It looks like, as a people, we are going backwards instead of forward.
Our voting rights are at risk. The Senate won’t pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Our history is being silenced. Our lives don’t matter.
You meant it for evil! God can turn it around for our good.
It’s time for good moral people to stand up for justice! It’s time to mobilize and build back better communities. It’s time to invest in our children.
It’s time to make changes in our lives. It’s time to stop killing one another. It’s time to live together in peace. It’s time to forgive, but never forget. It’s time to love.
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)
The book of Genesis is a book of beginnings. The word genesis, in both the Hebrew and Greek means “in the beginning.” Genesis is a book of beginnings that introduce central theme of the Bible — creation, birth, genealogy, and history of origin.
Genesis is a book about relationships — God’s relationship with creation, God’s relationship with humanity, and God’s relationship with individual human beings.
In Genesis, we meet Abram who later becomes Abraham, who has two sons Ishmael and Isaac; Isaac, who has two sons, Jacob and Esau, and Jacob, who has 12 sons, and one of them is Joseph.
The life of Joseph is the main subject of chapters 37 – 50. The character of God is reflected in Joseph’s life.
In the book of Genesis, you’ll notice many stories where the younger son is favored over the firstborn son. But the sovereign God selected whomever God wanted. God divinely chose these men. Somebody said, “Favor ain’t fair.”
But I disagree, because God, the creator of the universe and all therein, can use anyone God chooses. God is in control.
Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son and he adorned Joseph with an ornamented robe. Joseph was an annoying 17-year-old younger brother. He tattled on his brothers to their father.
Joseph was endowed with the gift of prophecy. He was a dreamer and could see into the future.
He foretold a time when he would rule over his brothers, sisters, father, and mother. His brothers hated him and were jealous of him for his dreams (Genesis 37:5-11). But Jacob kept the matter in his mind.
When Joseph was 30 years old, he was put in charge of Egypt as second in command to Pharaoh, only. Joseph predicted seven years of abundance and seven years of famine. He stored grain during the years of abundance. When the years of famine spread over the whole country, Joseph, now 39 years old, sold grain from the storehouses to the Egypt and Canaan.
When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent his 10 sons there to purchase grain. Joseph’s brothers bowed down to him.
Stop crying and complaining. Receive Christ! Only believe you are favored by God and know that God is faithful. God is working it out! God is working it out for your good!
The Rev. Mary S. Minor is Brookins-Kirkland Community AME Church senior pastor in Los Angeles. This edited commentary was originally published in the L.A. Sentinel.