Our last 2 weeks with my Genesis Roots summer series, and we journey with Joseph, the favored son of Jacob (Israel) and Rachel, his beloved. Jacob was a trickster who learned his passive aggressive ways from his mom, Rebecca. He married a woman just like her but it seems to me that Rachel died before passing along those ways to their son, Joseph. He is a sensitive dreamer and perhaps a little idealistic. He may also be a bit of a tattle-tale on his older brothers! Read Genesis 37:1-4 (NET) and consider the source of Joseph's brothers feelings toward him, feelings that he will seem relatively oblivious to as the story unfolds.
But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, in the land of Canaan. This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, was taking care of the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was a son born to him late in life, and he made a special tunic for him. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated Joseph and were not able to speak to him kindly.
I invite you to spend a few moments preparing your heart to worship God as you engage with the text via Lectio Divina. This week's reading is a little long for traditional lectio divina (10 verses is best) so we'll change it up a little as the passage unfolds. But first, settle
into a place of loving wonder within yourself with a simple breath prayer. Use this one or create your
own.
Breathing in (who do you worship) ... Spirit of Amazing Dreams
Breathing out (what do you desire) ... Spin me a Vision Divine
God
of Joseph, as I read and pray with the holy text, illuminate my soul with
wisdom. Give me a word to take with me as my dreams unfold. In
Christ, Amen.
Step
1: Lectio … Reading
Read Genesis
37:12-28 (NET) slowly, and allow the entire story to unfold in all of its horror.
Take
it in and let your emotions guide you through.
How
do you feel about what you are reading?
Read
the passage a 2nd time and when you come upon a word or phrase that
catches your attention, stop and focus on it.
Sit
with your word or phrase and let it marinate in your mind.
Click here to read in original Lectio Version: The VOICE Bible
When Joseph reached Shechem, a man found him wandering in the field, so the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are grazing their flocks.” The man said, “They left this area, for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
Now Joseph’s brothers saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this master of dreams! Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!”
When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph from their hands, saying, “Let’s not take his life!” Reuben continued, “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” (Reuben said this so he could rescue Joseph from them and take him back to his father.)
When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore. Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.)
When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. So when the Midianite merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites then took Joseph to Egypt.
Step
2: Meditatio … Receiving
Continue
to focus on your word or phrase or image.
Pay
attention to the thoughts and feelings it has evoked.
What
memories come to your mind?
Ask
God to continue to speak to you.
Listen
and watch for God’s presence as you move through your day
Step
3: Oratio … Responding
Consider
any desires that have been awakened by your prayer
Perhaps
you have found an area of your life that needs attention
Do
not rush ... wait and listen as God forms your prayers and desires
Step
4: Contempatio … Resting
Allow
your word, phrase or image to fall away ...
Allow
yourself to rest in the silence ...
If images are a pathway to God for you, you may want to pray while "gazing" upon this image." Where does your gazing take you?
_-_Walters_W10614R_-_Full_Page.jpg) |
| Ink and Pigment on Parchment: Jacob Sends Joseph to his Brother, circa 1250 by William de Brailes in Public Domain (at Walters Art Museum) wikimedia commons |
It may be a little "un"orthodox, but if music is a pathway to God for you, you might take this link to Dreamweaver, a song by Gary Wright from his 1975 album entitled "The Dreamweaver."
Can't you just hear Joseph crying out from the pit ...
Ooh Dream Weaver
I believe you can get me through the night ... Amen
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