Hey family,
In the movie, "US Marshals," Wesley Snipe's character, Mark Sheridan, is wrongly accused of intentionally killing two federal agents. Sheridan spends the majority of his life trying to run from this allegation and the impending jail sentence that follows. By a series of random acts, Sheridan is on the run, and the U.S. Marshal are after him, led by Tommy Lee Jones' character: Sam Gerard. It is exciting. It is wonderful. And it keeps you guessing. And just like normal Hollywood endings, this one ends on a good note--Sheridan is exonerated and freed.
Sheridan is a new man, and the movie illustrates his joy and his excitement about having a new life, one that he should never have lost. Sheridan's story is simliar to Joseph's. Joseph didn't choose to be in Egypt. His brothers sold him into slavery, selling him, forcing him to be an alien and a slave in a foreign land. No family. No religion. Joseph truly is alone. But he does alright. In fact God is with him and Joseph produces a lot of fruit.
That's tragic enough for any story, but Joseph's gets worse. His master's wife accuses him of taking advantage of her, a charge worthy of death, and Joseph finds himself in prison. Like Sheridan, Joseph is innocent. Its a false charge. While in prison, as chapter 40 illustrates, Joseph begins to lament his position, his life. But he doesn't lose faith. And God never leaves him. Right?
After interpreting dreams: one good and one bad, Joseph sets the stage for his freedom. As much as God is with Joseph, and everyone knows it, Joseph would spend the next two years, in prison, for a crime he didn't commit. Even the cupbearer, who was given good news about his dream, forgot Joseph. But not entirely.
Then we stumble upon Genesis 41, and this begins Joseph's vindication. The cupbearer, after Pharaoh has some haunting dreams, remembers Joseph. Joseph changes clothes. Interprets the dreams. And instructs Pharaoh on how to survive the seven years of drought that God is going to bring to the world. Pharah rewards Joseph by making Joseph head of the state. Joseph gets to make a lot of powerful decisions, and Joseph no longer has to worry about status, position, or some dilipidated dungeon. Joseph, like Sheridan, is finally free and has a real life to live.
I would have been bitter. Not Joseph. He finds joy in the moment. He finds peace in the moment. He names his son Manasseh, which could translate to forget, as an illustration that Joseph lives in the moment, not the past. Joseph sees how God was with him every step of the way, even in the hole his brother threw him in to and especially in the dungeon that was Joseph's home for years. Joseph never lost faith. Joseph persevered.
And God rewarded him for it. This story, for me and the small group, illustrates many things. But first and foremost, it shows that no matter what we are going through, if we gird ourselves in God, God will see us through. God will bring us through the other side. God is faithful. No matter what we might face, God is faithful. Faith is easy when life is easy. But when we face challenges, like a dungeon, whether that is a literal one or a dwindling budget and fewer worshippers, when God's children face adversity, how they respond speaks volumes about them and their faith.
Will we, like Joseph, continue to do good and trust God to vindicate us, bear fruit through us, and restore us? Or will we choose to do things our way, losing faith in what feels like a distant God, because we can balance our budget better. We can make better choices. We know how to keep the building going. Which is a faith-filled life and which is the self filled life? Joseph was full of faith and God restored him. Churches guided and directed by radical faith find themselves overwhelmed with people needing Jesus. We know God will do the hard work, why can't we do the easy work and just seek Him, trust Him, and be patient with Him? Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Joseph, Joseph, Joseph
Hey Family,
Our community has been hit hard by the factories disappearing like moochers when the dinner bill comes. And that is disturbing and creates an enormous amount of anxiety inside of us, doesn't it? When we realize that a friend, a family member, or even we are losing a job, we get anxious, panicked, stressed. It's natural. But what happens if we find out through the news instead of being told face to face? How does that affect us?
How do we do with bad news? Tragic news? Terminal news? Do we lose all perspective? Or do we deny it? What? No one, i know, is immune to having to hear tragic news at least a few times in their lives. Loved ones pass away. Relationships end. Jobs go overseas. And even Seinfeld came to an end. So we are going to get terrible news, right? Is there anyway to soften the blow? Is there anyway to keep the news from destroying us? I say yes.
What would happen if we found a humane, or dare i say, Christian way, of relaying tragic news? What i mean by that is this: Joseph had to tell the baker that the baker's dream meant death for the baker, right? But did Joseph avoid telling the baker? Did Joseph have the warden tell the baker? Did Joseph leave a note, like the Dear John letter i got from my high school prom date? No. Joseph did the most loving thing he could. He was honest. He went to the baker and told the baker the full truth. Regardless of how tragic the news was.
For me at least, to know is better than not knowing and being surprised, out of the blue. For the employees of NCR, who found out through the press, how did they like finding out about their futures through the Dayton Daily or News Channel 7? Probably not much. But its how heartless people, unloving people, operate. They choose dishonesty and passive aggressive means to get what they want. They are too afraid of facing the object of the bad news, so they avoid it, all together. And it creates more victims than if they were just willing to be upfront and honest.
But to give bad news, no matter how painful it is, must be done in a loving way. We have to be honest, but we have to be gracefilled as well. That, my friends, is a difficult path and balancing act. However, if we are to call ourselves Christian, it is an act we must engage in, fully. To not do so, is to honor the king of this world: Satan, while denying the power of the King of kings: Jesus. I would rather honor the King of kings than align myself with Satan. What about you?
Shalom,
jerry
Our community has been hit hard by the factories disappearing like moochers when the dinner bill comes. And that is disturbing and creates an enormous amount of anxiety inside of us, doesn't it? When we realize that a friend, a family member, or even we are losing a job, we get anxious, panicked, stressed. It's natural. But what happens if we find out through the news instead of being told face to face? How does that affect us?
How do we do with bad news? Tragic news? Terminal news? Do we lose all perspective? Or do we deny it? What? No one, i know, is immune to having to hear tragic news at least a few times in their lives. Loved ones pass away. Relationships end. Jobs go overseas. And even Seinfeld came to an end. So we are going to get terrible news, right? Is there anyway to soften the blow? Is there anyway to keep the news from destroying us? I say yes.
What would happen if we found a humane, or dare i say, Christian way, of relaying tragic news? What i mean by that is this: Joseph had to tell the baker that the baker's dream meant death for the baker, right? But did Joseph avoid telling the baker? Did Joseph have the warden tell the baker? Did Joseph leave a note, like the Dear John letter i got from my high school prom date? No. Joseph did the most loving thing he could. He was honest. He went to the baker and told the baker the full truth. Regardless of how tragic the news was.
For me at least, to know is better than not knowing and being surprised, out of the blue. For the employees of NCR, who found out through the press, how did they like finding out about their futures through the Dayton Daily or News Channel 7? Probably not much. But its how heartless people, unloving people, operate. They choose dishonesty and passive aggressive means to get what they want. They are too afraid of facing the object of the bad news, so they avoid it, all together. And it creates more victims than if they were just willing to be upfront and honest.
But to give bad news, no matter how painful it is, must be done in a loving way. We have to be honest, but we have to be gracefilled as well. That, my friends, is a difficult path and balancing act. However, if we are to call ourselves Christian, it is an act we must engage in, fully. To not do so, is to honor the king of this world: Satan, while denying the power of the King of kings: Jesus. I would rather honor the King of kings than align myself with Satan. What about you?
Shalom,
jerry
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Back to Genesis, Again!
Well folks,
It was a nice reprieve, wasn't it? We spent seven weeks away from the wonderful book of Genesis, and i hope and pray we found ourselves committing to becoming authentic Christ followers. The church, for whatever reason, seems to be lacking in real Jesus disciples at a time when the world needs Jesus and His children to respond to the needs of this hurting world. So. We have made it. We worshipped together on Easter, and we should have some foundational elements to being authentic Jesus followers. Will we put them into practice? I hope so. And so does the world.
But for now, lets return to Genesis. Genesis 38 to be exact. This is a weird chapter that almost seems out of place with the entire Joseph narrative, but it is there, and to honor the Biblical story, we must delve into it. It is a difficult chapter to engage in, because it has so much in it that we find deplorable, but regardless of the content, if we are to have integrity in our faith, we must struggle with the difficult texts as well as the easy ones.
Joseph is gone at this point, his brother Judah was doing his best to protect his name through a male heir. But there was a problem. His oldest son died, leaving a widow: Tamar. According to Jewish law, Judah's other son, Onan must sleep with Tamar and produce an heir. He did. But he short ended the consummation. Onan didn't want to help Tamar or his deceased older brother further their name. Onan wanted his own son.
So Tamar, now a widow, which is like being branded with a Scarlet Letter A in Jewish culture at that time, had to create a way to have her identity and personhood restored. She tricked Judah into sleeping with her, and this whole dysfunctional family comes into view. What does all this have to do with us?
Well, folks, a lot. First of all, it should always give us comfort that God's story, and the story of God's people, always includes people like Judah, who are wonderfully human, just like we are. God uses normal human beings to bring his plan to fruition. No perfect people. Just normal, broken, feeble, selfish, people do stupid things, but then God restores them, and these everyday people, just like you and I, turn into biblical heroes whose stories transcend time itself.
And secondly, to show what happens when we use manipulation and power as a means to get what we want, without regard to the victims we leave behind. If we claim to know more about how things should operate and go than even God, well we should not be surprised when the walls come down and we discover that person, you know the one, the one we damned to hell, yeah she holds the keys to our future, and we, just like Judah, will find ourselves humbled and broken. But it is then that God restores.
That is all for this week. Unless you want to add something.. please do.
Blessings and shalom,
jerry
It was a nice reprieve, wasn't it? We spent seven weeks away from the wonderful book of Genesis, and i hope and pray we found ourselves committing to becoming authentic Christ followers. The church, for whatever reason, seems to be lacking in real Jesus disciples at a time when the world needs Jesus and His children to respond to the needs of this hurting world. So. We have made it. We worshipped together on Easter, and we should have some foundational elements to being authentic Jesus followers. Will we put them into practice? I hope so. And so does the world.
But for now, lets return to Genesis. Genesis 38 to be exact. This is a weird chapter that almost seems out of place with the entire Joseph narrative, but it is there, and to honor the Biblical story, we must delve into it. It is a difficult chapter to engage in, because it has so much in it that we find deplorable, but regardless of the content, if we are to have integrity in our faith, we must struggle with the difficult texts as well as the easy ones.
Joseph is gone at this point, his brother Judah was doing his best to protect his name through a male heir. But there was a problem. His oldest son died, leaving a widow: Tamar. According to Jewish law, Judah's other son, Onan must sleep with Tamar and produce an heir. He did. But he short ended the consummation. Onan didn't want to help Tamar or his deceased older brother further their name. Onan wanted his own son.
So Tamar, now a widow, which is like being branded with a Scarlet Letter A in Jewish culture at that time, had to create a way to have her identity and personhood restored. She tricked Judah into sleeping with her, and this whole dysfunctional family comes into view. What does all this have to do with us?
Well, folks, a lot. First of all, it should always give us comfort that God's story, and the story of God's people, always includes people like Judah, who are wonderfully human, just like we are. God uses normal human beings to bring his plan to fruition. No perfect people. Just normal, broken, feeble, selfish, people do stupid things, but then God restores them, and these everyday people, just like you and I, turn into biblical heroes whose stories transcend time itself.
And secondly, to show what happens when we use manipulation and power as a means to get what we want, without regard to the victims we leave behind. If we claim to know more about how things should operate and go than even God, well we should not be surprised when the walls come down and we discover that person, you know the one, the one we damned to hell, yeah she holds the keys to our future, and we, just like Judah, will find ourselves humbled and broken. But it is then that God restores.
That is all for this week. Unless you want to add something.. please do.
Blessings and shalom,
jerry
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