Three months after the vandalism took place, police arrested two area teenagers, ages sixteen and nineteen, who confessed to the crime. When the boys, let out of jail on bond, returned to apologize publicly to the congregation before serving their sentences, they were shocked to be received with love and forgiveness.
As the nineteen-year-old left the lectern to return to his seat, a member greeted him and hugged him. Others stood to shake his hand and, after the worship, members surrounded the two boys, saying they forgave them.
The act of forgiveness shocked the two families so much that they joined the church, and the church in turn has experienced a revival. Worship attendance has tripled in two years and membership in this 117-year-old declining country church is growing.
"We had been separated from organized religion since our oldest daughter died of cancer," said the father of one of the boys. "We rejected the whole religion thing. This event has pulled us back into the church." Pastor Terry Knudson likens the dramatic episode at St. Peter to the Old Testament story of Joseph. "The vandalism was one of our darkest moments," he says. "God can find a way to bring good from evil."
The principle that God can, and does, find a way to bring good from evil is clearly demonstrated in the life and trials of Joseph. Joseph endures many challenges and tests after he arrives in Egypt after being sold to the Midianite Ishmaelites by his brothers. While in Egypt, Joseph resists the seductive advances of Potiphar's wife, but then is wrongly accused of being the perpetrator. Joseph is thrown into prison and while in prison is used by God to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh's chief cupbearer and chief baker. Later Joseph is remembered by the chief cupbearer and is brought out of prison to interpret Pharaoh's dreams, which prophesied seven years of plenty and seven years of famine.
Eventually, Joseph, sterling of character and wise, receives a generous promotion from Pharaoh to be Number 2 in the land.
The seven years of plenty are passed and now the seven years of famine are upon the land and the people. Jacob sends his ten sons to Egypt to buy corn. The brothers are recognized by Joseph, and while they do not recognize him, Joseph treats them harshly. He accuses them of being spies. He throws them in jail for three days. Is Joseph a cat who tantalizes and teases a caught, desperate mouse? Is he playing mind games with them? Is Joseph practicing revenge at last?
The brothers wonder, "Alas, we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother; we saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen" (Genesis 42:21). Though the brothers confess their egregious wrongs in Joseph's presence, they do not know that Joseph understands what they are saying, since he speaks to them through an interpreter.
The artificial, trumped up accusations appear to be designed to get Joseph's brothers into the right frame of mind for penitence. When Joseph demands that the youngest brother (Benjamin) be brought to Egypt and then retains Simeon as a hostage, they are all the more convinced that God is pursuing them with retribution. The brothers return with no Simeon, the food is running out, and distress is rampant in Jacob's family.
The brothers now face something worse than punishment. They face the final exposure of their souls, raw and sickening. All the foulness of the past spills out and they can smell it. They are guilty men confronted with the outrageous evil against their own brother.
In the modern era we live in a culture in which guilt is considered bad. It's as though guilt is the enemy of a happy and carefree life. It is important to dismiss and dispense with guilt as quickly as possible. It is popular to hear comments like, "Don't lay a guilt trip on me," "Stop trying to make me feel guilty," or "Guilt is a poor motivation for change."
It's time for a good word about good guilt -- yes, plain old-fashioned guilt -- not chronic guilt or pathological guilt, but good guilt. Good guilt is not shame. The difference between good guilt and shame is that guilt says, "I did something wrong," whereas shame says, "I am of no worth; I am no good."
Good guilt recognizes the failure to live up to acceptable standards. Good guilt is an emotion of maturity. It presupposes an internalized code. Good guilt blossoms in an alive and developed conscience.
Dr. William C. Menninger, late founder of the famed Menninger Clinic and a devout Presbyterian, once said about religion and psychiatry: "There need be no conflict between the two. The psychiatrist deals with unconscious, unacknowledged, neurotic, and irrational guilt. The pastor deals with 'real' guilt that arises from transgressions of moral law. In some situations, the religious mentor may be more helpful than the psychiatrist. More specifically, if you steal money from someone and feel guilty, it is guilt about an actual deed. Your guilt is neurotic if in thinking you might steal from your friend, you begin to feel guilty."
There is an oriental story of a prince who received from a renowned magician a ring set with diamonds, rubies, and pearls. "Great Master," said the magician, "that which I have given you has more value than the beautiful gems with which it is encrusted. It is a rare and mystic property which you will soon discover."
The prince found that the ring rested easily enough on his finger in ordinary circumstances, but as soon as he formed a bad thought or committed an evil action, the ring became a monitor. Contracting suddenly, it would press painfully on his finger, warning him of sin.1
Such a ring, thank God, is not only owned by kings. The poorest of all people possess this invaluable jewel; for the ring of the fable is like the voice of God within us when we do wrong. While our conscience is a valuable asset, it is not infallible.
The Bible speaks of people who have a "weak" conscience (1 Corinthians 8:7) and a defiled and evil conscience (Titus 1:15; Hebrews 10:22). Having been tainted by sin, our conscience must be guided by the grace and Word of God if it is to be an accurate warning of evil. The Psalmist sings, "Thy word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against thee."
Good guilt is really good. It serves a positive function. It highlights our sins and weaknesses -- our need of God's grace both to forgive and to empower us to break out of our bad patterns of living. Whatever the intentions of Joseph in dealing with his brothers, there is something greater on the horizon, and that is for them to experience the goodness and grace of God.
Ultimately, Joseph could no longer control himself. The first time Joseph met his brothers he went out of the room and wept. Now he sends everyone away except his brothers. He tells them, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" He weeps so loudly that the Egyptians who were sent away hear him. The brothers are shaken! It's almost too much!
It's one thing to meet the brother practically brought back from the dead -- but an even greater shock to bow to that same brother who is now Egyptian royalty possessing the power of life or death.
Joseph explains to the dismayed and confused brothers God's hand in the whole tawdry mess. Family shalom is in pieces, but there is a reason and a purpose behind it all. "Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'Come closer to me.' And they came closer. He said, 'I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life ... God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for your many survivors ... so it was not you who sent me here, but God' " (Genesis 45:7ff). Pondering his experience, Joseph says to his brothers, "You meant it all for evil, God meant it for good."
It is a powerful biblical theme that God makes something good in spite of evil. God used a Paul/Barnabas dispute to spread the gospel as recorded in the book of Acts. Temptations, which never come from God, are seen by the writer of the letter of James as preludes to patience. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Jesus' death on the cross, the most successful failure in human history, results in salvation for the world.
Humanly, our eyes are fogged over by sin, and we constantly fail to see the vision and purposes of God, especially in dire circumstances. God is the God of Purpose.
The first purpose of God is creation. God created a universe with purpose and design embedded into its very nature. The Psalmist breaks out into singing in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens are telling the glory of God and firmament his handiwork."
The second purpose of God is to create human creatures in God's own image. We are created for relationships and for stewardship. Our role is to discover who we are and what purpose God has in store for us. We are gifted with spiritual gifts, talents, abilities, passions, dreams, aspirations, and needs. Yet, as Oliver Wendell Holmes sadly observed, "Most of us go to our graves with our music still inside of us."
The third purpose of God is to find the lost. Jesus' parables of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son illustrate God's saving purposes. We are saved by the cross of Christ made personal in our baptism, and God then goes to work on us so we can find and play the music that is within us. "If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation," Paul wrote.
Fast forward ahead to Genesis 50 where we see God's purposes completed in the return of family shalom in Jacob's family through reconciliation and forgiveness. "But Joseph said to them, 'Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous person as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.' In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them" (Genesis 50:19-20).
Claus Westermann, in his book Joseph, quotes the Old Testament scholar Von Rad: "Here Joseph finally speaks openly of God, and here the last veil is lifted ... here is the principal theme of the entire story: The hand of God, which decides to lead to a gracious end, ends all the confusion of human guilt. Joseph wishes to concentrate all attention on that which is most important: the leading of God, which had made use of all of these dark things for good." There is great power in purpose -- knowing God is a God of purpose in all circumstances and that we are created and saved to have purpose in our lives.
The lack of purpose is deadly. Lack of purpose is like a limp handshake. It's a sky missing the North Star, a compass without a pointer. We've met people like that. No direction, no goals, aimless; lives as empty as a brown paper sack.
Mark Twain once quipped, "Don't expect too much of human beings. We were created at the end of the week when God was tired and looking forward to a day off."
Nonetheless Richard J. Leider and David Shapiro have listed common threads of people who possess lifestyles rich in purpose:
* They have a purpose larger than their own needs, wants, and desires -- a sense of how their lives and work fit into the larger scheme of things.
* They have an internal compass which keeps them "truing" to their purpose in life.
* They have clear boundaries around their two most precious currencies -- time and money.
* They have a sense of their potential talents, the limits of which have not been fully tested.
* They have marked adaptability when faced with obstacles.
* They have a strong spiritual core.
* Their abundant energy is infectious.
* They have a feeling of lightness -- a sense of being unburdened by the burdens they are carrying.2
Ultimately, we come to the end of the marvelous story of Joseph and the return of shalom to his shattered family. The power of forgiveness reunites and preserves the family of Jacob. And from this family God will bring forth a special nation -- the nation of Israel with its twelve tribes named after the twelve sons and their descendants.
We end with the beginning story of this sermon.
Adele Kipp, the treasurer of St. Peter's church, said of their healing, "We know the pain the boys and their families are feeling. We felt it was our responsibility not only to forgive them, but also to help them put their lives back together. Absolution is what churches are for."
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1. George Bogan, editor, W. A. Wilde Co., Publishers, Holliston, Maine, January, 1973.
2. Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro, Net Results magazine, January, 2000.
