“Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Genesis 43.23
All ages were represented at the party. Women my age, my mom’s age, and all the way younger to one “coming soon.” This is one of the many things I love about the demographics of our church family. It’s a mix of generations and we all are blessed by watching the little ones do their growing up, by the teens coming into their own, by the families prayerfully and trustingly seeing their grown children out the door but always at the top of our prayer list, and then celebrating the cycle all over again, as grandchildren and then great-grandchildren continue the cycle of family lives. Doing life together in community, always welcoming those who come to check out our doing life for and because of Jesus.
This past weekend, as a group of women gathered to celebrate a new baby boy arriving soon, there were sweet moments swirled with laughter and connecting with friends and making new friends. And pie! To me, that’s a party. But parties look different depending on your viewpoint. While the “grown-ups” enjoyed (along with their pie before the gifts were opened) the silliness and the comradery, tinged with maybe a welling-up tear or two, big-sister-to-be at the sparkling age of 5 did quietly ask her mommy … “When is the party going to start?” For some of any age, it’s just not a party until a gift is unwrapped and acknowledged, and, if the gift happens to be a book, a page or two read right then and there.
Well, it’s sort of party time in Egypt for Joseph and his brothers as we’ve been reading Genesis 43, 44 and 45. Joseph’s brothers return to Egypt, with a gift for the lord of the land. Joseph sets a table in preparation for a meal. The brothers fear the meal is for nefarious purposes – an undeserved punishment to be meted out. But! But God has blessed them!?! Undeserved blessing. Hard to fathom blessing.
There is reunion with a left-behind brother, welcome refreshment, even for their donkeys. And then a next test … fear or trust? Doing the right thing now informed by having done the not-right thing before. Acknowledging our own inability to secure our future in our own strength and machinations … trusting God is in the very intimate details of our lives. He is the Rescuer, the author and perfector of our faith.
God is offering each the gift of exchanging fear and condemning self-guilt for relief and hope. An old life for a new life. There’s an eternal party going on right now, a celebration to last throughout the years – don’t let it pass you by.
Coming up … next party!!! Women’s Coffee & Conversation, Saturday November 9, 10 to 1130 AM at our church. Casual women’s gathering for connecting and encouragement. We’ll have a hands-on getting ready for Christmas project.
With a joy for now and the future, Colleen