August 13- Gen.37,family hatred in a blended family. They could not speak a word to him. Joseph's brothers, meanwhile, have deceived their father. They have taken Joseph's special coat and dipped it in the blood of a slaughtered goat, then sent the coat to Jacob (37:31). Jacob draws the obvious conclusion that Joseph is dead, killed by a wild animal. It is worth noting that Jacob is deceived by his sons just as he deceived his own elderly father. And in both cases, a slaughtered goat and a garment are the instruments of deception (27:15-16). As we saw in the story of Jacob and Laban, Jacob's actions come back to haunt him. Yet, God continues to be at work in the lives of Jacob and his family.Schifferdecker-Instead of seeing him as a brat, see him as the victim of plotting and gossip-notice where he stays--the family tradition of secrets , deception , and playing favorites continues-the robe is colored, long-sleeved, spangled, fancy-he is to inquire of their welfare.Is jacob setting him up>Judah sells him to the cousins-the children of outcast Ishmael to make their brother a slave-Judah does this.the church looks more like a squabbling family than the outpost of God’s way in the world.
Mt. 14:22 walk on the water-works The disciples are far from the land, and the boat is being beaten -- or, more literally, being tormented -- by the waves. Jesus is not there.it is the early morning hours (3 a.m. to 6 a.m.), while it is still dark, that Jesus makes his appearance.The disciples, though, do not initially recognize Jesus in the midst of the chaos. They have been alone with the threatening waves for hours. They are probably tired from being up all night. In the midst of this crisis when their energy reserves are spent, Jesus reveals himself to them.In this exhausted state with the roar of the waves and the spray of the sea drenching their boat, they mistake the Lord of creation for a phantom. Given the common perception of the sea as the locus of evil and chaos, it is hard to blame them for initially mistaking the figure of Jesus for a specter of death. After all, it is they who have rowed into the middle of evil’s realm, and the waves are indeed attacking them. (hint of resurrection?)
Over their cries of fear, Jesus calls to them, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear” (15:27). Jesus reveals himself -- not simply as Jesus, their teacher, but as “I AM. hoffman-A ship was one of the earliest symbols for Christianity, and this story indicates why it was attractive: when surrounded by adversity, safety and salvation are experienced in the church with Jesus in its midst. But remember that a ship is not a static symbol. It is a vehicle used to get somewhere. They wanted to get to the other side to minister to those people there. So, leave walking on water to Jesus. That ship which is the church is where we want to be, and it can provide the way for us to get to other places, so that disciples of the Son of God can be moving throughout the land!.Communion follows the feeding of the 5000 last week. It is no guarantee that storms will not occur. In ancient times it was called the medicine of immortality. The great storm we all face is our mortality. In this sacrament, jesus says to each one of us: it is I; do not be afraid.Jesus speaks a word of greeting and peace to each one of us this morning.
sermon Notes-Gen. 37, Mt.14
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