February 24, 2019 Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany

3Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. 4And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9“Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. 10You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. 11There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.” ’ Genesis 45:3-11 (NKJV)

Why am I here? Why do I have to go through this? Why is this happening to me? So many questions we have and even as we ask we may fear the answer. Or, we may fear even more there is no answer. We can come to believe there is no meaning at all.

Joseph in his youth had a wisdom and closeness to God but his arrogance showed his immaturity. The humbling began when his own brothers who wanted to kill him instead sold him into slavery! 

The humbling went on until called to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh Joseph was ready for the task God created him for! The arrogant young man had descended to a slave and was considered a rapist! But now Joseph was ready to rise from slavery to royalty and change the lives of families, whole nations and kingdom.

The words of Joseph reveal the answers to the questions above and so much more. Joseph has discovered all we face can be used by God to form and mold us into the person we need to be to do what God created us to be.

The problem with forming and molding is it is very uncomfortable and painful for us. God does not just change what we do or how we live but God changes US!

     Like the potter image we are roughly folded and felt to remove the unclean parts lest under heat and pressure the vessel burst destroying itself and also those around it.

     The hands stretch the clay making it easier to shape and mold to the potter's plan.

     After much rough handling the potter puts the clay on his wheel and gently touches each part of clay to form what he sees in his mind.

     The potter's touch and fingerprints are all over the pot even to the very center and hidden parts of the pot.

     Then the potter puts the pot into the kiln to be fired at just the right temperate to make it sturdy and long lasting. Too much heat makes the potter brittle and too little heats makes it soft and not sturdy.

Like Joseph God knows the best way to help us become the creation God sees. From the broken and unclean clay of our life God forms us to become, like Joseph, a person we cannot even conceive. And we will one day stand before God and looking back in awe ask God how we could become what we could never see or imagine.

So realize the struggles ad we face does have meaning which builds hope – hope builds faith – faith grows to love.