“Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. 2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.” (Genesis 37:1-4)
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)
My good friend and steadfast prayer partner, Nigel, is preparing for preaching on six consecutive Sundays on Westray next month. I am wildly envious. He shared his theme: exploring some very modern issues through the story of Joseph. (Sorry, Nigel, but I couldn’t resist pinching your idea for a midweek series!) Joseph’s story intersects so many facets of our current world: dysfunctional families, favouritism, dealing with sexual temptation, integrity and trustworthiness, slavery, injustice, famine, revenge, handling success and stress, leadership and service. It’s all there. Through it all, Joseph ultimately sees that God has been at work. There must have been moments when his own grip on faith seemed slack. Yet God never lost His grip on Joseph. So Joseph’s story has much to teach us about how a servant of God can keep a straight course through a crooked world, and about how our start does not define our end when God is involved. May God accomplish good in all that happens to you and me this year.