Sermons Online

Below is a copy of the sermon, given by Richard last week. Click here for an archive of previous sermons.

Genesis 45: 1-15

Poor, poor Joseph what you going to do?
Words from the song from Joseph and his techno-colour dream coat. After all that has happened to him one wonders exactly what he was going on to do. Take revenge, get even or show pity?  Let us look at it from a film perspective. We have a star studded cast, a multi coloured character, a dysfunctional family, a murder plot, plenty of excitement, sex and deception. The story is of course based on the life of one man, Joseph.

Scene 1: A loving father, Jacob, and a favoured son, Joseph, leads to jealousy within other family members.
Scene 2: Being thrown down a well and rescued only to be saved and sold as a slave to the Egyptians.
Scene 3: Upon arriving in Egypt making it to the position of manager of the Captain of the Guard, Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. In this role he oversaw all of Potiphars possessions, became a confidante living in prosperity.
Scene 4: Attempted seduction by the Captains wife results in him fleeing her bedroom stark naked. She cries rape, he loses his job and ends up in prison.
Scene 5: After interpreting a couple of dreams of fellow inmates Joseph is remembered at a critical time when the Pharaoh wants similar interpretations, he is summonsed to help the Pharaoh. The interpretation of his dream pleases the Pharaoh as Joseph through God is able to avert famine and ensure all of the Pharaohs people will have food during an upcoming 7 year downturn in the farming community. Because of this Joseph is entrusted with the Job of overseeing the stock piling of crops and authority over all of Egypt. And when the famine occurs,  Egypt is well poised to provide for not only their own people but also for the people of other lands. Joseph becomes a very wealthy and powerful man.
Scene 6: Josephs brothers come to Egypt to buy food. They do not recognise him although Joseph recognises them. They wish to buy food but in the process try to cover up their past transgressions. Joseph here has mixed emotions, on one hand he is grateful to see them but also shows anger at them and accuses them of spying. He none the less lets them go except Simeon, under the understanding that they return with the youngest brother.
He also lets them return without having to pay for their grain, showing the compassion he still had for his brothers after all this time.
Scene 7: The brothers return yet again with Benjamin who is accused of stealing. They all return back to Joseph and he reveals who he is to them, no longer able to control his own emotions forgiving them for their past digressions ands welcoming them into his own family household where they would live in prosperity. The brothers of course now fear for themselves, as they are now in the court of a very powerful man and they await his decision on their fate.

The movie ends, everyone applauses, and expectantly await the sequel.

All through Joseph’s life he sees good rather than bad. He always has a positive outlook believing that God is in control and that in the end will return Joseph and his family back together. He had ample opportunity to take revenge and at one point, steps in that direction, accusing his brothers of spying and stealing even though this is not true. Yet his love for his family overcomes all this and he breaks down with relief.
Forgiveness does not seem to be part of the story at all. He never mutters the words once. It appears as if it is not necessary even. So what is forgiveness all about and how does reconciliation fit in?

Bishop Joseph Butler wrote a sermon on forgiveness in 1726 saying that ‘forgiveness is a moral virtue (a virtue of character), it is essentially a matter of the heart, the inner self and involves a change in inner feelings more than a change of external action. The change in feeling is this, the overcoming, on moral grounds of the intense negative reactive attitudes that are quite naturally occasioned when one has been wronged by another, mainly passions of resentment, anger hatred and a desire for revenge. A person who has truly forgiven someone has overcome those vindictive attitudes and has overcome them for a morally creditable motive, e.g. being moved by the repentance on the part of the person who has wronged.

What interests me is that what Bishop Butler is suggesting is that by saying I forgive you to someone really has no meaning unless there is an internal change of heart that goes with it. If there is still resentment or a feeling that I have still been wronged then forgiveness has not occurred and lip service is being made of it.

So forgiveness is that inner change of heart when we no longer to seek to put others down even in a small way be it a cutting remark or leaving others of an invitation list as even these are petty acts of revenge as they are the simple tit for tat scorekeeping that make revenge.

Forgiveness is not to be mixed up with other responses, such as showing mercy or being excused. These are quite different as they do not require an inner change of heart. Mercy shows there is compassion on someone’s situation, and being excused for doing wrong still does not require an inner change.  Also reconciliation is separate from forgiveness as they can too sit happily with out each other.

If someone was beaten and raped by another, all these responses may or may not occur.
The offender can be shown mercy during sentencing and be excused for their actions because of their background when younger. The victim may even have an inner change and have no negative feelings towards the offender showing genuine forgiveness, but because of what occurred, reconciliation, especially if both were in a relationship together,  reuniting, returning to live together may not be a possibility, in fact be down right detrimental.

Joseph with all that he went through at one point seems to take on some of these negative inner feelings when he uses the power he has to his advantage against his brothers. He locks one up, accuses another of theft and others of spying. Yet in the end his inner emotions take over and the build up of love for his family pours out. He has an inner change of heart that removes any ill feeling towards his family, he weeps with them and in this case reconciliation occurs as well.

So if we take Bishop Butlers understanding and we look at differences of opinion that we may have with others in our own lives and people say or do, things that offend us, we are asked to forgive. Unless that forgiveness involves a change of heart and no negative feelings are present, no anger, or wanting to get even then forgiveness has not occurred. A verbal ‘I forgive you’ may be part of this process but does not constitute true forgiveness. In Josephs case there was true forgiveness but no one said it, any negative inner feelings were gone and he was set free to love his family once more.

So God asks the same from us all to let go of inner negative feelings, to set ourselves free from the burden of anger, and resentment and to have a change within. A change that is far more likely to affect change externally and create an atmosphere where reconciliation may occur, where God’s love can rise above all and we are blessed because of it. In our liturgy we seek forgiveness and God offers this to us unconditionally. God never questions because God has no negative feelings no matter what we have done only unconditional love.

Sometimes forgiving is very quite difficult and there may be cases where it may not be possible as feelings may have been held for some time, even Joseph slipped and used his position against his brothers, but we are asked to try, and with God’s help anything is possible, sometimes like a good cheese it just takes time.