Sermon: "Despite"

Romans 8:28, 31-39

Genesis 45:1-15

‘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 ploughing 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 Goshen, 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.”And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honoured in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.’

The revelation was a long time coming, but the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers was just beginning.

Perhaps you remember the larger story of Joseph's life - a story that involves betrayal, estrangement, slavery, false accusations, and imprisonment. That's a story with a tremendous amount of pain. And it all started when Joseph was a young person, when he was especially vulnerable. It all started with some bravado and some jealousy.

Maybe a little bravado and a little jealousy was to be expected. Joseph was one of the youngest sons of Jacob, a Patriarch of Scripture. Joseph was also the son of Rachel, the wife that Jacob adored. As the story of this family unfolds in the book of Genesis, Rachel dies during childbirth as Joseph's younger brother Benjamin is coming into the world. For this reason - and perhaps for other reasons - Jacob looked to Joseph as the favored son, the one who reminded him so deeply of the wife he loved. He gave Joseph favors. He seemed to let him off the hook at times. And as scripture tells us the story, Jacob gave Joseph an expensive, snazzy coat of many colors, one that reminded his older brothers that he was the favorite son, that he had access to their father in ways that they did not, that he had it easier. This favoritism led to some bravado on Joseph's part and a great deal of jealousy among his brothers. That seems understandable.

But it didn't remain there. Sadly - tragically - those emotions and ways of interacting led to horrific choices. On a day of routine work, everything changed. Joseph's brothers were doing what they normally did, shepherding flocks in a nearby town. Jacob asked Joseph to travel to his brothers, to see how they were doing, and then to come back with a report.

But when his older brothers saw Joseph in the distance, approaching as he wore that despised coat of his, their jealousy began to take tangible form. They planned to do what is unconscionable. They threw him into a pit and taunted him. And hateful language like that can often take on a life of its own, empowering hatred to form in even deeper ways. Joseph's brothers did what was unconscionable. They took Joseph out of that pit only to sell him to some traders that were passing by. They took their own brother and sold him into slavery, not knowing what would happen to him or where he would end up. They took that beloved coat away from him and then dipped it in the blood of a slaughtered animal. They returned home and told their father a despicable lie: Joseph, your son, was slaughtered by a wild animal. We found his coat on our way home - the remains of our brother who is now lost. They betrayed their brother, sent him into unknown territory without safety, and covered up their abuse with lies.

And the brothers have no idea what happens to Joseph after that. They have no idea for decades. But we learn of more difficulties in Egypt, his new land. Though he's a slave, Joseph prospers in certain ways and is put in charge of his master Potiphar's household, that is until Potiphar's wife makes false accusations about Joseph, and he ends up in prison. Though he's a prisoner, Joseph prospers in certain ways, and he's put in charge of the other prisoners. Things are getting somewhat better, that is until he is given a potential way out of that prison but is forgotten and left there. After Joseph interpreted some dreams that two servants of Pharaoh had one night, those servants promised to make Joseph's name known to Pharaoh and to get him out of prison. But when one of them - Pharaoh's cupbearer - was freed and reappointed to his position, he backtracked from his promise. Joseph is forgotten entirely and he remains in prison for two more years.

But then something happens to change that reality in prison. Something rather unexpected happens, something that leads to some unexpected good in Joseph's life. Pharaoh - the King of Egypt - has a dream too, and it's one he can't understand at all. He searches far and wide for someone who might interpret the dream for him, and that's when the cupbearer finally remembers his promise. He speaks highly of Joseph and has him summoned from prison to interpret the dream.

Joseph tells Pharaoh that major events are about to affect the region of Egypt and beyond, that seven years of unbelievable abundance and plenty are about to happen in the land, but after those, seven more years of unbelievable famine would plague that same land. Joseph suggests that Pharaoh find a wise person to store up food in the years of abundance so that the people will be saved during the famine.

And that's when Joseph's life changes radically. Pharaoh appoints Joseph to be that wise person, to take charge and responsibly plan ahead so that many lives can be saved. All of the sudden, Joseph, a slave and a prisoner is blessed unexpectedly with freedom and with purpose.

Joseph prospers greatly in this role. At least outwardly. We might wonder as we read between the lines of those years of abundance and plenty and leadership and wealth. Did they help Joseph escape the difficulties of the past? Did Joseph think of his brothers? Did he continue to feel his pain? Did he ever confide in anyone about what he had experienced, that his first home was in Canaan? Or did he keep silent about his past and all that pain? Did he try to keep it out of his mind and emotions just to try to move on with his life? Did he have moments when he couldn't escape those memories - when they kept him up at night?

We don't know the answers to these questions, but we can imagine and ask them. But we do know this: Joseph's pain and experiences are felt anew when an unexpected encounter makes them unavoidable. Joseph's brothers show up in Egypt, seeking grain to feed their families in Canaan. They show up in his presence, and they don't recognize him. The very ones who sent him away and did what is unconscionable are suddenly at his feet, desperate for his assistance. Can you imagine what that must have been like?

Maybe Joseph felt a thousand different feelings as his brothers reminded him of so much of his earlier life. Maybe it was too much for him to handle. Joseph gives the brothers grain but accuses them of being spies. He yells at them and demands that they return with their youngest brother Benjamin and keeps another brother in prison until they do that very thing. As his brothers depart from him, Joseph doesn't really know if they'll return, if he'll see their faces again, or if he'll have the words he wants to say if they do come back.

But they do return, this time with Benjamin, leading us to the scripture lesson for today. Joseph can no longer contain himself. The revelation of his identity is a long time coming, but the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers is just beginning.

Joseph's brothers must have been terrified at the revelation of his identity. Their past was now unavoidable too. They were frightened but they also seemed to be repentant of their actions. So in our lesson today, Joseph gives some words of hope to his brothers.

Even though this scripture text doesn't use it directly, it seems to me that Joseph is proclaiming a word which captures God's goodness while also looking tragedy and wrongdoing straight between the eyes, naming them for what they are. That word is 'despite.'

'Despite.' Joseph seems to say to his brothers, "Despite what you did to me, God has brought unexpected good into my life. God has been with me and has accompanied me through it all. Despite what was unconscionable, I have been preserved by God's grace. And now, through the grace of God, I am in a position to be a person of blessing, despite the wrongs you have done toward me."

'Despite.' That just might be a word for us today too. Despite the tragedies we have experienced, God has not abandoned us. Despite the pains we have endured, good has accompanied us as well - sometimes unexpectedly - along the way. Despite the sin-sick world we live in, sin will not have the final say. 'Despite' might just be a word for us today too.

But it's also a word to be used with caution.

When tragedy and pain strike and individual or a family, people often say a lot of unhelpful things. Maybe you've heard some unhelpful words in the midst of your own pain, or perhaps you've spoken words like these only to regret them later. In the face of sickness, loss, or death, we hear these words like these all the time: "Everything happens for a reason." "God must have needed your family member in heaven." Or maybe with good intentions - maybe even referencing Paul's words from Romans - people say, "Good will come out of this. God works all things together for good." A conviction that God works in all things for good will hopefully sustain us, but sometimes people voice this conviction in such a way that they seem to convey that the tragedy itself is good! Good will come out of this, therefore, let's give thanks for what has happened.

People likely use phrases like these because they don't know what to say. And because they really love those in the midst of such pain, they want to find some way to make it all better. But if you've ever been on the receiving end of such statements, I imagine you've felt the way I've felt in those moments. You just want your pain to be acknowledged for what it is. And if it involves injustice, you want that injustice to be called out exactly for what it is, not for it to be watered down or rose-colored in some way.

Despite is powerful word. It shouldn't be thrust upon someone when they've been wronged or when they are grieving. We don't need to make a person's situation "all better," by telling them that good will come despite this tragedy. In the midst of raw pain, people rarely need to hear explanations or generalizations but instead, need to have our presence in the midst of that very pain. Who knows? That might be one small form of unexpected good that shows up despite difficult experiences - the presence of loving people who are willing to show up in the pain of others, without cleaning it up but giving hope and love right in the midst of it.

The perspective of the word 'Despite' doesn't need to be thrust upon someone. Instead, it's often articulated by individuals and families in their own time and with their own unique ways of expressing that truth. Joseph does that in his own way. At one point he even says to his brothers, "So it was not you who sent me here; but God." I'll be honest and say that my response would be different. I don't believe that God creates such betrayal and abuse for the sake of something good. But who knows? Maybe with these words, Joseph and the author of this story are saying something different than that.. Maybe Joseph is saying that God has made meaning of his life and called him to an ultimate purpose despite what his brothers did to him, that God made him into the person he was to become despite their wrongdoing. I'm not sure. But I know that scripture is filled with a myriad of expressions in which people find all sorts of ways of saying that God has been with them despite the evil that has come their way. Part of of our calling as people of faith is to put all those voices together - Joseph, Job, Jesus, Mary, the Syrophenician woman, the apostle Paul and others- to put those voices and perspectives into conversation and to bring them into the very presence we provide when people are hurting around us.

'Despite.' Perhaps this simple word - this one word - can be a faithful posture that we embody as we practice the Christian life. In this word, we say that God is with us, that God is with all those who are suffering, that God is suffering alongside us and them, seeking to love in such powerful ways that it changes the world. The word 'despite' is an articulation of grace. Evil, suffering, and injustice will not have the last word. At the same time, in this word - this one word - we are invited to call evil, suffering, and injustice exactly what they are: aberrations from what God hopes for us. The word 'despite' is an articulation that tragedy is real and painful. Our partnership to suffer alongside others when they're in pain participates in the love which will have the last word.

So we are commissioned into this world, into this city, into our homes, into the places that are entirely outside of our comfort zone to be people who live with and for others - in all the difficult situations in which they might be found. Perhaps some forms of reconciliation are just beginning, even in and through you. May it be. Amen.

-Renee Roederer, Director of Young Adult English Ministries, and the community at Pasadena Presbyterian Church