A Famine Not of Bread

"Joseph Dwelleth in Egypt" by James Tissot   Click here to listen to this sermon.  When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them ( Genesis 50:15...

"The Vision of St. Joseph" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us) (Matthew 1:22-23). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Joseph is a man who remains in the background. We rarely think of him because he never speaks; at least, none of his words are recorded in Scripture. We know him by his actions. We know him by the fruit of his faith. He’s a good man, a righteous man, a man who seeks to do God’s will. He seems to be thoughtful and merciful. He considers his situation carefully and wants to avoid putting Mary to shame. He’s the kind of man that you hope your sons will become and your daughters will marry. Oh, that we would have more men of such character! But unfortunately, Joseph’s plans have all fallen apart. He’s just found out that M...

  "The Anxiety of St. Joseph" by James Tissot He’s a good man, a righteous man, a man who seeks to do God’s will. But his plans have all fallen apart. He’s just found out that Mary, his wife-to-be, is with child. And he knows it cannot be his! The only logical conclusion is that she has been unfaithful. Now, he’s struggling with what to do. Joseph has the legal right to serve his betrothed with divorce papers. He could make the matter public, running the risk that Mary might be punished as an adulteress, possibly stoned to death. But Joseph doesn’t want to hurt Mary or cause further scandal, so he seeks to find a way to arrange a quiet divorce. But while Joseph reevaluates his plans, the Lord intervenes. He sends an angel to Joseph in a dream, who tells Joseph to not fear taking Mary as his wife, that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Mary will give birth to a son, and Joseph as legal father is to name the child Jesus, for He will save His people from the...

"Flight into Egypt" by Jean-Francois Millet Click to listen to this sermon. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy Him.” And he rose and took the Child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.   Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she...

"Having become the favorite the Pharaoh, Joseph's  brothers come to Egypt to request food supplies  for  their country suffering from famine. He makes himself  known to them and pardons them (Genesis XLV, 1-8)"  by Marc Chagall   Click here to listen to this sermon. So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. (Genesis 45:4-8). Grace to yo...