Sunday, February 20, 2022
7th Sunday after Epiphany
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Revised Common Lectionary passages for the Lord’s Day are:
– First Reading: Genesis 45:3-11, 15
– Psalm: 37:1-11, 39-40
– Second Reading: I Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50
– Gospel Reading: Luke 6:27-38

The liturgical color for the day is: Green

There is Joseph, and before him are the brothers who had, all those years ago, sought to dispense with him once and for all.  He recognizes them but they do not recognize him.  He has this opportunity for revenge, but such is not how the story unfolds.  This not made for TV drama takes another twist.

Joseph invites his estranged brothers to step forward, leans into them, and says, “I am your brother…”  In that moment there had to be an audible gasp.  Joseph takes this posture with them of grand perspective.  Rather than revenge it is about grand perspective.  Joseph frames the whole of what has happened—what his brothers had done selling him off, the trauma of being carried to Egypt, and the rise to success there in Egypt—he sees all of that in the grand perspective of the moment and what God might do through him in the immediate.

With such grand perspective Joseph’s eyes are focused forward – he is concerned for his father, his family’s welfare, and their future together.  Such grand perspective is less interested in what happened (past tense) and more interests in what this means for right now and going forward.  Grand perspective asks, “How might the past be transformed into something that brings goodness now and glory to God?”

Grand perspective is the movement of the Gospel too—when dealing with enemies it is not about paying them back but holding that larger perspective.  The same applies with judging and much more.  Do we have that grand perspective that allows us to step out of moment and ask that question, “How might this be transformed into something that brings goodness now and glory to God?”

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Rev. Dr. Daris Bultena
General Presbyter and Stated Clerk