Jesus, the Better Joseph

In one paragraph

Pastor Brian preached from Genesis 45, the moment Joseph reveals himself to the brothers who sold him into slavery. He used the literary idea of types and shadows to show how Joseph's story points forward to Jesus, and drew on the congregation to fill in those connections together. The setup was the church itself. Tribe has met in a Lutheran church, a conference center, homes, parks, and most...

Read together

1. John 10 Jesus as the good shepherd opening the gate for the sheep, used in the worship reflection
2. Zechariah 12:10 prophecy of Israel one day recognizing Jesus as their pierced messiah
3. Zephaniah 3:17 God rejoicing over Israel, calming their fears by singing over them and forgiving their iniquity
4. Genesis 45:1-8 the primary passage read aloud, Joseph revealing himself to his brothers
5. Romans 2:4 it is his kindness that leads us to repentance
6. 1 John 1:9 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive and purify us, cited as instruction before communion
7. Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus

What was said

• Take a few extra minutes after a church gathering this week to introduce yourself to someone you have never spoken to before.
• Read Genesis 45 alongside a passage from the Gospels and look for one connection between Joseph and Jesus that you can write down.
• If you are carrying unforgiveness toward someone, find a quiet moment this week to confess it and ask God to help you release it.
• Come to the presentation at the Ward Hotel tonight at 6PM to hear the testimony of the woman taken hostage on October 7.
• Sign up at the back table if you can join the team heading to Riverton on October 10 through 12 to serve at the Foundations for Nations Harvest Festival.

Talk about it

1. Brian talked about the church being a community of people rather than a location, and Tribe has met in a lot of different places over the years. How has your own idea of what church is been shaped or challenged by that kind of movement?
2. Several people in the room spotted connections between Joseph and Jesus, things like obedience, forgiveness, and suffering that became sustenance for others. Which of those parallels hit you hardest, and why?
3. Joseph tells his brothers in verse 5 that it was God who sent him to Egypt, not them, even though what they did was genuinely wrong. How do you hold together human wrongdoing and God working through it, without letting either side off the hook?
4. Brian pointed out that the Hebrew root behind the word preserve in verse 7 is connected to the word messiah. When you hear that Joseph was sent ahead to preserve a remnant, what does that stir up in you about what Jesus being sent ahead of us actually means for the hard things you are walking through right now?
5. During communion Brian said there is nothing we will ever go through that Jesus is not the forerunner in. Is there a place in your life right now where that is genuinely hard to believe, and what would it take for you to trust it?