Suffering and Salvation - Pastor Tom Loghry
As Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, we see the changes in their hearts as well as the incredible faith shown by Joseph. Even in immensely difficult life circumstances, Joseph looks to God for purpose in his suffering.
Transcript:
Scripture this morning is taken from Genesis 43, 15 to 18. So the men took the gifts and doubled the amount of silver and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal that they are to eat with me at noon.
The men did as Joseph told him and took the men in Joseph's, to Joseph's house. Then the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought we were brought here because, because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.
Some healing. requires cutting. It is a reality that defies our intuitions. Everything in our natures would shrink away from any blade that would cut our flesh. But as any of you know, who have suffered some cancer, some illness of your heart, some deterioration of your body, It is sometimes necessary for our bodies to be cut open for us to be made well.
We experience both fear and pain in the process. But correctly done, we are ultimately made well through gifted surgeons. Life, personally, historically, universally, life is like surgery. Life is like surgery as long as there's a kind hand behind the blade. If there is no God, then life's suffering has no rhyme or reason.
Unlike surgery, this suffering could not be working to any good end. If there is no God, there is only pain without purpose. I want to say that again because it's so important for you to remember that as we face pain and we deal with doubts. If there is no God, there is only pain without purpose.
Random, chaotic, brutish. But God does exist. His purposes for us are good, and his hand is sure. And so life is like surgery, painful, yes, but under God's hand working towards the healing and redemption of those who will belong to him. Joseph's story is marked by pain. He has been betrayed, falsely accused.
The blade is cut deep, but now the healing has begun. He has been made second in command of Egypt, enjoying great splendor. He is serving in a great mission, administrating supplies of food in a time of starvation. He has a wife and two sons. And now, when he least expected it, the brothers who sold him into slavery have come back into his life, unbeknownst to them.
They've come bowing before him, as God foretold Joseph in a dream many years earlier. He has now waited two years for what would come next. Two years wondering if they would return to reclaim their brother, Simeon, whom he imprisoned in order to test them. Waiting two years to see if they would bring with them his brother Benjamin.
Now the moment has arrived that every tragedy and triumph has been building towards. Their reunion in the next chapter for the family of Israel. So we continue in Genesis 43. And as Ernie read in verses 15 through 18, the brothers appear once again before Joseph. And when they appear before him, they brought gifts.
They brought gifts in order to smooth things over. To make sure everything was alright, because they had received their silver back in their sacks, and they were worried that this was some accident, but an accident for which they would be blamed. They brought gifts because they were afraid, and didn't want anything to befall their beloved brother Benjamin, their father's beloved son, Benjamin.
Joseph, when he sees them, invites them over to his house. He's going to host a dinner for them. A meal, at noon. And, as soon as this invitation is given, and they're being led to his house, they're totally suspicious. They think this guy's got designs on us. He's going to make us into slaves. He's trying to steal our donkeys.
Which is kind of funny. I mean, when you're second in command of Egypt, you have better things to do than to steal some guy's donkeys, you'd think. But, they're just on edge. They're paranoid. This guy's up to no good. And so, just to make sure that, you know, everything's all right between they and him, they go up to Joseph's steward.
Verse 19, it says, So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. We beg your pardon, our lord, they said. We came down here the first time to buy food. At the place where we stopped for the night, we opened our sacks, and each of us found his silver, the exact weight in the mouth of his sack.
So we have brought it back with us. We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks. So they were like, listen, we don't know if you're trying to do something with us because of what happened, but it was totally a mistake, we brought all the silver here, we're all good, right?
It's just so funny the way that the steward, how the steward replies, putting them at complete ease. Verse 23, it says, It's all right, he said, don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks. I received your silver.
Then he brought Simeon out to them. The steward took the men to Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided fodder for their donkeys. They prepared their gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there. It's so interesting to see how the steward reinterprets their circumstances, because if you'll remember last week, the brothers were really down about everything that was happening.
They were like, we're under a curse because of how we betrayed our brother Joseph. Jacob is feeling cursed because he believes his son is dead and his other son Simeon's imprisoned. Here, from the mouth of the steward, we hear some correction. You're not cursed. You're blessed. Now obviously, the silver didn't just appear in their sacks, it was because Joseph had it put back there.
But we see how the page is turning here, where they have to understand what God is doing, the grace that he is showing towards them. So, they're in Joseph's home, waiting for him, and he appears. Verse 26, it says, When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house and they bowed down before him to the ground.
He asked them how they were and then he said, How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living? They replied, Your servant, our father, is still alive and well. And they bowed down, prostrating themselves before him. Verse 29 says, As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?
And he said, God be gracious to you, my son. Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there. After he had washed his face, he came out and controlled himself, controlling himself, saying, Serve the food.
As Joseph is in his home with his brothers, we see how his love towards them continues to bubble up to the surface. He inquires about how his father's doing. And then he sees his, his younger brother Benjamin. And the reason why he asks whether this is his brother Benjamin, is because, while he suspects he is, it's been a very long time since he saw him.
Remember when Joseph was betrayed and sold into slavery. He was 17 years old. Benjamin is younger than him. Benjamin was just a kid. At this point in the story we can estimate that Benjamin was probably around 30, maybe in his 30s thereabouts. He's a man now. And Joseph has just moved to tears. This guy's like an emotional wreck.
He's having to run out of the room just to cry it out, so he doesn't give it away. He has, he has some more things he needs to do before he discloses his identity.
The next thing he does really gets the wheels turning in his brother's head. Verse 32. It says, They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to the Egyptians. The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest, and they looked at each other in astonishment.
When portions were served to them from Joseph's table, Benjamin's portion was five times as much as anyone else's, so they feasted and drank freely with him. So the brothers are wondering, what in the world? Because, it's like, how did he know to put us seated in our birth order? It's really freaking them out.
And then, Joseph gives five times as much food to Benjamin. And you wonder, could the guy even eat all that food? In any case, he gets a lot more food than the rest of them. And you might wonder, you know, why is Joseph doing this? Well, he does love Benjamin. We just saw that. He was moved to tears seeing him again.
But we might also think that Joseph is doing a little bit of a test here. Remember, his brothers were very jealous of Joseph because of the favor that he received from his father. So jealous that they were willing to kill him, and eventually settled on just, just selling him into slavery. So now he's, we can imagine that he's probably testing his brothers here.
How are they going to respond to all the favor that I'm showing to Benjamin? Are they going to get jealous? After eating with his brothers, Joseph proceeds to the next step in his testing of them. Which is really going to bring all these things together. Continuing on in chapter 44, verse 1. Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house.
Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain. And he did as Joseph said. As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.
They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, Go after those men at once. And when you catch up with them, say to them, why have you repaid good with evil? Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.
So Joseph has already previously put silver in their sacks and you kinda wonder why the brothers might not have inspected their sacks again to see if there was silver in them again. But they don't. But, beyond just returning the silver to their sacks, he now introduces his silver cup, putting it in Benjamin's bag.
Basically setting up a worst case scenario where this youngest brother, the beloved son of Jacob, is going to be held most culpable for this high crime of stealing the second command's cup. Now it's interesting here because it says that this was a cup used for divination. And you think about that and it's like, well, that doesn't exactly sound very Christian using a cup for divination.
Well, there's a lot of questions here. There's a question of whether Joseph was just using this as a device that would have been commonly understood as a cup of divination because that was a practice at that time. What they would do is they'd take a cup like that and they might put some oil into the water or look at the ripples and try to divine some signs from that as to what the future held.
Perhaps Joseph engaged in things like that. We have to understand that, especially early on in the Biblical story, we find Biblical characters engaged in activities that aren't necessarily condoned by God later on. Right now, there is no prescription against this. But we've talked about previously how we see polygamy in the Old Testament, and how that's not God's ideal either.
So it may be that Joseph is using this cup, but it may be also that he's just using it as a device. And in an unorthodox sort of way, he is using it as a cup of divination. He's using it to test his brothers. He's using it to find out something about them. So continuing on in verse 6, the steward catches up with the brothers and it says he repeats these words to them.
But they said to him, Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that. We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die, and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves.
Very well then, he said, let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave. The rest of you will be free from blame. Notice how the brothers just find a way to kind of make things worse for themselves. They propose slavery and death if they're found guilty of what they're being accused of.
Death for the one that is found with the cup and slavery for the rest of them just for being found with this silver. What's interesting is that the steward doesn't agree to the death sentence. He just says, no, we'll just enslave the one who was found with the cup. It's almost like he is kind of winking at what is to happen in the story of Joseph.
How Joseph was enslaved. And now Benjamin, because we know what's going on here, Benjamin is the one with the cup, he's being put in a position where he too will be made a slave, since he is, he will be found with this cup. Well, continuing on in verse 11, it says, Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. At this they tore their clothes, and they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.
Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him.
The brothers are obviously overcome with grief, as seen by the fact that they, they tear their clothes. Classic ancient sign of grief and woe, because literally the worst case scenario is the one thing that their father told them is make sure you bring Benjamin back. And now Benjamin's been found with the cup.
And so now they are simply at the mercy of Joseph. You find Joseph's response, continuing in verse 15. Joseph said to them, What is this you have done? Don't you know that a man like me can find things out by divination? What can we say to my lord? Judah replied. What can we say? How can we prove our innocence?
God has uncovered your servant's guilt. We are now my lord's slaves. We ourselves, and the one who is found to have the cup. But Joseph said, Far be it from me to do such a thing. Only the man who is found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace. Now, it's interesting that Joseph says here, Don't you know that I could find things out by divination?
Perhaps he was giving them some indication of of leading them along those sorts of lines by the fact that he ordered them that birth order because they would have figured how else could this guy know this by other than having some deep insight like that. What's also interesting is that the brothers don't try to mount any sort of defense.
They didn't, they didn't steal anything. The stuff just appeared in their sacks. But they have no hope of being able to offer an adequate defense. They're just trying to make the best of the situation. And the best they can do in this situation is just to say, We'll all be your slaves. Remember they had said the one who was found with the cup would be put to death.
They silently pulled that off the table. Okay, how about we just all agree that we'll just all be your slaves. No more of this, you know, capital punishment business. Well, Joseph doesn't insist on any executions either, but he says, Far be it from me to do such a thing. Only the man who is found to have the cup will become my slave.
He's like, I'm a man of justice. I'm not going to make the rest of you be my slaves. It's interesting how the real issue here is just the cup, not the silver, but that seems to be the case. It's just the cup. Only the one who's taken the cup will be my slave. The rest of you can go back. Now notice how he has perfectly set everything up to test them.
He's shown great favor to Benjamin, giving him all these, you know, extra portions of food at the meal. He's now set up this situation in which the rest of them can go home. Benjamin's been found with a cup. All they have to do is just sell him down the river, leave him behind in Egypt, and go back to their father Joseph. Or Jacob, father Jacob. So how will they respond? Well, picking up in verse 18, we see how the response is far different than the treatment that Joseph received at their hand. I'm going to summarize the next series of verses. Judah steps up as the spokesman. There's been a transition that we've noticed over the past few chapters where before Reuben as the firstborn, the literal firstborn was the one who is always stepping up to the front to speak.
Now, Judah is the one who is really stepping up as the leader amongst the brothers, which is anticipating the role that the tribe of Judah is going to have in generations to come with King David and of course, Christ. Judah comes before Joseph and acknowledges Joseph's authority in the situation and basically just relates to him everything that's going on in their family situation.
Things that they've already told Joseph about how, you know, remember, remember how you asked us if we had a brother and how our father is old and how his, the youngest brother's brother, older brother, is dead. And continuing on in verses 21 through 26, they relate to him the whole situation about how Joseph demanded that they would bring this brother back to Joseph, back to Egypt.
And the conflict that that set up with their father Jacob, because he wasn't interested in that, in them bringing him back to Egypt because he was afraid that he would die.
We see that especially in verses 27 through 29. It says there, Your servant, my father, said to us, You know that my wife bore me two sons. One of them went away from me, and I said, He has surely been torn to pieces, and I've not seen him since. If you take this one from me too, and harm comes to him, you will bring my head down to the grave in misery.
So that's really setting up the whole situation there. It's just, in short, you told us that we need to bring our youngest brother back. Father didn't want us to do that. But we're, we're in this situation where we need food. We've, we've brought him back. But if we don't return home with him, our father is going to die, basically.
Verse 30 says, So now, if the boy is not with us, when I go back to your servant, my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy's life, sees that the boy isn't there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. Your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to my father.
I said, if I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life. Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No, do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.
We see here in Judah a case of radical transformation. If you go back to Genesis 37, when the brothers are trying to decide what they're going to do with Joseph, they've thrown him in a pit, they figure they'll just let him die. Judah in verse 25 of Genesis 37 says, how about we make a buck off him? How about we sell him into slavery?
Avoid some bloodshed, but it's just a very callous sort of calculation regarding Joseph. Now, these many years later, Judah is stepping up to the front and saying, don't let, don't have Benjamin be your slave. I'll be your slave. Let him return back to our father.
What we have here, really, is kind of a foreshadowing of Christ, of how he stepped up, he stepped in our place to receive the punishment that we deserved. He paid the price that we needed to offer unto God, a life of perfect obedience even unto death on a cross. In Isaiah 53, verses 4 through 5, it says, Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on him. And by his wounds, we are healed. Christ died our deserved death. He offered the obedience due to God in order that he might offer a new way for us to come to God through himself.
We have this anticipation in Judah and how he responds in this moment. When Joseph sees that Judah has been radically transformed from the man he used to be, his emotions just break loose. In chapter 45, verse 1, it says, Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, Have everyone leave my presence.
So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph. Is my father still living? But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, Come close to me. When they had done so, he said, I am your brother, Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt. And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.
It's interesting what Joseph first says to his brothers when he reveals himself, he says, I'm your brother Joseph. Boom. Just laying that out there. And then he asks, is my father still living? Seems a little bit of a curious question since it seems clear from everything that the brothers have been telling him that yes, his father is still alive.
Commentators kind of suggest that what Joseph's really driving at here is he's asking, really, you know, really, how is dad doing? That kind of question. Now, as you would imagine, as all of us would feel in their shoes, the brothers are shocked, and they're terrified. They're shocked because this guy looks nothing like our 17 year old brother that we sold into slavery.
They're terrified because this guy could just kill us all. And they're probably thinking, what would I do if I was in his shoes?
Joseph realizes this. He perceives their, their fear. And so he offers reassurance. He says, don't be distressed. Don't be angry at yourselves. Can you imagine, you've already kind of got this sense of how they've been angry at themselves because of everything that's been happening. They're like, we're cursed.
We brought this on ourselves. All the trouble we've been experiencing with this back and forth with Egypt. He says, don't be angry at yourself because God has been at work here. God has had his purpose in all this trouble, all this sinfulness even. His purpose was this, is that it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.
It's to save lives.
Now the depths of that purpose are almost without measure. It was obviously to save the lives of his family. They needed food. But it's also for the sake of the Egyptians, and for the sake of all the surrounding peoples. And brings back to mind what God promised Abraham in Genesis 12, that the world would be blessed through him.
This is God's common grace being shown to humanity. And maybe we can even read so far out as to say that, yes, Joseph was a part of this story leading to Christ, that through him, as one of these stepping stones, that salvation will be brought to the world. Because if you don't have Joseph, and you don't have all this lead up that will bring Israel into Egypt and Israel out of Egypt, we don't have everything that leads to Jesus Christ.
All that hangs together. In verse 6,
joseph relates all the specific details of how specifically he's been used to save the lives of people. Verse 6, it says, For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
So then it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler of all Egypt. Now hurry back to my father and say to him, This is what your son Joseph says. God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Don't delay. Continuing on in verse 10, it says, You shall live in the region of Goshen, and be near me, you, your children, and your grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.
I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise, you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute. You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen.
And bring my father down here quickly.
So he invites them to move in. To enjoy all the blessings that God has given them, given him.
It's a picture of reconciliation. It'd be one thing if he just showed them mercy and said, I won't kill you, now go away. I don't want to have anything to do with you guys. You're the worst. You sold me into slavery. He doesn't do that. You see here a picture of complete forgiveness. Now, come. All of you.
Your whole families, even your grandkids. Bring dad back. Things are going to get tough, but we're going to hold it together here in Egypt.
We see just his emotions in verse 14 it says, Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept. And Benjamin embraced him weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterwards his brothers talked with him. When the news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, tell your brothers, do this, load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you can enjoy the fat of the land. You are also directed to tell them, do this, take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come.
Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours. Once again, we see God's blessings just on the family of Abraham that Pharaoh is just saying, move on in. Don't even worry about bringing your stuff. I mean, that's the worst thing with a move. When you're moving a new house, it's like you got to pack all the stuff into the U Haul.
You're just like, I'd just love to just jump in the car and just walk into the new house and it's all set. That's what Pharaoh is saying to them. Don't worry about having to move all this stuff. Just come over here. We're going to give you everything that you need. So in verse 21 it says, The sons of Israel did this.
Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. And this is what he sent to his father, ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey.
Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving, he said to them, Don't quarrel on the way. So, Joseph just continues to bless his brothers. Gives them new clothing. Gives Benjamin a set of five clothes. Now, sometimes I think it's difficult for us to appreciate the luxury of clothes. Because we have so many sets of clothes in our homes.
Clothing was not something easily produced. So the fact that he gave each of them a new set. Maybe you think of it as a nice suit. And he gave Benjamin five sets of clothing. He's just like, wow. And he sends all these gifts to his father, which I think is going to act as proof, like, yeah, this is legit. He actually is second in command of Egypt.
It's interesting, he says, don't quarrel on the way. Now maybe he thinks, I know you guys, you like to argue, you get bickering with each other. It may be though that he's concerned that along the way they're going to start having some misgivings, like this can't be real, right? Like he's inviting us, he's going to, he's going to invite us to come to Egypt with all our families and he's just going to slaughter all of us.
He's really going to punish us, you know, this is a trap. He's trying to really put them at ease and say, don't quarrel, don't worry. Make your way back here. Enjoy the blessings. So when they get back, to Canaan, you find Jacob's response to all this. It says in verse 25, So they went up out of Egypt, and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.
They told him, Joseph is still alive. In fact, he's ruler of all Egypt. Jacob was stunned. He did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, I am convinced my son Joseph is still alive.
I will go and see him before I die. Jacob's fear, his abiding grief, collapses under the weight of this incredible joy. His son is alive. Jacob's spirit is revived. He's a new man. This sudden turn of fortune, this good kind of catastrophe, is the sort that awaits all of God's people. Our suffering will give way to joy.
But this is not because our suffering itself heals or restores. The power is not in our experience of pain. All the world's pain could never save it. It is only by the hand of God that good can be brought out of suffering. God has already acted decisively. In this regard, through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, by his wounds we are healed once and for all.
We do not suffice, but Jesus is all sufficient. The writer of Hebrews makes this distinction in Hebrews 7, verses 23 through 27. Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office. But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Such a high priest truly meets our need. One who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
This is the gospel. It has been decided in Jesus Christ. Go to Jesus. In Him, your sins are no longer held against you. There is no condemnation in Him. Go to Jesus. Receive your salvation. He is the relief to your famine. We don't need to bring anything with us. We are told to leave it all behind. Because Jesus will give us all things when he comes to this earth again.
Today's trouble pales in comparison to the joy he has set before us. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweihs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is temporary, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Do not delay. Go to Jesus. Go to Jesus. He will wipe away every tear and invite us into his blessings. Let's pray.
Dear Father,
we see your goodness towards us in Joseph's story.
Father, we are connected to that story through Jesus Christ. And we also see ourselves in that story. Because Father, like Joseph's brothers, we have fallen far short of what you've desired for us. We've betrayed you in multitude ways. And yet, Father, you have worked, even through our wrongdoing, to make a way so that we would be saved.
So that we would be reconciled to you, so that salvation might be offered to the world, and you have done this father in Jesus Christ, your son.
Lead us to him, father, lead us to put our faith and trust in him. To set aside our distress, to no longer be angry with ourselves, father, for the messes we've made. But to receive him, and the gifts of grace and blessing that you wish to give to us in him. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Hey there, Pastor Tom here. I hope you enjoyed this sermon I offered to Rockland Community Church. Rockland Community Church is located at 212 Rockland Road in North Scituate, Rhode Island, just around the bend from the Scituate Public High School. We invite you to join us in person or virtually this Sunday as we continue our series entitled Israel Arises. It's our joy to welcome you into our community.
Intro/Outro Song
Title: River Meditation
Artist: Jason Shaw
Source:http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/RIVER_MEDITATION___________2-58
License:(CC BY 3.0 US)