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Sermon audio genesis 3153/29/2024 The brothers were filled with confusion, and incredulity, and panic, and terror as they stumbled around in the darkness of their situation. What an epiphany for them, and for us.īut I wonder if people will be able to believe that message today. What mattered was not the darkness of sin and slavery and famine and terror, but God’s intention to use all of that to accomplish God’s good purpose. What mattered was not their intention, but God’s. And in the final reversal, the brothers who sold him into far off Egypt come near to Joseph in near worship and overwhelming gratitude. You intended to eliminate your annoyingly proud brother, but God plans to “preserve for you a remnant on earth.” You wanted to enslave me, but God wanted to “save your lives by a great deliverance.” So, he concludes in verse 8, “it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Out of your great sin God will give you great abundance as you settle in the land of Goshen near me. In this Egyptian Epiphany, Joseph not only makes himself known as the long lost and presumably dead brother, but, more importantly for us, he makes known God’s intention in the whole sordid story of Joseph’s enslavement and ultimate enthronement. Now here in the darkness of sin and slavery and famine and terror, Joseph makes himself known to his brothers. “So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.” There is plenty of darkness in the story- the darkness of his brothers’ sin, the darkness of Joseph being sold into slavery and then confined to prison on a false rape charge, the darkness of Jacob’s family situation as a world-wide famine moved him to send his sons outside the Promised Land in search of food, the darkness of Joseph’s Machiavellian manipulation of his brothers just prior to this Epiphany. ![]() This is a wonderful Epiphany text because of the phrase in verse 1, which the Lectionary inexplicably omits. Everyone loves a story, especially one as filled with ragged tension and blessed resolution as this one. Of the four readings, this one from Genesis will preach the best, in my humble opinion, because it puts the wisdom of Psalm 37, the teaching of Luke 6 and the doctrine of I Corinthians 15 in a narrative form. And Genesis 45 gives us a dramatic narrative of reversal, as the brother sold into slavery by hatefully envious siblings not only confronts them in his new role as Prime Minister of Egypt, but even saves them from their mortal plight. ![]() ![]() I Corinthian’s 15:35-50 expounds the great doctrine of the resurrection of the body, which reverses the apparent victory of our last enemy, turning the indignity of death into the glory of the resurrection body. Psalm 37 and Luke 6:27-38 talk about loving enemies, thus reversing the usual response to those who abuse us. The theme for this Sixth Sunday of Epiphany is the same in all four Lections-reversal of fortune.
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