Proper 15 / Pentecost 13 / OT 20
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
-- Genesis 45:5
How does one learn to live with the dark shadows of one's own history or the history of one's country? Some people live in denial, creating glorified versions of their history that deny the evil of the past. Others feel the guilt of the past as a burden and try to absolve themselves by denouncing it loudly and righteously. Most of us in the United States have benefited from the accident of our birth in a time and place that benefits from a violent beginning that involved the near genocide of the Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans for inexpensive labor. The story of Joseph's response to his brothers provides a valuable faith story with which to reflect on our own condition. Out of jealousy and greed, the brothers had sold Joseph into slavery. Many years later, after he had become an enormous success in Egypt, his brothers came to Egypt in desperate need. Joseph did not deny the evil of their actions but reinterpreted the events from God's transforming perspective. "Do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life."
How could they not be distressed? They had not only acted in an evil way, but now they stood vulnerable before their brother who had the power to exact a punishment for what they had done. Yet, Joseph's words were based on his realization of how God had used such evil deeds for good. Whether it is the dark chapters in our own personal history or that of our country or church, we are invited to see how God can transform such events into saving possibilities for the future. This does not gloss over what was wrong in the past but gives us a freedom to thank God for a good future. Once Joseph had identified God's transforming hand in these events, it set him free from the need for vengeance and allowed him to use his gratitude for how God had blessed him to release others from their past as well. If we have eyes to see God's transforming hand even in the dark shadows of our history, does that release us to act more graciously toward others who have not been so fortunate?
-- Genesis 45:5
How does one learn to live with the dark shadows of one's own history or the history of one's country? Some people live in denial, creating glorified versions of their history that deny the evil of the past. Others feel the guilt of the past as a burden and try to absolve themselves by denouncing it loudly and righteously. Most of us in the United States have benefited from the accident of our birth in a time and place that benefits from a violent beginning that involved the near genocide of the Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans for inexpensive labor. The story of Joseph's response to his brothers provides a valuable faith story with which to reflect on our own condition. Out of jealousy and greed, the brothers had sold Joseph into slavery. Many years later, after he had become an enormous success in Egypt, his brothers came to Egypt in desperate need. Joseph did not deny the evil of their actions but reinterpreted the events from God's transforming perspective. "Do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life."
How could they not be distressed? They had not only acted in an evil way, but now they stood vulnerable before their brother who had the power to exact a punishment for what they had done. Yet, Joseph's words were based on his realization of how God had used such evil deeds for good. Whether it is the dark chapters in our own personal history or that of our country or church, we are invited to see how God can transform such events into saving possibilities for the future. This does not gloss over what was wrong in the past but gives us a freedom to thank God for a good future. Once Joseph had identified God's transforming hand in these events, it set him free from the need for vengeance and allowed him to use his gratitude for how God had blessed him to release others from their past as well. If we have eyes to see God's transforming hand even in the dark shadows of our history, does that release us to act more graciously toward others who have not been so fortunate?
