WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL
Week 12- Reconciliation
November 25th, 2018
Setting the scene...
Today we reach the culmination of Genesis with the final climax - a dysfunctional family drama? Yet upon further reflection, we see more than simply a storyline to a Broadway musical. We meet a band of brothers, Joseph and his eleven brothers, struggling to forge a new way of being family together. Through the betrayal and the pain, somehow God helps them find a different path. In spite of their past, these old dogs learn new tricks and become the family of God, blessing a new nation in the journey.
Reading for this week...
As you read Genesis 42-50, pay particular attention to Genesis 45:1-11
Questions for reflection...
What does this final cycle teach us about what it means to be human?
What similar themes do you see in the Joseph narrative that you have read in earlier stories of Genesis?
What new insights emerge about humanity in this story?
In Pastor Stina’s sermon, she mentions Richard Rohr’s teaching, “Pain that is not transformed is transmitted.” Spend time reflecting on that teaching and listen to the questions that arise for you
For additional study...
WATCH: Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and unfairly sentenced to prison while in Egypt. How could he ever move past that? Spend time listening to Pastor Darryl Burton’s tragic, triumphant story of unjust arrest and imprisonment shows as shared at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.
JOIN A CLASS: Talk with other people about the Book of Genesis during a Bible study class at Delano UMC. Classes meet on Sunday or Thursday evenings. For more info
PRAYER EXERCISE: Advent is coming next week. Stop by the church today to pick up free resources for you to pray through the Advent season. Stay tuned to our next sermon series for weekly resources to pray over as we prepare for Christmas.