The Land of Affliction
Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. Genesis 41:1
Intro: In the last exciting episode, we left Joseph stuck in prison
He asked Pharaoh’s cupbearer to remember him and mention him
– both remember and mention translate same Hebrew word
• Strong’s definition: “to mark (so as to be recognized)”
– I’m pointing this out, because it comes up again in today’s story
• the story swings on the themes of remembering and forgetting
It had been “two full years” since the cupbearer had forgotten Joseph
– the Hebrew reads, “two years of days”
• when waiting anxiously for something to happen for us, each passing day seems long
• Joseph was aware of every day that filled those two years
The introductory “behold” transports us into Pharaoh’s dream — we are now seeing through his eyes
– there are two more “beholds” in his first dream
• we might remember that Joseph used three “beholds” when he told his first dream to brothers
– in Pharaoh’s second dream there are two more “beholds” and then a final “behold” in verse 7
Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
• the “beholds” at the beginning and end of his dream sequence creates a verbal enclosure for it
Pharaoh’s dreams launched him into terrifying world
– it looked like his Egypt–he stood by the Nile–, but its animals and events were surreal read more…
When the Hour Comes
When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” Luke 22:14-20
Intro: We set aside our ongoing study when we observe Communion
We do not have to learn something every Sunday
– we do not have to be inspired or motivated fixed or straightened out every time we meet
– some of these times we need nothing other than to be with God
• we need these opportunities to renew our decision, our faith, and our connection with God
○ what comes to mind is Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
We need an experience of God rather than another lesson about God
“When the hour had come . . .”
Every hour may consist of sixty minutes, but some hours are longer than others
– if you’ve ever sat in the waiting room of a hospital, you know those can be long hours
The quality of one hour can be radically different from another hour
– there are some moments we would live over and over if possible
– others we wish would could wipe from our memory–and also from history
Luke is simply telling us that the time had come to eat the Passover meal
– but this particular hour was bigger than that
• twice Jesus says, in effect, “This will never happen again”
– something from beyond time had entered this hour and it stretches the hour extending into the future
• so Jesus can talk about a “remembrance” of this event read more…
Let God In
Then it came about after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. So he put them in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned. Genesis 40:1-3
Intro: As you read through the story, be aware of the following:
■ Joseph was twenty-eight years old when these things took place
■ a “cupbearer” or “butler” was a wine-server who chose, sampled, and recommended wines to the king
– he held a powerful position, always standing next to the king
■ the butler’s dream was elaborate, containing seven visual images and lots of action
■ the baker’s dream was sparse but wild, contained only three visual images and one action
■ both of their dreams incorporated symbols of their occupations
God makes his next move
God has an objective, but he doesn’t pursue it with brute force
– the game board on which he makes his moves is the natural world
• it’s cluttered with humans who have their own objectives
○ their objectives may interfere or conflict with his
○ but God doesn’t violate their free will
• God can use any situation humans construct
○ he works through the ordinary circumstances of our everyday lives
– if it were a chess match, God knows every possible move and every countermove
• he never loses–he always achieves his objectives read more…
The Question of Character
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Genesis 39:1-2
(If you are not familiar with the story, please read the entire chapter)
Intro: The chapter begins and ends with parallel statements
- the Lord was with Joseph
- whatever he did the LORD made to prosper
- Joseph found favor in the sight of his master and jailer
- Joseph was over all of Potiphar’s “house” and the jail “house”
Between these textual bookends, the center of the chapter reports the attempted seduction
The point of this episode is to highlight Joseph’s sterling character
In this regard, his story bears a strong resemblance to other stories in the Hebrew Scriptures
– especially Esther and Daniel, where we find:
- A Hebrew in exile and alone
- Faces great risk and personal sacrifice
- Up against fierce antagonists
- The quality of each of these characters is outstanding
- Each one finds “favor” with their (Gentile) supervisor
- Each one rises in prominence and holds an office close to the ruler or king
- Each one uses their position to promote the welfare of their people
– the lesson of these stories taught Israel how good God’s man or woman behaves in exile
• therefore, Joseph’s character, like Esther’s and Daniel’s, is a crucial element in story
Joseph rides the emotional roller coaster
We are on the emotional roller coaster whenever our circumstances carry us up and down read more…
Big Apologies
The reason we did not live stream on Sunday was because our technician was under the weather. We had planned to provide a video feed this week when we opened a conversation about Genesis chapter 38 in place of our usual Bible study. We are sorry we were not able to share it with those of you who were hoping to join us online. At any rate, a good questions were raised and several very insightful observations were made.
Make sure you have read Genesis 38 before looking at the notes that follow, which outline the topics that came up on Sunday:
Background information
This episode is definitely out of chronological sequence. It would have been impossible for Judah to meet a Canaanite woman, father three sons, watch them grow until the oldest two reached a marriageable age, see both of them die, suffer the death of his wife, and some time later father two more children by Tamar in the space of time it took Joseph to travel from Canaan to Egypt!
Notice that the last verse of chapter takes us to the same scene in the first verse of chapter 39, but from two different perspectives (from Canaan, 37:36, and in Egypt, 39:1). This tells us that the brief account of Judah’s story overlaps this one episode in the ongoing story of Joseph’s life.
Besides building suspense as we wait to learn what will happen to Joseph in Egypt, the strange account of Judah’s marriage and what followed, provides an interlude between the story of Jacob, Judah’s father (chapters 27-37) and Joseph, Judah’s brother (chapters 39-50).
If the storyteller is not concerned with historical sequence, he nevertheless finds a unity of themes in chapters 37-39 that he artfully connects. For example: read more…
The First Step Into A New Year
While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take,eat; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Matthew 26:26-30
I am always surprised at how quickly this phase of the meal is over. From the outside, the words spoken over the bread and cup do not look like ritual or the forging of a covenant between God and humankind. Jesus acts in ways that are simple and ordinary–blessing the bread, giving thanks for the cup. His speech is concise and direct. For all the build-up to this moment, it almost seems like a skyrocket that flew high above the ground but did not explode.
So why did the first Christians make such a big deal of the Lord’s Supper? Why did it become the central ritual of the church? Why did church fathers expand it into this elaborate, sacred drama? Why did they configure their liturgy around it, so that it is the climax of Christian worship?
Because they sensed in the gift of the bread and cup the profound reality with which Jesus infused it. The Graphic imagery of body and blood stunned them. There was no way Jesus could place himself before them with greater force. Handing them his very life, he said, “From now on, everything rests on Me and your total acceptance of Me.”
God’s covenant with us through Jesus Christ is sealed in his body and blood. Getting this inside of us, where it can purify, heal, and transform us, is the sole objective of our spiritual journey.
Through the centuries, those who knew that the life of Spirit was more than words and became teachers and guides in Christian spirituality, have always recognized the profound potential of the Lord’s Supper. They have always treated it as deeply sacred mystery. They encountered Jesus in the breaking of the bread and sipping from the cup more frequently and consistently than anywhere else. And each time they brought their faith to the communion table, something changed inside them. God took hold of them and their life in him became more real-world and authentic.
Through their experience, they discovered the mystery of incarnation; namely, that what is spiritual touches us through what is physical.
So, Jesus took, blessed it, broke it, and gave it. Then he took the cup and gave thanks for it and gave it. Jesus gave and as he did, he said, “Take.”
Yesterday, after mulling over this passage for awhile, I went outside to work in the yard and rest my mind. The whole time I was outside trimming, weeding, and cleaning up my mess, my thoughts kept returning to that one word, “Take.” It is human nature to eagerly take what appears to be valuable or what we believe will satisfy our discontented souls. It is our nature to take. It is God’s nature to give. Jesus presents himself to us and says, “Take. I am yours.”
What if we do this, what if we take the bread, drink from the cup, and nothing happens? What if we’re as unaware and oblivious as the disciples, who took, and drank, and went outside and fell asleep contrary to Jesus’ desperate request?
First, something happens between God’s Spirit and our spirit when we observe the Lord’s Supper, even if our sluggish minds sleep through it.
Secondly, we do not have to fear the experience of nothingness. God is not rendered helpless when we sit in emptiness, but he works in our nothingness. He works with our nothingness.
When I go to work on a project, I begin by collecting supplies–perhaps lumber, nails, glue, and several rolls of duct tape. From these materials, I make something. When God begins a project, he uses nothingness–this is the material with which he makes something.
“. . . God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist” (Romans 4:17)
“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 4:6)
Sometimes when we think God has abandoned us, he has not abandoned us, he has only abandoned our concepts of him. God removes himself from our limited and mistaken ideas. We come to God with ideas about him–our pre-formed theologies. But by sitting quietly and receptively in our nothingness, we give him something else to work with–a blank canvas, a vast emptiness like the first day of creation.
So we enter this new year, bringing to our lips the bread and wine that seals our covenant relationship with God. It is of little importance whether we see visions of angels or observe the ritual feeling nothing. Either way, both us and our new year are placed in the hands of God and all will be well.
Two Perspectives On the New Year
Psalm 73
INTRO: This psalm incorporates an art form that may be hidden from us
Mary Douglas referred to it as “ring composition”
Douglas, “The minimum criterion for a ring composition is for the ending to join up with the beginning.”
– the text develops a thought in one direction (from the top of the circle, downward)
• it reaches a turning point, then moves backward through the thought to the beginning
○ the outline above is my rough attempt to show the general pattern of Psalm 73
Mary Douglas, “Friends ask me, what does it mater? Why is it important to know the construction? This leads to another point: in a ring composition the meaning is located in the middle. A reader who reads a ring as if it were a straight linear composition will miss the meaning. Surely that matters!”
The poet tells us his story – he takes us on a journey
– he begins the poem with, “God is good” and “But as for me” (vv. 1-2)
– he ends it with, “But as for me” and “God is my good” (v. 28)
• these form the clasp that hold the ring together
• in between, he narrates the bitter struggle he had with the ways of God read more…
What Could Be Big Enough?
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:18-23
INTRO: If we’re not going to waste our time here this morning, the first thing we must do, is stop reading the Christmas story as fairy-tale
– it’s all too easy, with the familiar images
• angels, halos, and serene expressions on the faces of cows, donkey and sheep
• in our culture, the Santa myth is equated with the “baby Jesus myth”
It will help if we begin with Joseph’s shock and frustration over Mary’s pregnancy
– he lived in the real world, so his first thought wasn’t, “It’s a miracle! I’m such a lucky guy.”
• he still cared for Mary enough to not want to disgrace her
○ but they were through – it was over
This part of the story is most like our lives
– we have dreams, make plans, look forward to what lies ahead
• but then, it’s spoiled by an unforeseen complication
○ a job loss, health issue, a child gets in trouble
• perhaps the complication can be overcome, but life will be harder now – the future will come at price
– so the question this story has to answer:
• what could be big enough for Joseph to hang on?
• to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife? read more…
The Advent Question
Now when John, while imprisoned heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in king’s palaces! But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,
‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of you,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’
Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Matthew 11:2-11
INTRO: Today our meditation in scripture brings us to the Advent question
A point of tension enters Matthew’s story between John the Baptist and Jesus
– will it lead to conflict? a split? or can the tension be resolved?
There was a fundamental difference between Jesus and John (vv. 15-19)
– in mid-twentieth century, Richard Niebuhr published Christ and Culture
• in it, he explored the ways different Christian traditions have related to their surrounding culture
• the first he introduces is “Christ Against Culture” – a judgment and rejection of society
○ this is similar to John the Baptist’s position — it is to condemn society and those living in it
– the position Jesus took was to enter culture to transform people (rescue and heal them)
– the different perceptions of Jesus and John first came to light at Jesus’ baptism (Mt. 3:14-15)
• John was put off that Jesus would identify himself with sinners
• it ran contrary to his notion of who needed to be baptized read more…
Second Sunday In Advent: Christmas Lights
Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
And He will delight in the fear of the LORD,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
But with righteousness He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
And faithfulness the belt about His waist
And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little boy will lead them.
Also the cow and the bear will graze,
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
As the waters cover the sea.
Then in that day
The nations will resort to the root of Jesse,
Who will stand as a signal for the peoples;
And His resting place will be glorious.
Isaiah 11:1-10
INTRO: The scriptures designated for Advent reading are surprising
I expect passages typically associated with Christmas scenes
– angels and shepherds, wise men and the star, Mary and the baby
• instead we are taken to the political concerns of ancient Israel
• we come to this message from one of God’s prophets that was delivered to a distressed people
○ their nation on the verge of collapse
– what makes this passage a Christmas reading? read more…
Daily Meditations From the Scriptures