In Joseph's Shoes

May God's grace and His mercy and peace be yours in the name of God the Father, God the Son - the image of the invisible God - and God the Holy Spirit. Amen. Wouldn't it be great to replace all the anxiety, the Angst, stress - whatever you want to refer to it as - and all that relates to, or is the result of all those should haves and could haves? You got any of those? Am I the only one who has some should haves and could haves? Wouldn't you rather be able to sleep soundly each and every night that God continues to give you, knowing that you are exactly where you are at and who you are to be, according to God's plan? Wouldn't that be great, to have that kind of clarity? Wouldn't you wish, wouldn't you like to be able to look back on your life, up to this point, and see God's hand in it all? How you, as a guided woman, or as a guided man, or a guided teenager, or the kids - you know, younger - and how God has brought you to where you're at today, and being able to say, yep, yep, it all makes sense. It all fit right into the plan. Now maybe some of of you tonight would say yeah, I know that already. I'm at peace with how things are now in this moment, in light of everything that has taken place in the past that has brought me to where I am at, right in this moment. And then, perhaps, you'd have to admit that when you're caught saying that, that "yeah, it's all been according to God's plan," you might have to then come clean and say, well actually the truth of the matter is, it was really how I wanted it to be played out. Right? And that I've been busy, than saying "God, what I have wanted to have happen and take place up to this point, I'm just hoping and praying that you agree with it. That it's also in line with what your plan has been for me." For you - I don't want to leave you out of it. And then, how about for Joseph? For Joseph. Because, the thing about the story of Joseph from Genesis - Joseph, one of those brothers - is that it was clear as crystal to him, when it came to God's plan for him and his life. So let's look at his life. You've probably heard, the first you've ever heard about Joseph was probably Sunday School, like I did, right? For some of us, a long time ago, right? That Bible story of Joseph and his brothers. Or maybe you're familiar with Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, right? Isn't that Broadway, wasn't it turned to Broadway? And boy, what a fitting way to consider Joseph: The Dreamer. And how he got that wondrous coat that was made for him by his father that only he received, and not his brothers, from his own father. It was that dream coat that Joseph was gifted by, from his father, among other things that his brothers picked up on, and that did not make them happy campers. If you know the story that's there in Genesis. Because they just got frustrated by the favoritism that Joseph received from his father, that it drove them to the point of wanting to do away, literally, by murdering their little brother. And so, they tossed him into an empty pit, as the story goes. And while they plotted on how to murder him, one of the brothers said: Hey, well, you know what? Maybe there's a better option to all this, and why don't we just sell him off into slavery? And then why don't we just craft a story for Dad and say that "Well, Dad, we're sorry to tell you that a ferocious animal came and took your son out and he's no more." And so off they went, letting their jealousy guide them in their plans. And they had their little brother, Joseph, dragged off to Egypt in a cart, most likely. Most likely with his hands bound and his feet left to be burning in the hot desert sands in that part of the world. And so, then, as the story goes on from Genesis, Joseph eventually found himself in the home of a rich Egyptian as his servant. His name was Potiphar. And soon enough, it was Joseph - he must have been a handsome young lad, because it was Potiphar's wife who got the hots for young Joseph and decided "I want Joseph for myself." But Joseph, we begin to see at this point of the story, was somebody who valued, or had as his values: character and also honor more than desire and comfort. And so his was a clear, unapologetic "No." She wasn't about to take no for an answer, because she knew what she wanted, and she was going to get it. And then, when she found out she couldn't get what she wanted in Joseph, she lied. And in so doing, she did what to Joseph's reputation? Destroyed it. Destroyed any shred of reputation that he had. And so, from having been the favorite of his father, Joseph, here now, we find him with nothing. He had lost everything at that point. He lost his family. He had lost his freedom. He had lost his reputation. Because, of course, Potiphar believed his wife and her word. And so, Joseph found himself not in a pit, but in a dank, dark prison. So there he is, sitting in prison, and what do you do when you're stuck in prison? You've lost everything. I suppose he, you know, was marking each day that took place, you know, so he could kind of keep track of time, just put that, you know, etched into the wall. One after another, day after day. But while he's there in that dank, dark prison, he manages to make some connections with some of his prison mates. And he uses what God had gifted Joseph with: this ability to be able to interpret the dreams of others, and by so doing, being able to to give them a glance into their future.

Well, as Joseph did that for a couple of his prison mates, they came to a point where they were finally released - Joseph still there. And all it would have taken, would have been one of those prison mates - whom Joseph had helped out by revealing to him a bit of his future - to have said something to Pharaoh or somebody out there in the outside world that would have been to Joseph's advantage. But that doesn't help, that doesn't happen, because that one prison mate doesn't say anything to anybody. No credit given to Joseph, and nothing changes. Joseph remains forgotten in prison. That might as well have been his tomb, his grave at that point. But yet, for some odd reason there in that dark, dank prison, Joseph always seemed to have this flicker of hope, this faith that even if it was no larger than that of a mustard seed, allowed Joseph to be kept alive through it all.

And then the breakthrough comes, right? Joseph then finds himself, now not with Potiphar, but in Pharaoh's presence. And Pharaoh, if you know the story, is having these bizarre dreams and doesn't know what to make of it. But Joseph has got this gift from God to interpret dreams and to give some prognostication with regards to the future. Word of this gets to Pharaoh. Pharaoh says, well, alright, let's see what he can do with this. And God then allows Joseph to interpret one of those dreams of Pharaoh's, as having what? Seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. That gets Pharaoh's attention. And Pharaoh, then, becomes convinced that when Joseph then, and in interpreting the dream, also, advises Pharaoh: you should get somebody and put them in charge of having a food program to make sure there's store rooms and store places for the plenty you have now, so that when you don't have what you'll need, when that famine comes, you'll be in good shape. And Pharaoh says, you're the man. I want to make you the man in charge of that.

So, who should come a-knockin? Who should come a-knockin? To Egypt, when that famine arrives, finally, a famine that not only embraced Egypt, but also lands around Egypt, hungry and having nothing left to feed themselves? But Joseph's brothers, who had done, what? Sold him into slavery. The same who were responsible for their little brother's days, weeks, months of misery in a pit, in a dark, dank prison, and the victim of others' lies. And there's Joseph. So, what to do?

Now, the thing at this point - you've got to keep in mind Joseph, he looks way more Egyptian than he did as a rural Palestinian because of the experience he had since coming into Pharaoh's court, so that left his brothers not recognizing who is standing before before them, but their brother is knowing why they were sent by their father. We somehow, we got to get food or we're going to starve: us and our loved ones. But Joseph, he knows who they are. And he's got every reason to give them what they deserve. I mean, wouldn't you? Would I? But what he gives to them is what they don't deserve. He gives them life. He gives them life. And more than the food that they came begging for - which Joseph not only gave them what they needed then and there - but even more, he gave them mercy. Mercy, which came from Joseph looking back on all the places that he had been, and realizing where he was at now.

Just think of that. It all caused Joseph to pause and to reflect where he had been: whatever played into having him looking up from the bottom of a pit where his brothers had thrown him, to being thrown into prison because of the lies of a seductress, rich and wealthy wife of a leader, an Egyptian leader. And all of this gets Joseph to realize, but this is where I am now. So, he tells his brothers, this, as the text reads: you do not need to fear me. I'll take care of you. What you did, you meant for evil. But God, He meant it for good. Because, you see, God sent me here to preserve life, not to take life away.

Oh, boy. I'd be ready to take some lives away if I decided to slip into those shoes of Joseph. Now, here's why it's so important. Remember all this, or take the heart, the story of Joseph as we have it in Genesis, as Joseph remembered it. If you decided to slip into Joseph's shoes too soon - in other words, when he was wearing those ornate robes given to him by a Pharaoh and made the Number Two man in Egypt, and just had incredible gifts and abilities and freedom, and just living a life that so many other people would only be able to dream about - well then, I'm guessing you and I would be completely unaware of what first took place that left him with some really calloused feet for the rest of his life.

I'm thinking that Joseph, at this point in his life, with this incredible turn of events, probably had a limp in his walk from the way that he had been treated and beaten along the way. And that if he were to just kind of remove those expensive, royal robes Pharaoh provided for him, we would see the scars that just littered his body from what he had been put through all those years before he was brought to that point. And that it wasn't just about the cost of knowing God's plan, it was the steps that were taken to live God's plan, which included all the necessary pain to take Joseph from having been - if you know the first part of the story, he was a bratty kid. He thought he was God's gift to his brothers and even to his father. He was spoiled rotten, way back then, before he ended up later with the callused feet and the limp in his walk and all the scars riddling, you know, his body. To then becoming a gift and an instrument of life that God desired to bestow upon others, including his own brothers.

So if you want to know, if you want to know what Joseph came to know, and to do so by taking off your shoes - and yeah, I'd like to try getting into Joseph shoes. And again, we're thinking yeah, to be Pharaoh's second-hand man, there. And to see, though, just how weird and complicated God's plans for us can be, right? Let's just face it. How crazy, how nonsensical it all seems to us. But yet, it's all working to bring you to some good. Then you know what? I think we can begin to appreciate the years of struggle that Joseph went through, and that gave him the eyes to see, in faith and in a character that could only be God-given, what God was up to. What God was doing.

And let's face it, in our eyes, you know, we have to say ah Joseph, he had every right to claim being the victim. He was abused. That's an understatement when you really dig into his story. And life and those who are supposed to care for him, had done what with him? Beaten him down. Instead, Joseph chose to what? To wait, patiently for the day for God's success to be revealed to him. And I don't know about you, but to me, it becomes an incredible story of faith and character. Of God-given faith and God-given character to endure what he did and to see it work. Now, at this point, hopefully you - and along with me - are reminded of another who was despised by His brothers. And He happened to be the favorite of His Father: this is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased. Who entered the pit. And who found Himself in prison to make a proclamation, to let it be known that the victory had been won. And who had His righteous reputation and His character publicly crucified, along with the rest of Him, and who chose to give life instead of giving death to those who deserved death. Who chose, instead, to give bread to those who were hungry. Who chose, instead, to shed His blood for those who were thirsty. And who chose, instead, mercy instead of revenge. Oh, my goodness. Is that backward from the world I live in. I don't know about your world. Completely backward. Weird, isn't it? Weird. But true. And in return, what does He ask of you? Nothing. Doesn't ask me a thing. That's not how His mercy works, nor His grace, other than this: to do that which is impossible - to forgive others. Because we can't do it like He does. But still, He says, I want you to do the impossible. I really liked how Tara put it - she nailed it, I thought. Boy, it's hard to forgive people that you got reasons, no, they don't deserve to be forgiven. And, you know, you're right and I'm right - they don't deserve to be forgiven. Nor do I deserve to be forgiven by God, but what has God done?

I'm going to take that which is impossible and make it possible, and say to you, "Chris, you're forgiven." Now, I want you to do what this world says, "Nah, you fool. Impossible. You won't accomplish anything by doing that." Of course, none of us forgives perfectly. We don't forgive perfectly. We don't, we're not perfect when it comes to keeping no record of wrongs. We like to keep a record. Yet, as wounded as you are, as wounded as I am, as much as it hurts for me to say to somebody, "I forgive you" who doesn't deserve to be forgiven. Well, but then there's Jesus and Him crucified. And then there's the realization, and the eyes open to "Oh, so that's God's real plan." That's the plan. That's what it's all about. Not a plan of climbing latters up to the pot, but lying in the bottom of a pit.

Yet, with trust in your heart, and having the patience that's born of faith that God has, and God can, and God will work through whatever mess you find yourself in today, and whatever mess you got for you tomorrow. That's His plan. And those are the shoes we walk in.

And now may the peace of God, which surpasses all your understanding and my understanding, keep our hearts and minds, especially when we find ourselves lying in the bottom of the pit, knowing that God's got a plan to work us through it, just like He did Joseph. Amen.