Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Readings for the Day
Genesis 37:25-36, 1 Corinthians 2:1-13, Psalm 49, Mark 1:29-45
Scripture Focus: Genesis 37:25-34
Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.
Thought for the Day
One of my favorite quotes from Shakespeare reads as follows, ‘Oh What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.’ Not much more needs to be said about this sorry episode in the story of Joseph. Look, too, how the brothers distanced themselves from their brother. They did not say, “Is this our brother’s robe of many colors?” to their father, instead they said, “Is this YOUR son’s robe?” Isn’t that kind of distancing the way we all behave when we have acted dishonestly?
Thanksgiving for the Day
We praise God that we can learn so much about ourselves from such a story of deceit.
Intercession for the Day
Let us examine our hearts, recognize where we might be deceitful, seek forgiveness, and then attempt to bring about restoration.
Collect for the Day
“Repentance… is the turning of the mind, and with the mind the imagination, the affections and the will, away from self and sin and towards God… We look towards God in gratitude for his loving-kindess, towards Jesus in his death for our sins, towards our own true self in what it is meant to become.”
(Ponder quietly these few words written by Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury in the 1960s and 1970s)
—-
Richard Kew is an Episcopal priest in Franklin, TN. As he writes about himself on his blog “I was ordained in the Church of England in 1969, but have spent most of my ministry in the USA. I have worked internationally and have a passion that the church get it right in the future.” Devotionals by Richard Kew are available daily by e-mail.