Third Sunday of Lent - Sermon
Sermon
Location St. Luke Lutheran Church – Date 3/25/09
Fourth Wed of Lent 2009 – Year B
Primary Text: Gen 42.1-5, 26-30, 35-38
My favorite single comic comes from the comic strip Get Fuzzy. One of the main characters is Satchel Pooch, named after the great baseball player, Satchel Paige, from the Negro Leagues of the 1920 to 1940’s. Satchel is a mixed-breed half Labrador Retriever - half Shar-Pei. He is very trusting and often very naïve, believing anything that he hears or sees. This comic has no dialogue; there is only Satchel in sight. In the first panel he is standing next to a table eating a sandwich, next to him on the table is a plastic bottle cap laying open side up. Satchel notices this and looks at message inside the cap. The second panel is simply the inside of the bottle cap saying “You are not a winner.” In the third panel we see Satchel looking away in a state of complete and utter despair and sorrow after taking this message entirely onto himself, grief etched onto his little dog face.
Jacob also finds himself in this state at the end of our text. He pronounces that “All of this has happened to me,” and that his gray hairs will be brought down “with sorrow to Sheol.” How did Jacob get to this point and how can it be that one who trusted God completely only five chapters before can be so completely and utterly grieved?
Our story today finally brings Joseph’s story line back to Jacob’s. Joseph has done all that he said he would while in Egypt. He took all of the grain that was produced in the seven good years shown in the Pharaoh’s dream knowing that there will come seven years of hard times. Joseph has turned from a young man into a powerful and confident member of the Egyptian court. He has changed enough that his own brothers do not recognize him. When he sees his brothers, he accuses them of being spies, and puts them in jail for three days. Finally, he releases all of them except for Simeon who he says he is holding for ransom until they return with their brother Benjamin, who Jacob did not let go on the trip to Egypt. He also instructs the guards to put their money back into their sacks. There is no explanation for any of this given, beyond that Joseph remembered the dream that he had regarding his brothers.
We often think Joseph’s coat caused all the problems with his brothers, but that was only the beginning. Joseph then had a dream about sheaves of grain bowing down to his and then stars in the sky bowing down to him, interpreted as his brothers bowing down to him. Is Joseph then acting in this way because he is trying to bring this about, or is he simply fearful of what his brothers may do to him if they find out that this official is their brother?
All in all this seems to be a story about Joseph again. However, all of Joseph story is about Jacob. All the way back in chapter 37, we have the beginning of the Joseph story arc, but it is not listed as a story about Joseph, but a story about Jacob’s family. It is also in this chapter that we get a final clue about why Jacob is so fearful of sending Benjamin with his brothers to Egypt. In Joseph’s story, it is Jacob who loves him more than his other brothers, for Joseph was Rachel’s son, and also the son of his old age. But most importantly, it is Jacob who sends Joseph to search out his brothers on the day they sold him to slavery and told Jacob that he had died. And in our text today it is Jacob who sends the brothers to Egypt to buy grain and this also causes Jacob to think that he has lost another son, Simeon. Every time that Jacob sends a son or sons off, someone does not come back.
It is no wonder that Jacob has become possessive of Benjamin, to Jacob’s mind the only surviving son of Rachel he has left and another son of his old age. Jacob is fearful over the loss of another of his sons. It seems that he has already lost one son on this trip. To send another seems to be just asking for it. In all of this Jacob seems to have lost focus on the promise that God gave him, that he will receive offspring like the dust of the earth, spreading to all directions. Jacob can only see his sons one by one disappearing from his view.
Jacob does not trust God’s promise, or he sees that slowly God’s promise is being taken from him. In Jacob’s fear for the loss of his son Benjamin, he cannot bring himself to part with him, even if it may give them the food that they need for survival. Jacob takes this all on to himself. Jacob has taken the task of fulfilling God’s promise upon himself. He cannot simply trust that God will fulfill the promise. Instead, he finds himself fearful and full of sorrow, not understanding how God is working.
I wrote the first draft of this sermon in the Rock-house coffee shop on Old Greenway Rd. The shop is closing on April 1st, the owners pulling out of the area. As I sat, I overheard an employee of the store tell about 10 people who came in that he is opening up his own coffee roasting business to continue to cater to the people who came in to get their coffee beans. When he was talking to one of the last to come in, he mentioned that blessings often come in disguise, and that he has faith that things will work out.
Blessings often come when we least expect them and with faith things often work out. But I don’t know if that is the main thing to take from this story, knowing that eventually everything works out. We should not hear this story, think that everything in our lives will always be fine, and that we can send our sons, daughters, or ourselves to any old place, and assume that everything will always be fine and dandy. What we need to take from this story is to not let hard times cause us to give up on God’s promises. Jacob does this and it causes him to fall into deep sorrow and fear. Nevertheless, God fulfills that promise. Through Joseph being brought to Egypt his brothers are saved. Even through slavery in Egypt at the hands of the next pharaoh, they are saved and through the trials in the desert they become strong and a nation devoted to God arises.
Often, especially in large televangelist teachings, what we hear being proclaimed is what Martin Luther would call a Theology of Glory. If we trust God’s promise, we will all become rich, we will never be sick, and nothing bad will ever happen to us. But we are often not rich in the economic sense of the word, we are often sick, and many times bad things happen to us. Lutheran Theology is not then Theology of Glory, it is Theology of the Cross.
In Christ’s death upon the cross and resurrection, God completes what was begun in the incarnation. God coming deep, deep down to us and dwelling with us, that is God’s promise to us, to be with us, holding us no matter what happens to us, whether we are full of joy and happiness, or fear and sorrow.
Jesus Died for us. Jesus was risen for us. And because of that when things cause us to fear, we know that we do not have to let them overtake us, for regardless of human things, we are loved. That is the promise given to us.
Let us pray,
God of promise, we thank you for coming to us as a child, growing in this world, and dying for this world. We thank you for the promise given us in your resurrection that we to will be raised with you. We ask you to be with all those in this world, working to bring peace. We especially ask you to help to let all hear your promise of life eternal.
In your Son’s name,
Amen
Location St. Luke Lutheran Church – Date 3/25/09
Fourth Wed of Lent 2009 – Year B
Primary Text: Gen 42.1-5, 26-30, 35-38
My favorite single comic comes from the comic strip Get Fuzzy. One of the main characters is Satchel Pooch, named after the great baseball player, Satchel Paige, from the Negro Leagues of the 1920 to 1940’s. Satchel is a mixed-breed half Labrador Retriever - half Shar-Pei. He is very trusting and often very naïve, believing anything that he hears or sees. This comic has no dialogue; there is only Satchel in sight. In the first panel he is standing next to a table eating a sandwich, next to him on the table is a plastic bottle cap laying open side up. Satchel notices this and looks at message inside the cap. The second panel is simply the inside of the bottle cap saying “You are not a winner.” In the third panel we see Satchel looking away in a state of complete and utter despair and sorrow after taking this message entirely onto himself, grief etched onto his little dog face.
Jacob also finds himself in this state at the end of our text. He pronounces that “All of this has happened to me,” and that his gray hairs will be brought down “with sorrow to Sheol.” How did Jacob get to this point and how can it be that one who trusted God completely only five chapters before can be so completely and utterly grieved?
Our story today finally brings Joseph’s story line back to Jacob’s. Joseph has done all that he said he would while in Egypt. He took all of the grain that was produced in the seven good years shown in the Pharaoh’s dream knowing that there will come seven years of hard times. Joseph has turned from a young man into a powerful and confident member of the Egyptian court. He has changed enough that his own brothers do not recognize him. When he sees his brothers, he accuses them of being spies, and puts them in jail for three days. Finally, he releases all of them except for Simeon who he says he is holding for ransom until they return with their brother Benjamin, who Jacob did not let go on the trip to Egypt. He also instructs the guards to put their money back into their sacks. There is no explanation for any of this given, beyond that Joseph remembered the dream that he had regarding his brothers.
We often think Joseph’s coat caused all the problems with his brothers, but that was only the beginning. Joseph then had a dream about sheaves of grain bowing down to his and then stars in the sky bowing down to him, interpreted as his brothers bowing down to him. Is Joseph then acting in this way because he is trying to bring this about, or is he simply fearful of what his brothers may do to him if they find out that this official is their brother?
All in all this seems to be a story about Joseph again. However, all of Joseph story is about Jacob. All the way back in chapter 37, we have the beginning of the Joseph story arc, but it is not listed as a story about Joseph, but a story about Jacob’s family. It is also in this chapter that we get a final clue about why Jacob is so fearful of sending Benjamin with his brothers to Egypt. In Joseph’s story, it is Jacob who loves him more than his other brothers, for Joseph was Rachel’s son, and also the son of his old age. But most importantly, it is Jacob who sends Joseph to search out his brothers on the day they sold him to slavery and told Jacob that he had died. And in our text today it is Jacob who sends the brothers to Egypt to buy grain and this also causes Jacob to think that he has lost another son, Simeon. Every time that Jacob sends a son or sons off, someone does not come back.
It is no wonder that Jacob has become possessive of Benjamin, to Jacob’s mind the only surviving son of Rachel he has left and another son of his old age. Jacob is fearful over the loss of another of his sons. It seems that he has already lost one son on this trip. To send another seems to be just asking for it. In all of this Jacob seems to have lost focus on the promise that God gave him, that he will receive offspring like the dust of the earth, spreading to all directions. Jacob can only see his sons one by one disappearing from his view.
Jacob does not trust God’s promise, or he sees that slowly God’s promise is being taken from him. In Jacob’s fear for the loss of his son Benjamin, he cannot bring himself to part with him, even if it may give them the food that they need for survival. Jacob takes this all on to himself. Jacob has taken the task of fulfilling God’s promise upon himself. He cannot simply trust that God will fulfill the promise. Instead, he finds himself fearful and full of sorrow, not understanding how God is working.
I wrote the first draft of this sermon in the Rock-house coffee shop on Old Greenway Rd. The shop is closing on April 1st, the owners pulling out of the area. As I sat, I overheard an employee of the store tell about 10 people who came in that he is opening up his own coffee roasting business to continue to cater to the people who came in to get their coffee beans. When he was talking to one of the last to come in, he mentioned that blessings often come in disguise, and that he has faith that things will work out.
Blessings often come when we least expect them and with faith things often work out. But I don’t know if that is the main thing to take from this story, knowing that eventually everything works out. We should not hear this story, think that everything in our lives will always be fine, and that we can send our sons, daughters, or ourselves to any old place, and assume that everything will always be fine and dandy. What we need to take from this story is to not let hard times cause us to give up on God’s promises. Jacob does this and it causes him to fall into deep sorrow and fear. Nevertheless, God fulfills that promise. Through Joseph being brought to Egypt his brothers are saved. Even through slavery in Egypt at the hands of the next pharaoh, they are saved and through the trials in the desert they become strong and a nation devoted to God arises.
Often, especially in large televangelist teachings, what we hear being proclaimed is what Martin Luther would call a Theology of Glory. If we trust God’s promise, we will all become rich, we will never be sick, and nothing bad will ever happen to us. But we are often not rich in the economic sense of the word, we are often sick, and many times bad things happen to us. Lutheran Theology is not then Theology of Glory, it is Theology of the Cross.
In Christ’s death upon the cross and resurrection, God completes what was begun in the incarnation. God coming deep, deep down to us and dwelling with us, that is God’s promise to us, to be with us, holding us no matter what happens to us, whether we are full of joy and happiness, or fear and sorrow.
Jesus Died for us. Jesus was risen for us. And because of that when things cause us to fear, we know that we do not have to let them overtake us, for regardless of human things, we are loved. That is the promise given to us.
Let us pray,
God of promise, we thank you for coming to us as a child, growing in this world, and dying for this world. We thank you for the promise given us in your resurrection that we to will be raised with you. We ask you to be with all those in this world, working to bring peace. We especially ask you to help to let all hear your promise of life eternal.
In your Son’s name,
Amen
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