Another Step From Slavery to Freedom

FOCUS READING

Genesis 45:5-7, 12-15 (NRSV)

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 five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.

And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honoured in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.’ Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

DAILY BYTE

Yesterday, we read that the first three steps to freedom from slavery in the family reunion of Joseph are letting go of power, being truthful about who we are, finding common ground, and then acknowledging sin. As if this were not enough – there is another step to take!

As Genesis continues, Joseph says to his brothers, “do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life….”

What? Don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me into slavery? No – Joseph says, don’t. The fifth step to freedom from slavery is releasing each other from our guilt and shame.

We tend to focus on the things that enslave us. In fact, I spent most of this week writing about those things. We live guilt-ridden lives for the way we treat the environment and one another. But Joseph says – stop. Stop being so distressed and guilty about our mistakes.

Not that they’re unimportant – not that we can forget them or fail to notice them – but when the moment comes to step out into a new kind of life – stop rehashing what’s gone wrong and do something right. We’ve got to stop enslaving ourselves and each other in our own faults and mistakes. God doesn’t do that. God sets us free to be holy. He takes every situation of slavery that we create – every power-grab, every prejudice, jealousy, every fear – and makes them into something good.

If we’re open and willing, like Joseph was, God can bring people out of unequal, enslaving relationships onto the same level, all saints and sinners alike, and remind us that we’re all in the same unified family. This is, in fact, the only way we are truly freed – by being released from our sin and then bound together in love. Dr. Claudio Betti – one of the founders of the St. Egidio community, working all over the world in poverty and reconciliation issues – said during the World Methodist Conference that “The future will be together – or will not be at all.”

We see the family of God come together in Genesis – we see healing in this family, which means that they will have a future. And as children of Israel in the family of God, we are their future. When we see this happening in the Bible, there is a lot of crying. Joseph weeps, Benjamin weeps – Joseph kisses them all and weeps on all of them – what an intense feeling it must have been to be part of that – a re-unified family.

As Christian people, may we continue to struggle to stay together, as a family, even in the midst of differences of opinion, prejudices, and struggles with power, may we help free each other from the things that enslave us so that we can be freely and beautifully unified. Can we move into the future together – or not at all?

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord, help me to be honest about the things that enslave me. Help me be honest about the ways I enslave others. Show me the way to freedom. Show me the way into the future. Help me extend my hands to others so that we can walk there together. Amen.