Finally

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