Sermon: The Eleventh Sunday After pentecost

Pat Tilley

Proper 14 Year A

August 9, 2026

ME-ISIMS

Again, Jacob enters into our lives but it is due to the beloved son, (sound familiar?) Joseph. Jacob loved Joseph most of all his children and a question arises, why? Maybe due to Joseph coming into his life at a late time or maybe due to Joseph being the first son of Jacob’s favorite wife Rachael. Because of Joseph’s favored status, Joseph received a tunic of many colors.

Jacob made, or had it made, a very special coat, one we call “the coat of many colors” and this caused a negative stirring among Joseph’s brothers.

Although we did not read verse five, we know that Joseph also brought a negative report about his brothers, not thinking how this might affect their attitudes toward him, maybe alienating them even more.

Then what does this “young whippppper snaper” do? He reveals dreams that said “all the family would someday bow down to him.

How would you and I feel and think, what kind of attitude would we develop?

Jacob must have had some inkling that what was happening wasn’t good and sent Joseph out to check on the “boys” in the field then bring back word on how they were doing.

As asked, Joseph went looking for his brothers and did find them but they saw him first and began to “plot” – “plot” his death. Rueben, the oldest of the sons overhead this conversation and suggested they sell Joseph, not kill him, so no blood would be spilled by the family, which was against the Jewish law. Reuben won, planning on rescuing Joseph and restore him to their father, but that did not happen, instead a door was opened to their enemies to take this egotistical brother out of the pit and do whatever, sell, murder, or use as a slave. It didn’t matter to Joseph’s brothers.

As it was some Midianites came by and pulled Joseph up and sold him to the enemy of the Jewish people, the Ishmaelites, for a token of silver; the Ishmaelites had Joseph travel with them to Egypt and sold him again, the last place we see Joseph, for now.

We know that God allows the ones He knows are truly His, ones He loves, to experience some chastising. We call it “testing” and Joseph did experience many situations that truly seem as though God is chastising Joseph.

Brian and I have been through some unexpected experiences these last few months yet we also have felt covered and know that the prayers of so many have been a blessing-keeping us on solid ground.

Our former readings about Jacob also told us that God said Jacob and his offspring would be blessed many times over. What we don’t know is would it be all of Jacob’s children or only some, maybe only one?

During the many years when Joseph was missing Jacob likely was praying for his favorite son. Jacob may have been singing praises to God as the Psalms, written centuries later, said we should do. Psalm 105, which we read today, instructed us to give thanks, sing to the Lord with praises, give glory and marvel at God’s wonders.

Did the action of the brothers and the enemies have an effect on Joseph’s attitude about life? Did Joseph seek God’s desire as Solomon did 900 years later?

Solomon, David’s son, was visited in a dream and told to ask what God should give Solomon. Because Solomon did not seek anything for himself but God’s wisdom, he was granted wisdom to live and lead where he was called.

Our lives are not smooth and not everyone loves us for who we are or are not. But we have a choice. It does not matter what others do or think of us. We were created in God’s image and we can choose to follow in God’s foot prints, as Jesus called to us, as we have read in the Gospel’s how Jesus called Andrew and Peter, “come, follow me”, or we can walk in the footprints of the world. Following Jesus will give us a peace within our heart and spirit and we will have an attitude that will honor God. It is our choice to think and act as Jesus did or to think and act as so much of the world does – “I”, “Me”, “My”.

Did Jacob or Joseph seek God and God’s desire as Solomon did? What did Joseph choose to think and do? We wait for the next chapter in the saga of Jacob’s family.

This family’s saga is not unusual-for each of us has a different “temperament-personality” and an opportunity to make choices that will lead us on a straight and narrow path, or one that is not smooth, or a path that has “sorrow” for life we call living.

Jacob, Joseph, Reuben and all the others – had choices and as this saga continues, we will see what can and does happen in their lives.

And, we will see this in the unknown days of our lives. So let us make choices that honor the wisdom of God, who brought Jesus to earth as an example. We too, can sing praises to God through the Psalms. We can experience the good feeling it brings, and have the peace in our heart and spirit.

Let us pray.

Father, thank you for this day and every day – whether we have total sunshine or it is cloudy or rainy or “what some do not want to hear, snow.” Each day is a day with You and because we are spending this time with You God, it is a great day. We give this thanksgiving to You in Jesus name, Your only begotten Son, our Savior. Amen.

References

NIV Bible

The Message

The Living Bible