Uniform Lesson for September 20, 2020 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Genesis 42:6-25 Joseph’s struggles with love now enter a graduate-level phase. He has grown from the member of the family who is acted upon to the member of the family who acts — for redemptive purposes. Clearly, the most tangible redemption will be his supply of grain to his family, which will carry them through the famine. But there’s another famine at the heart of this family: a story of a father’s love, a son’s dreams and the relationships among brothers gone bad. How we view Joseph’s actions in this chapter of the story has much to say about how we view God’s actions in our lives. Genesis 42:6-10 — Save us from the time of trial The theme of testing is at the heart of this chapter of Joseph’s story. Testing is both a juridical and a theological term for discernment or revelation, a means by which the hidden nature of our hearts might be revealed. Have Joseph’s brothers learned from their past actions … [Read more...]

Uniform Lesson for September 13, 2020 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Genesis 41:25-33, 37-40, 50-52 Joseph’s struggles with love continue, this time no longer in his father’s house but Pharaoh’s. In last week’s lesson, Joseph’s dreams and words earned him the hatred of his brothers and the rebuke of his father (Genesis 37). Maybe there is a time when it’s better to “keep silence” (Ecclesiastes 3:7). But now, after a series of appointments and betrayals and redemptions, Joseph is asked to interpret some of Pharaoh’s dreams. Surely there are also times when we are called to speak! An ability to interpret dreams, which led to troubles with his brothers by blood, now opens up a possibility for Joseph to help his sisters and brothers by adoption — the Egyptians. Genesis 41:25-33 — Seeing God’s plans What was implicit in our first lesson with Joseph now becomes explicit in this chapter of the story. We have already observed that dreams in Scripture are often vehicles for … [Read more...]

Uniform Lesson for September 6, 2020 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Genesis 37:2-11, 23-24a, 28 This fall, we begin a series titled “Love for One Another.” It will take us from the Old Testament, through the Gospels and into the Epistles. At the heart of this unit are the stories of Joseph and his brothers. This is the final chapter in a string of dysfunctional family stories in Genesis that begins with Cain and Abel (if not Adam and Eve!). On one level, the Joseph stories answer the question of how Israel found itself in Egypt — in order to be formed as a nation and set free. But at a deeper level, the Joseph stories prefigure a host of stories later in Israel’s story concerning division and rivalry in families, nations and the world. Genesis 37:2-11 — Dysfunctional families Given human nature, wherever two or three human beings are gathered, you’ve got trouble! We all know what’s coming when a story leads off with: “Once there was a father who had two sons.” So what about … [Read more...]