Sunday sermon: 'Beloved Underdog' - Joseph series pt2

This morning during our time of worship we welcomed Evalyne May Broxholm into God's family through the sacrament of baptism...


Part 2 in our series on the story of Joseph.


READINGS: Psalm 34:1-10  Genesis 41:37-57

SERMON
Let’s pray: may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

The middle of the vast Pacific Ocean.
And in that great expanse of water, a skinny, shipwrecked boy, bobbing in a dinghy.
At the other end, a Bengal tiger.
The boy has lost his entire family –
will he now lose his own life?
Will it be as a meal for his companion –
or dehydration?
After an epic voyage and many adventures the two eventually land on shore,
the tiger retreating into the darkness of a jungle,
the boy, found and cared for by locals.
‘The Life of Pi’ is a brilliant and beautifully told variation of the classic
‘underdog beating all the odds.’
If you haven’t read it, or seen the movie, truly, do yourself a favour.

The underdog story always tends to be a winning formula:
from Rocky, to Pi,
from Star Wars Rebel Alliance, to Slumdog Millionaire,
we like to hear of the most unlikely people pitted against outrageous odds,
who, despite everything that’s thrown at them somehow emerge, triumphant.
But with our friend Joseph, from the Book of Genesis,
we find ourselves on slightly tricky ground:
is he, or isn’t he an underdog?

It doesn’t start off well.
Let’s recap:
Last week, in our introduction to Joseph,
we saw a bratty, spoilt 17 year old boy
who cheerfully ran to his dad and told tales on his brothers;
who was an insensitive show-off –
especially when it came to letting his brothers know just who was the favourite:
parading about in that coat of many colours was a guaranteed way of reminding them
that when it all came down to it, they counted for little.
And then, there were the dreams:
dreams which he tactlessly interpreted –
where he, the youngest, would have power over all of them.
He sees himself less as an underdog and more the top dog.

And so Joseph kept on,
being annoying,
playing games,
and treating his family with contempt –
so much so, that his brothers hated him and could barely bring themselves to speak to him.
The hero of the story was not making such a great first impression.
However, the golden-haired dreamer was about to get his come-uppance.
We left the story last week with the brothers planning to kill him.
In the end, they settle for selling him off to some passing traders.
The traders arrive in Egypt and Joseph is sold
- to live as a slave to Potiphar, captain of Pharaoh’s guard.

The years pass.
Just before our reading earlier, we hear of how well Joseph fares in Potiphar’s house –
everything he’s put in charge of seems to prosper.
He works hard.
He’s good at what he does.
Little by little, he’s given more responsibility –
the more responsibility, the better he gets on.
But disaster strikes:
a false accusation sees him unceremoniously flung in jail, left there to rot.
Even there, in the dankness of prison,
bit by bit, Joseph earns the trust of the jailers –
is given areas of responsibility, does all things well, and is given more to do.
At some point, a couple of folk who work at the Palace are put in jail.
Joseph is tasked to look after them.
And it seems that Joseph’s not the only one in this story who dreams.
Both the Palace workers have troubling dreams.
They confide in Joseph –
he’s earned their trust.
He interprets the dreams:
for one, it will not end well –
for the other, he’ll be restored to his former position at the Palace.
And so it comes to pass.
One is executed, the other is saved.
‘I’ll remember what you’ve done’ says he.
And then, heads back to work, and promptly gets involved in the business
of living once more, and forgets.
Until, one day, Pharaoh begins to have dreams...
which no-one can seem to interpret.
The former prisoner, now Palace worker, suddenly remembers Joseph.

Thirteen years have passed since his brothers sold him.
No longer a boy, Joseph has been learning
the hard lessons of life from the school of hard knocks.
He’s a changed man –
not a spoilt, self-seeking, tactless brat.
He’s strong, he’s learned the art of humility, and diplomacy.
And now, having washed and shaved,
he stands before the most powerful man in the known world...
and tells him what the dreams mean,
and suddenly moves from prisoner
to second most powerful man in the known world
as he’s put in charge of preparing for famine while in the midst of feast.
He’s fortune’s favoured child once more –
how will he handle favour and power this time around?

Quite differently, it seems.
He’s not longer a show-off –
even though he’s got a fancy new chariot to drive around in.
Instead of pointing to himself, he gives glory to God –
'this is what God is doing:
I do this dream stuff, because of God...
any wisdom I have, comes from God.'
He’s no longer self-seeking, looking after number one –
he now uses his power for others to help, and to serve,
and to save the nation from starvation.
He’s so successful at gathering a portion of the good harvests over the years,
that it’s beyond counting.
His diligence will not only save Egypt,
it will save other people who come looking for food.

The Psalmist says:
‘I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears,’
and
‘Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.’
There, in Pharaoh’s dungeon, where else could Joseph turn?
Well, I guess, inward, and become bitter.
Instead, something prompted him to look past himself
to look outward,
to seek the Lord.
Having had years to work through his ‘stuff’, to learn to rely on God,
and to give his troubles to God he's ready, he's prepared to take on
even greater responsibility.

Suddenly the story is no longer about a bratty kid, but of an amazing transformation.
Of finding grace in the most unexpected places.
Joseph experiences God’s favour –
and this is seen in his rags to riches rise in Egypt.
From a position of powerlessness, from having absolutely nothing,
he’s give a job;
he’s given a new name;
he’s given new clothes –
no coat of many colours, this time, but fine linen;
he’s given a wife.
During the years of plenty, he has a harvest of his own:
Joseph, the man who had lost his family,
is now given a new family –
he and his wife have two sons.
Their names show how far he’s come:
Manasseh: who helps him forget his past sorrow;
and Ephraim: who is a reminder of the fruit of his labours in Egypt.

While Joseph knows not to put his trust in things,
his new-found situation is a visible reminder of God:
what God has done,
is doing,
will do,
in his life.
He’s wise enough to know how circumstances can change,
and that it’s not about trusting all the things.
His experience has taught him that what doesn’t change is God –
and that’s where he grounds himself:
in God,
in God’s grace.
God, the One who sees the underdog;
the One who is the God of the first,
the second,
the third,
and more chances...
the One who is present in the dungeon,
in despair,
in the darkness,
as much as in the light –
God, ever-faithful.

Earlier, we performed the sacrament of baptism:
with water and words we demonstrated God’s grace –
God’s love,
and God’s power to transform.
Baptism is a sign of God’s promise to
walk alongside a person through thick and thin;
in the good, the bad, the messy, and the joyful stuff that makes up life.
It’s a sign of a promise that, no matter how often we get it wrong,
the God of the many chances
will always be with us,
always call us back,
always desire the best for us,
and for us to be the best, most authentic self we can be –
for we are created in God’s image.
No matter where we’re at,
no matter how high
or how low,
just as God was with Joseph,
so, baptism witnesses to the truth that God is with us:
that Evie,
that all of us,
are God’s beloved –
that’s our new name 'Beloved'.
Beyond all of the things –
that’s where we find our solid ground,
in that belovedness,
and in belonging to God -
and as we do,
like Joseph,
so we, in our turn use what power and privilege we have in our small corner
to love and to help and to be a blessing to others...
because that’s essentially what the Good News of the Gospel is:
You are loved.
You are blessed:
Now, go, and love God, and share the blessing. Amen.