Pastor Eric continues the sermon series, Still Here: When Holding On Is Holy Enough, a four-week journey through the Hebrew Bible with people who had reached the end of themselves. In this service, we revisit the story of Joseph.
In Genesis 50, Joseph's brothers are terrified now that their father has died, and expect the revenge they have earned. Instead, Joseph weeps and says to them, "You intended to do harm to me, but God intended it for good."
For anyone carrying an old wound that has not fully closed, this is not the false comfort of "everything happens for a reason." It is something more sturdy: permission to name the harm, grieve its reality, and set down the exhausting work of keeping score.
In this service, we also welcome back our Chancel Choir, and gather together at the Lord's Table to celebrate Communion, a fitting act for a Sunday about reconciliation.
Accompanying scriptures are Romans 14:1-12 and Matthew 18:21-35.