that they had not robbed him. They trembled in fear. Joseph's reply must have shocked them. It was not what you'd expect to hear from a servant of Pharaoh. Joseph said, “Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.” These are interesting words. After all, God didn't put the money in the sacks. Joseph did. But Joseph doesn't see it that way. He knows that God has sent Him to Egypt. Joseph knows that anything that he gives, the Lord is giving through him. Joseph believes that he is the Lord's instrument. So, to Joseph it makes perfect sense. “Do not fear. God gave you the treasure. He just used my hands.” It's not long after this that Joseph finally reveals himself to His brothers. He tells them that he does not hold their sin against them. He promises to provide for his father's needs, his brothers' needs, and all their families' needs. Though Joseph has received only evil from his brothers, he gives them all the wealth of Egypt. So why the fear in today's reading? Why, seventeen years later, are Joseph's brothers still so terrified? Joseph has given his brothers no reason to fear. He has steadfastly kept his word to them. He has cared for them for nearly twenty years. He has brought the family back together which his brothers had torn apart. The answer is actually quite simple. Even though they should, Joseph's brothers don't trust him. They don't believe that it's possible that Joseph would forgive them on his own. Joseph's brothers think that it is only out of love for Jacob that he has spared them. But now Jacob is dead. What will keep Joseph from killing them now? The answer is in Joseph's question. In our reading he asks, “Am I in the place of God?” The answer probably isn't what we'd first expect. Is Joseph in the place of God? Yes! Absolutely! He is in the place of God. And that is why his brothers should never have been afraid. The Lord is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Our God forgives iniquity. The Lord repays evil with mercy. Joseph had already forgiven the sins of his brothers. He spoke on this day the same word that he had spoken seventeen years before. He said, “Do not fear. You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” If Joseph had been acting on his own, he might have punished his brothers. He might have sold them into slavery, put them in prison, or had them executed by Pharaoh's army. But Joseph was in the place of God. He gave to His brothers exactly what the Lord gives to you. Love. Mercy. Forgiveness. We are just like Joseph's brothers. We're insecure. We're afraid. When we think about our sin it becomes hard to believe that God could really love us. Consider your past week. What sin have you committed? What relationships have you hurt? Each day we commit deeds that should earn us the Lord's wrath. How is it that any of us are here today? Each morning that we wake up is a day that God did not give us what we deserved while we were asleep. But that is the way of God. It is the way of God to love those He has redeemed. It is the way of God to die for sinners. It is the way of God to forgive. It doesn't make any sense. There is no logic to divine mercy. For God to love sinners is utter nonsense. It's hard to believe God could love me. It's hard to live in the freedom He gives. It's hard to let God's perfect love cast out our fear. That's because we are like the brothers in today's story from the Old Testament. Joseph's brothers stripped him of his coat of many colors, and we cast lots for God's clothing. They sold their brother into slavery, and we nailed our Savior to the cross. They let their brother be convicted of a crime he didn't commit, and we let God the Father punish His Son for our crimes. Joseph's brothers condemned him to years of suffering, and we have killed the author of life. You are like Joseph's brothers. Joseph comforted his brothers when they were afraid. Joseph forgave his brothers' sins. Joseph provided for all of his brothers needs. Joseph even took care of his brothers' little ones. When fear would strike his brothers, Joseph would comfort them again and again and again. Joseph never tired of showing mercy to the ones who had betrayed him. You are like Joseph's brothers. Jesus comforts you when you are afraid. Your Savior has forgiven all your sins. The Lord gives you life, salvation, and all that you need for this body and life. When fear strikes you, Christ comforts you with all His promises. Your Lord and Savior never gets tired of telling you of the love He has shown for you on the cross. When the crowds cried out for Jesus' death, they didn't mean it for good. When they shouted, “His blood be on us and on our children,” they weren't asking for a blessing. They were evil and murderous words. They meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. Though every one of our sins sent Jesus to suffer and die on the cross, God has accomplished our salvation through it. Just think of it. God has sent me to proclaim the forgiveness of your sins. He has sent me to tell you that He loves you. He has sent me to comfort you in all your affliction. God's not going to change His mind. He's not going to get tired of forgiving you. There is no fear that He does not want to destroy. There is no distress in which He does not want to comfort you. Not even killing God can make Him stop loving you. God is good. He desires you. He wants to be with you forever. Today He is going to give you His body to eat and His blood to drink. Rejoice, people loved by God. Your sins are forgiven, and you are free. In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and your minds in faith in Christ Jesus. Rev. Charles R. Lehmann Pastor, Saint John's Lutheran Church, Accident, MD http://chaz-lehmann.livejournal.com ___________________________________________________________________________ 'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_ _attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author, as well as for quoting or use in a congregational setting _with_or_without_attribution_. Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list. Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster. Subscribe? Send ANY note to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe? Send ANY note to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archive? <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> For more information on this or other lists offered by Confess And Teach For Unity, you can contact the CAT 41 list administrator at: Rev. Fr. Eric J. Stefanski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
