Embracing Grace: Lessons from Joseph's Journey

Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the beauty of the winter snow that blankets the earth, reminding us of your power and creativity. In the stillness and quiet it brings, we are reminded to pause and reflect on your presence in our lives. Yet, Lord, we also recognize the challenge that this season brings, and so we lift up to those who are most vulnerable, the homeless, the elderly, and those without adequate heat or shelter. Protect them, provide for their needs, and guide us to be agents of your care and compassion. [00:30:21] (40 seconds)


Though we are apart, we are united in the bond of Christ's love. Help us to carry that love into the world, to be your hands and feet to those in need, and to live as a light that shines brightly in the darkness. And now, as one family in faith, we join our voices together to pray the prayer your Son taught us, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. [00:31:30] (37 seconds)


No one's family is perfect. Nobody's family's perfect. Not even the ones who kind of give those over the top Christmas lessons. They're not perfect either. Nobody's family is perfect. Listen, my own family, as much as I love them, we put the fun back in dysfunctional because we all have our problems. We all have our issues. Here's the thing. Every family has its quirks, struggles, and moments of dysfunction. And ours and yours is no exception. [00:36:20] (42 seconds)


But more than that, the story of Joseph and his family, not just an ancient tale, in many ways, it's like putting a mirror up, reflecting the struggles that we have. Struggles like favoritism and pride, bitterness and division. can exist in our families. They also exist in our workplaces and even our churches sometimes. But as we get started, let's take a look at the dynamics in Joseph's family of origin and how God's grace calls us to rise above these struggles. [00:37:34] (37 seconds)


And so we're not going to take the time to go into any more detail on these characters, this morning. But let me just say that at every limb on this family tree, there are stories of dysfunction and strained family dynamics. And I would encourage you to go back and maybe read through this in the book of Genesis, particularly if you're feeling bad about your own imperfect family. You will find a lot of imperfect families in the Old Testament. And as I said, all families in the Old Testament, they're not perfect. But through it all, as we read these stories, we will also see God's grace working out for redemption and for hope, which should be very encouraging for us. [00:40:32] (50 seconds)


Favoritism. Favoritism, whether in families, favoritism, whether it's in the workplace or favoritism in communities, always breeds division. Favoritism breeds division. And it's going to set up some bad stuff down the way in Joseph's family. You know, the Bible reminds us in Romans chapter two, verse 11, that God shows no partiality. And so we, as followers of Christ, we are called to do that too, to reflect this same. Impartial love with those in our lives. [00:44:17] (38 seconds)


Joseph might have been gifted by God with these prophetic dreams and a lot of his other abilities, but his immaturity and lack of humility, caused him then to flaunt these dreams before his brothers. Instead of building bridges with his brothers, Joseph words that they became walls. And so here is the next application point. Gifts from God are meant to serve others, not elevate ourselves. Gifts from God are meant to serve others, not elevate ourselves. [00:46:29] (36 seconds)


The brothers chose bitterness. While Jacob's favoritisms and Joseph's pride played a role, the brothers' response was hatred and bitterness. And instead of addressing those feelings, they allowed resentment to grow, which is eventually going to lead to betrayals we'll see next week. Here's the thing. Bitterness is a poison that hurts the one holding it. Bitterness is a poison that hurts the one holding it. And sometimes, in our imperfect families, bitterness and resentment can overtake us, and that never leads to anything good. [00:49:19] (49 seconds)


Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other. Justice in Christ, God forgave you. I don't know if you noticed, but this message series on the story of Joseph has this tagline, seeing the bigger picture. You know, it's the story of Joseph, seeing the bigger picture. [00:50:23] (34 seconds)


As you think about it, I'm going to ask you to consider the bigger picture. I'm going to ask you to think about your own situation, your own family, the things you love about them, the gifts that they are to you, but also maybe the places where you and your family might struggle, where you might learn from Joseph's story. Do you see yourself in one of the characters, or more than one of the characters? And I know self -awareness can actually be hard. [00:51:50] (27 seconds)


Maybe it is that you realize that you've been playing the blame game for way too long, you know, not taking any responsibility. It's all this other person's, other family member's fault. Whatever the case, Jesus calls us to do better. Jesus calls us to a better place. Jesus calls us to love one another. another, even those we find difficult to love. Jesus calls us to walk in humility and serve others selflessly. [00:52:11] (36 seconds)


What begins in dysfunction becomes a testimony of God's redeeming grace. So take heart. No matter where you might find yourself in the story today, God offers you a path, a forward, a path towards us. Of love and humility and forgiveness. And so here now, this sermon, even though it's been in a strange context this morning, I'll offer it to you in the name of the Father and of the Son and [00:52:55] (32 seconds)