In the time of King Her'od, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Her'od heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: "And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Her'od secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Her'od, they left for their own country by another road.  Matt 2:1-12

Today, Epiphany, is the day we celebrate and commemorate the wise men who came to find the baby Jesus. There were wise men and a multitude of camels in the procession to find the one whose coming was foretold.  Where did they look to find him?  Where do we look to find God?  The wise men came from the east to Jerusalem. They actually were not kings, as the familiar carol "We Three Kings" says, but they were priests from Persia. They were spiritual people, but they were searching for God in the wrong place. They made a mistake and went to Jerusalem. In our own lives, at the end of each year we should ask, "Where have I found God in the last year? Where should I look for God this year?" The wise men made three mistakes: they looked for God in riches; they relied on knowledge, and they trusted in power. When they came to Jerusalem, they asked Herod, "Where is the king of the Jews?" They looked to the palace with its riches and finery. People aren't satisfied with riches and fine houses. These will never meet our needs in life. We live in a time and place where we have fantastic wealth, and this might lead us to believe that we can find God in riches and wealth. But it will always disappoint you if you are trusting in this. If you believe that you will find God by getting more things, you will be disappointed. The second mistake the wise men made was that they relied too much on their knowledge. They were the most developed mathematical thinkers of their day, they tracked the stars in the heaven and were well-versed in astronomy, but it eventually got them to the wrong place. They went to Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem. Some people imagine that they can think their way to God, that they can figure out the mysteries of the cosmos all by themselves. But knowledge of God is far from the love of God. Some people never come to the place of trusting in God, rather than just knowing facts about him. The third mistake that the wise men made is that they tried to find God through power and might. They thought that if they went to King Herod, all of his power, authority, armies and military strategists might be able to assist them in finding God. But this was not the case either. So how do we find God, if we can't find him through riches, knowledge or power?  The first thing we should do is search the Scriptures. Herod needed advisors to learn the truth -- that Jesus was to be found in Bethlehem. The wise men ultimately discovered the location of the newborn king through the Bible. Each of us should figure out a way to get into the Bible and learn more about the Bible during this coming year, because the Scriptures lead us to God. The second thing we should do is follow God's leading. The star that led the wise men eventually appeared over the house where the holy family was staying in Bethlehem. We've got to follow the Lord and allow him to guide our lives. You will see God when you begin to look for him.

On the third day there was a wedding in Ca'na of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now."  Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Ca'na of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Caper'naum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there a few days. John 2:1-12

Romans tells us that the Kingdom of God consists of righteousness, peace and joy. But many Christians today live in just the opposite of joy -- they seem to be living in sorrow and dejection, and they are the last people who you would think should be invited to a party. But that's the wonder of this passage from John: Jesus is invited to the celebration. Throughout the gospels, there's no party that he's not welcome to attend, and no event where people aren't glad to see him.  And that's something that we as Christians need to reclaim for ourselves, the joy that knowing Jesus can bring to our lives. It is a glad thing to be able to laugh, sing and rejoice together, like we do during our worship services. It is a preview of what is to come in the kingdom of God. Throughout the season of Epiphany, we focus on learning more about who Jesus is. Jesus did this miracle, the first of his signs, and the disciples believed in him. Jesus was the joy of the party. Where he is, celebration can break out.  At this wedding feast, there were six empty stone water jars there. These jars were not for holding drinking water; they were jars to be used for ceremonial purification, which the people used on a daily basis so that they could be considered pure before God. The water that was turned to wine was this water from the purification jars.  In this fact Jesus is making a suggestion for all of us: In his coming, the old way has become no longer operative. The old way is judgment, and the new way is mercy. The old way is ceremonial purification; the new way is joy and life in Christ.  Recently, Episcopalians and Lutherans entered into full communion -- a special new relationship that says that we have much in common. Last weekend there was a long and glorious Epiphany service in which elements from both traditions were blended. There was much fanfare, music, processionals and celebration, and truly the spirit of John chapter 2 was captured in that stirring event. And there will be a day eventually when all Christians of every tradition and denomination will worship together in the kingdom of God.  There are several reasons why it is a good thing to enter into an agreement with the Lutherans. And while this agreement is not a complete joining together of two traditions, we still can experience the joy of agreeing in some basic, fundamental areas. A first reason is that at the time of the reformation, Anglicans and Lutherans both had a renewed commitment to what we might call "classical" Christianity. We were committed to keeping our heritage alive in a way that others at the time of the reformation were not. We had a sense of connectedness with our history back to medieval times and before. Both churches celebrate the first 600 years of Christendom with a great commitment to that era. We read and studied those early thinkers with a sense of reverence and a willingness to listen to them in a way that perhaps others at the time of the reformation were not. The worship and music that you find in an Anglican or a Lutheran church is probably closer to the style of worship that took place in New Testament times than other churches of the modern era. A second way in which Anglicans and Lutherans were renewed together at the time of the reformation was that they both had a sense of a renewed commitment to incarnation. This reflects a passage from John chapter 1: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." This is a very important concept to understand. Incarnation says that not only does God understand our pain, but he is willing to walk with us through it. It is important to come to understand what it means that God put on flesh in the person of Jesus and walked amongst us. Just like in our reading today, Jesus was actually a part of the celebration and was there with the people. This is something that we share with our Lutheran friends. A third thing that came out of the reformation for Anglicans and Lutherans was a renewed sense of understanding of the cross, or a renewed sense of what it meant that Jesus died for us. At the time of the reformation, both Anglicans and Lutherans especially -- because of their understanding of the incarnation -- also understood what it meant that Jesus would die on the cross for us, to bring us back together with God. Out of that understanding of Christ's sacrifice came a renewed commitment to the concept of free will. We all have a choice; we can choose to enter into the sacrifice that God has made for us. At the time of the reformation, the people were almost at a place where they were enslaved to a medieval theology that said they had no choice. The reality of choice means that each of us must choose to die with Jesus and to live through him.  In summary, the revelation of Jesus at Epiphany means great joy, and we can enter into a celebration of what God has done for all of us, and what he is doing today through all of us. And part of that was lived out in that great festival of praise and communion that took place between Anglicans and Lutherans last weekend. In a larger sense, when you or I meet a believer, it's an opportunity not to say, "Look how different we are and how much we disagree," but it's a moment to come together in Christ's joy and accomplish more together for his glory.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free -- and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, the members of the body that seem weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.  1 Cor 12:12-27

In our lives, we as believers may have a brilliant focus on one area that we are gifted in, but sometimes we may have a tendency to lose the bigger picture. We may be exceptionally gifted in a certain area, but we miss God's grand scheme because of our narrow focus. Last week, we talked about what it means to have spiritual gifts that have been given to us by God. In today's reading from Paul's letter to the church in Corinth, we can see that the Corinthians had begun to rank themselves by their gifts, and Paul was warning them about that. The church was focusing too narrowly; they were focusing on spiritual minutiae. They were concerned about which gifts and which responsibilities were more important than others. When we begin to focus too narrowly, we miss all that God has for us.  What if we began to say: "The only service that is worth going to is the 8:00am service in which Rite I is used."  Or what if we began to say: "I will only attend this certain church because the county in which it is located is mostly Republican."  This is the type of thing that Paul was struggling with in his relationship with the Corinthians, and it's something that we all struggle with occasionally today.  Where is our focus?  Today, we are less concerned with denominations then we were in the past. And this is probably a good thing, because any church that begins to narrow its focus becomes less than God intends it to be.  In today's lesson, Paul tries to correct their narrow focus, and in doing so he gives us the solution to the problem. In the passage, Paul reminds us that in the one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body. There is one Lord, one faith one baptism -- this is a major New Testament principle. The focus is on the Lord Jesus, and not on any particular denomination, or country, or any other division. Ultimately Paul says that this changes our focus to recognize that we need each other.  "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,' nor again to the feet, 'I have no need of you.'"  What if we had a church where everyone only wanted to sing?  Or what if everyone in the church only wanted to be a leader?  Or what if everyone only wanted to teach?  We would miss out on so much.  As believers, God has gifted all of us in very special ways, and all of those gifts are desperately needed.  We need people to sing, we need people to lead, we need people to teach, and we need people who serve, and who pray and who encourage.  All of these things and more make up the wonderful body of Christ, and when we recognize this, our eyes are opened to all Christ has for us.  We don't want to be in a place where we miss the humanity, where hurts are passed over, and where needs are going unmet. We want to be a people where we can come together and celebrate the way God made each of us unique, and also celebrate our commonalities, which are our faith in Christ and our desire to serve him.  When we come together in this way, he opens our eyes so that we may serve together.  We have one Lord, one faith, and one baptism; we are all part of one body that God has arranged as he chose.

Rev. Bill Kruse

Now the Word of the Lord came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord." Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."  Jer 1:4-10

Some might say that the definition of a biblical prophet is someone who comforts the disturbed, and disturbs the comfortable. This in some ways describes the prophet Jeremiah, and this in fact is the kind of God we have. What can we learn about our own vocation from Jeremiah? Jeremiah lived at a time when his nation was threatened from within and from without. There was much self-indulgence and corruption in the land, which threatened them from within. From without, they were threatened by a military super-power. Jeremiah felt the pain of the nation, and took it to God in prayer. He was being called to be a prophet -- to be the spokesperson of God for his nation. In today's reading, we see that Jeremiah accepted God's calling with reluctance. He knew the difficulties and challenges his country and people were facing, and he knew that it would be a difficult and challenging job to be a prophet to the people. But in spite of his reluctance, he began to preach to the people, and to speak to them about God. He wanted them to turn to God, and he wanted them to allow God to heal and renew the nation and to give the people compassionate, merciful and humble hearts. But of course, his message of repentance did not win him a popularity contest!  His was a difficult message to accept and hear. It was difficult for the people to hear a new message and to contemplate change.  It was easier for them not to think about anything different, and to keep the status quo. Jeremiah's message caused the people to get angry. They went to the authorities and said, "Who is he to be our judge?" They had him flogged, they had him put in stocks, and at one point they had him thrown into the dungeon.  But what does this story have to do with us today?  We too live in a nation that has difficulty facing change and is reluctant to hear what God has to say. If you think of the prophets, are they the only ones who are under a prophetic calling? A prophet is someone who is a mouthpiece for God; but not only do they speak with their mouths, but also with their entire lifestyles. For a prophet, all that he or she is, speaks to the people about what God is saying. The prophet's life is a letter from God to the people. In the village where Jeremiah lived, or in fact even where Jesus lived or where we live now, Jeremiah and all of us have a responsibility to the community around us. We all are prophets in some ways; we all contribute to the morality of society. There are no neutral roles -- we each contribute to the community, whether that be in a positive or negative way. Everybody is a teacher, no matter what our background: whether we came from a broken home or a loving home, or whether we were taught the things of God or not. All situations where we have social contact shape our own lives and the lives around us.  And a crisis comes to the village whenever something new or different happens. We have a tendency to resist change and to keep what we are used to and are most comfortable with. In Jeremiah's village, in Jesus' town of Nazareth, and in our own cities today, people who are willing to speak the truth about God are needed desperately. We can't be whole without people who are willing to seek out what God's will is. In Jeremiah's village, the people weren't expecting a revelation and they didn't want change -- but God sent Jeremiah to speak to them about the truth. In today's gospel reading from Luke, we see that Jesus was not accepted even in his home town. The people were filled with rage and drove him out of the town -- but yet Jesus came speaking the truth and in doing so fulfilled the scriptures. Like Jeremiah before him, Jesus saw beyond the customary and conventional. In our own villages and towns, how can we speak the true word of God?  Will we do so, even when we are faced with a people who do not want change, and are comfortable without seeking God's guidance for their lives?

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennes'aret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zeb'edee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:1-11

In Epiphany, we are looking at how God gets our attention. Last week, we talked about how God got Jeremiah's attention. This week we look at how he catches the attentions of the apostles. The passage for today, which is about the calling of Peter, also contains principles for our own lives. Jesus was beginning to work in Peter's life in a specific way. In this passage, Jesus would get Peter's attention in a big way. Peter and the other fishermen had worked all night, and had caught nothing. What do you imagine was going on in that boat during this time of waiting for the nets to fill? Doubtless it was a time to sit and think, to listen to the waves lapping against the side of the boat, to contemplate life. Peter might have been asking, "Why am I here? Why am I doing this? What do I really want in life?" This was a moment for God to get Peter's attention. If God will have our attention, we have to be at a place where we are asking these kinds of questions. We need to be at that still and quiet place in our lives where we are asking "why".  The answer might be something like, "It's what I've always done." Or the answer might be "I do what I do for the money." Peter might have given these answers in response to the question, "Why are you a fisherman?". In this way, he probably relates to many of us in our church family. What motivates us? This is the first question that we must ask if God is to get our attention.  The second question we need to ask is: What are the gifts that God has put in our lives? It oftentimes is hard to accept that miracle that God gives each and every one of us special gifts. But when God is a part of our life, he is not stingy -- he blesses us with wonderful gifts. All of us, as part of God's magnificent creation, have been given gifts. What are your gifts?  Peter must have been asking himself this question. God was working on Peter that night; he wanted to give Peter a whole new perspective, and to open up new areas in his life. Peter was being called to move beyond himself -- beyond his talents, abilities and knowledge. Jesus tells him to lower his nets in broad daylight, when the custom and practice is to fish at night. And Peter has a wonderful response; he says, "Well, we haven't caught anything at all, but I will lower the nets if you say so." He is able to move beyond himself. Do you want to be a blessing in your work? In your marriage? As a parent? Do you want to be a blessing to friends, neighbors and to people in your church? Do you want a sense of wholeness and fulfillment in your life? Then you must move beyond your work, your marriage and your own self. What are your motives? What are your gifts? What are you willing to give to God? If you are willing to make those necessary changes, then God will be there with you. Look what happens when Peter finally brings up his net -- the net is so full, that it begins to break apart. Peter fell at Jesus' feet and proclaimed, "Go away from me, Lord!" He had never seen anything like this in all of his life as a fisherman. And Jesus said, "You haven't seen anything yet! Come with me." This Epiphany, let God get your attention. Find that still and quiet place in your life where you can ask yourself, what are my motives, and what are my gifts?  How can I give them to God?

He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets." Luke 6:17-26

In the passage just prior to today's lesson, Luke tells us that Jesus had spent the entire night on the mountain in prayer. After a whole night of prayer and meditation, a night of receiving the Father's love, a night of just being open to the peace of God -- then Jesus was ready. He appointed the twelve, and went down to mingle with the people. Think about what Jesus was doing. He stood among the people and allowed his power to flow out to them. They tore at his clothing, pelting him with self-centered pleadings. They surrounded him and poured out on him all the complaints and suffering and self-seeking that is our common lot. What did they want from him? They wanted only to be delivered from evil. They wanted only to have there suffering alleviated. They wanted only to be healed and set free from sickness and disease and disability and everything that limits human freedom. That's all they wanted. They didn't want to be preached at. They didn't want to be urged to take on some new attitudes. They didn't want to be taught some new rules. They didn't want any new doctrines. They weren't interested in a new creed. They did not want to be elected to the vestry. They did not want an appointment to serve on the building committee or any other committee. They just wanted to get close to Jesus! They just wanted to receive that power. They just wanted to be rescued from the evil one who was making their lives a living hell. They just wanted to let Jesus make them whole. They just wanted to be healed, that's all.  So when Jesus made his speech, he didn't really talk to the people on the plain, although it was okay if they listened to what he said to the disciples. Luke tells us that Jesus looked up at his disciples who were situated somewhere on the ascent above the level ground where Jesus stood among the people. He look up at his disciples and said, "Blessed are you," you meaning the disciples. You, who are called to care for these people who are poor and hungry... although so far you can do nothing for them. Blessed are you who weep for humanity's suffering... although so far you do not know how to alleviate it. You will be blessed as you strive to serve the least of the brethren, for the Father will lean forward and give you courage and strength. And the Spirit will enable you to stretch and grow beyond yourself. God knows your heart. God will share your journey. You will do much for humanity, as you allow the compassionate Spirit of God to give you a new heart -- a heart of flesh, not of stone. You cannot be my disciple with a heart of stone. You cannot conquer the forces that produce poverty, and profit so handsomely. But you can stand with the poor, as does the Son of Man. You can stand with the poor as God gives them his kingdom. You may never conquer the forces that produce hunger, but you can share with the hungry, and you can be creative in helping them to an education so they can feed themselves in the future. And you can rejoice with the Father, whose heart is always with the poor, the oppressed, the blind, the imprisoned, and the outcast. You can never vanquish all disease or disability or death, but you can join the weeping, and then, by God's grace, join those who laugh and weep no more. Let's face it, we are poor beyond measure in the woes that beset us and those we love. We hunger for a power that is not ours to wield. We weep over pain that we cannot prevent and cannot relieve. We hide our helplessness inside proud fortresses. We surround ourselves with things that promise us control. We seek to conceal our helplessness with symbols of power. Whether we are on the plain begging, or slightly up the hill yearning to give, or even higher trying to hide, we are poor, hungry and sad. As Mary of Nazareth once said, "When we know our emptiness and helplessness, we are blessed, for our God fills the empty with good things; but the rich he sends away empty." When we acknowledge our sinfulness and repent, God forgives. When we acknowledge our emptiness, God fills us with good things. When we commit ourselves to fight evil, God empowers us to overcome. Come Lord Jesus; you have called us to be your disciples; lead us and show us the way. Thanks be to God, who already is giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. 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. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, "Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Go'shen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there--since there are five more years of famine to come--so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty. The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons according to the instruction of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. To each one of them he gave a set of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of garments. To his father he sent the following: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. Then he sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Do not quarrel along the way." So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. And they told him, "Joseph is still alive! He is even ruler over all the land of Egypt." He was stunned; he could not believe them. But when they told him all the words of Joseph that he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. Israel said, "Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I must go and see him before I die." Genesis 45:3-11,21-28

Joseph was a man who believed that God is good. Joseph was a very colorful character of the Old Testament: he was his father's favorite son, he was given a coat of many colors, and he had dreams of his brothers and father bowing down to him.  The brothers were jealous of him, and one day they saw their chance to get back at Joseph and remove him from their family. They sold him into slavery to a traveling Egyptian party, and they went back and told their father that Joseph had been killed by a lion. The brothers ultimately ended up living with this deception for 22 years! But still, Joseph knew that God is good. This story becomes a picture of how Christ relates to us. During Epiphany, we have been talking about how God gets our attention, and this story of Joseph is a picture or the relationship we have with God. First, Joseph knew his brothers before they knew him. There was a famine in the land, and the brothers had heard that there was a great Prime Minister who was wise and who might lend them some help. When the brothers went to see this Prime Minister, who we know was actually Joseph himself, Joseph knew they were his brothers before they knew it was him. This is true in our relationship with God -- he knows us before we know him. Before we know and recognize our God, he already knows and recognizes us. Psalm 139 says that God knew us even before we were born. Joseph's brothers had aspects of their lives that were hidden for many, many years, but God knew about them. God knows the innermost parts of our lives. We may not be proud of all of these innermost aspects of our lives, and in fact we may have many wounds, hurts and pains in our lives that we would rather not expose. But God, our Great Physician, knows about all of these wounded parts and he wants to care for us. The second way in which this story shows how we relate to God is that there is love before there is love. The brothers hated Joseph, but Joseph - in spite of his family - loved his brothers. The scripture passage tells us that when the brothers came to see him, Joseph could not contain himself, and wept when he saw his brothers. Joseph loved his brothers before they began to love him. This is the love that Jesus has for us. Jesus wept when his beloved friend Lazarus died. When Jesus looked over Jerusalem, he expressed how he longed to care for the people. Jesus cared for us so deeply, that he died for us and took on our imperfections, and he wears those imperfections into eternity in the form of nail scars. The third way in which this story tells of how we relate to God is that Joseph rescued his brothers before they knew of their need to be rescued. When the brothers finally realized that it was Joseph, they were terrified. They were worried that the cruelty and deceit that they had done would be given back to them. But in fact, Joseph was planning to help them and take care of them. It is the same for us; we don't know what tomorrow holds or what lies ahead for us. But thanks be to God, he rescues us before we are even aware of our desperation and our need. The fourth way in which the story reflects how we relate to God is that Joseph called his brothers to him, even though they wanted to run away. Jesus does the same for us. Jesus says to us, "Come to me." When God speaks to our hearts, it's usually in those quiet and private moments. Jesus calls each of us by our names, just as Joseph did with his brothers.  How is God getting your attention? Recognize that God knows you, God loves you, he reaches out to protect you, and he is calling you by name.

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