The Rhythm of God

creative-danceLiving in the Spirit
August 12, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Genesis 45:1-15

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.” — Genesis 45:9-11

I’ll bet that was an interesting trip home. Ten brothers, nine of them having sold the twelfth brother into slavery some years ago, are pondering how they are going to tell their elderly father that they had lied to him about Joseph being killed by a wild animal, that they had sold Joseph into slavery, that somehow in his position as a slave he had worked his way into being the prime ruler in Egypt right under Pharaoh, and that Joseph now wanted his dad and all his brothers to come live with him in Egypt where all their needs would be met. Probably even more interesting was Jacob’s reaction to this news.

Did you notice the change in the language in Genesis as it moves to the story of Joseph from the story of Jacob? Jacob’s life was shared as human history except for the dream at Bethel and the wrestling match at Penuel. Joseph has found God in all of life and credits God with what has happened to him. This is the rhythm of God and humans throughout the Bible and actually ever since it was canonized. The devotion of individuals and groups ebbs and flows. But God’s rhythm is always there, people sometimes move too far away to hear it or they just do not listen.

This scripture reminded me of one of the sayings of Jesus: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matthew11:28-30)

Prayer: Lord of the Dance, Let me share your yoke so that I may always be close enough to hear your rhythm. Open my ears that I also will always listen for it. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.