"A Virtuous Man"

Pastor Laura Guy

July 27, 2008

Here's an instant replay of what happened in worship:

We recognized that, even though the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife has been dramatized in several films, the biblical account in Genesis 39 is still the most detailed and interesting account of the story. The book is better than the movie!
We saw how Joseph was a virtuous man - even though Potiphar's wife threw herself at him. He tried to put as much distance between them as he could, telling her that he was faithful to his boss who trusted him and to his God who would never condone adultery. But she was making a power play as much as a seduction, and when Joseph rejected her, she found a way to make him suffer by falsely accusing him.
We thought about what Joseph must have been thinking as he sat in his prison cell: "I am the virtuous one. I was the good son, and it got me thrown in a pit. I was the good servant, and it got me thrown in prison. Where is God?" We have the same question when we are in the pits and prisons of life.
We heard the rest of Joseph's story, how he meets up with his brothers again and forgives them for what they did to him. He tells them that, even though they intended it for evil, God used it for good. God can also take the pits and prisons of our lives and work them for good, too. That doesn't mean that God causes bad things to happen to us, only that God will use whatever situation we are in, and if we leave ourselves open to His Spirit, he will take the bad and bring some good out of it. It may take years, like in Joseph's case, but God will continue to work to bring good out of our experiences in the pits and prisons of life.
We prayed that we could be virtuous people like Joseph, and we asked God's forgiveness for all the times we have failed to be virtuous by singing "Kyrie" - Lord have mercy.
We celebrated God's grace and mercy at the table of forgiveness.