MESSAGES

Joseph: Going Places Called Hope — Genesis 37-50

Joseph – the son of Jacob – was a man who through his hardships came to know and trust God. His journey started at the bottom of a deep well because of the jealousy and hatred of his brothers. Just as he was recovering and climbing to a surprising height of success, he landed in prison because of the false testimony of a spurned woman. While there he held on to the glimmers of light that God provided and resourcefully took advantage of every glimmer of hope. Joseph gets out of prison and rises to the height of success running the nation of Egypt at the request of the Pharaoh. Still, however, he must confront his own worst enemy: Himself. He will have to deal with his brothers and learn to forgive. But through all the twists and turns of his life, God always showed up and Joseph maintained eyes to see God's hand.

Most of us cannot say we have been through Joseph’s extremes, his twists and turns (some of us can perhaps), but stuff happens. Life happens for all of us. We face family dynamics that bring out the worst in us. We encounter dramatic setbacks at the hands of hurtful people. We experience unfair circumstances that knock us down. We get pulled into some of our most human emotions of hatred and what seems like justifiable revenge. It is what it is. It was what it was for Joseph.

The hope that we have comes from the commitments we made to serve God in the Spirit of the risen Jesus. The moment that we rely only on ourselves we narrow all the possibilities. The moment we see only the immediate circumstances we become blind to the future that God wants to create. The moment we raise our hand to strike our enemy we depend on ourselves more than on God. The longest journey that anyone of us will ever take is the one between our head and our heart. It’s often the hardest journey we will ever take. But Joseph shows us the way.

Previous Messages

Questions Jesus Asks

So many times we come to God with loads of questions of our own. That's okay. God can handle our questions of him, questions sometimes born out of tragic, painful experiences. God is even big enough to handle questions born in fear and doubt. Don't worry, if you have tough questions. But have you ever stopped to also think of the questions that Jesus asks us? This series of messages deals with some of those. When you allow yourself to be open to Jesus' questions, you might just come to appreciate the depth and quality of a faith that embraces Jesus as God's son.

July 11 | Life
Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Matthew 6:25

July 18 | Lord, Lord
Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?
Luke 6:46,47

July 25 | Community
Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?
Matthew 12:48

August 1 | Clean
And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
Matthew 15:3

August 8 | Say
Who do you say that I am?
Matthew 16:13-15

August 15 | Watch
Could you not keep watch with me for one hour?
Matthew 26:40

August 29 | Forsaken
My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me?
Matthew 27:46