Readings Psalm 90:1-6, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Thess 5:1-11, Genesis 45:3-11
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, November 24, 2024
I am well aware this is Harvest Sunday. But this is also, for me, the last Sunday I get to preach before I officially retire. I am full of thanksgiving. I am rejoicing at whatever harvest has been sown through my years of ministry. For that reason, rather than focus on the more traditional elements of the day, I hope you indulge me as I speak about a particular passage that has meant a lot to me as I have been contemplating retirement.
I am speaking of Genesis 45:3-11, an Old Testament account, of Joseph, who having become well established in Egypt, then reveals to his brothers what had become of the guy they had betrayed and thrown into a pit all those years ago.
In his life account given in the book of Genesis we observe Joseph passing through three distinct phases of his life journey.
1. Dreaming of a destination. Joseph had dreams. Joseph felt a call He had no idea where his dreams would lead, but he faithfully followed the path they revealed.
2. Dedication to the institution. In his case that institution was the nation of Egypt. Joseph pursued His call with all his heart.
3. Discernment for the future. This is where our reading kicked in. Joseph had followed his dreams. He had worked hard to establish himself. Now Joseph had a new call. To focus on his family.
Dreaming of a destination
My journey to this point in my life has, thankfully, not been as eventful as that of Joseph. Nor has it greatly impacted any nations destiny. But it has been quite a ride. Along the way there have been crazy dreams, some of which came to fruition and many which were better left unpursued.
One of my earliest experiences of participating in a worship service was as a teenager when the youth group at Moreton Presbyterian Church decided for Youth Sunday to put on a presentation of the musical “Joseph and His Technicolor Dreamcoat.” I did not get to be Joseph but played the role of ‘Hairy Ishmaelite and accompanying choir member/musician.’ My relationship with the Joseph story goes way back.
I had no inkling then that I would experience a call to ministry that would lead me across the world and to encountering so many amazing places, experiences and people. Like many folks who grow up near an international port, having been raised near Liverpool, I had a dream of seeing more of the world than the one immediately outside my backdoor. I did not know my passport for doing so would be related to my work as a minister of the gospel.
When I started my ministry journey there was those who believed I had totally lost my mind. Who did I think I was, presuming that the God of the Universe would place a call on my life? God could choose better people than me, better qualified, better equipped for such a purpose. Some, even in my own family, viewed it as just a religious phase I was going through. “Oh, he’ll grow out of it. He won’t stick with it. He’ll come to his senses.”
Joseph’s family could not understand the call that God had placed on Joseph’s life. His dreams angered them so much they beat him up and threw him in a pit. They had no conception that God could place such ideas in anybody’s heart. They accused him of arrogance and pride and foolishness. But that did not stop Joseph.
Every move that I have made in my life has felt like a response, and retirement feels no different. Through, often the strangest connections and circumstances, I’ve sensed a door opening and felt that I needed to pass through it. Some ministers go to one church, then stay there for evermore. Others, like myself, have not felt called to do that. We don’t know why! In so many ways it would be easier to stay rooted in one place and in one community. But that was not how it turned out for Joseph and not how it has turned out for myself.
During times I have transitioned, always, there have been those who have questioned my motives. “Are you going to a better position?” “Is this a promotion?” “Is somebody offering you more money than we can?” “Has somebody upset you?” In Genesis 45:8 Joseph explains to his brothers, “It was not you who sent me here, but God.”
Joseph had dreams. Joseph felt a call He had no idea where his dreams would lead, but he faithfully followed the path they revealed. For Joseph, that meant Egypt. For myself that call led to being a Presbyterian minister. Having responded to a call, the second thing we observe in Joseph’s story…
Dedication to the institution
I recall Groucho Marx famously saying that he was not sure he wanted to be a member of any organization that would have him as a member. In my relationship to the institutional church, I have struggled with the implications and expectations and sometimes felt like a dodecahedron in a triangular hole. I can totally identify with Joseph who somehow did not fit, but at the same time fitted perfectly into the situations in which he found himself.
What I mean by that is that there have been things in my life that I have gravitated towards and been energized by, but they have not always been things that churches I’ve served have valued or needed. I know that is the case for many people, in many careers and many callings.
But I’ve always given it my best shot. In doing so I often discovered that the task I felt that I wasn’t suited for, fitted me perfectly. And those moments when I have felt like “Hey, this is me!” have not always been where I have been able to shine.
Joseph never desired to be of service in Egypt. Circumstances transpired to lead him into that situation. But every step of the way he adapted and learned what he could in the situations where he found himself.
Listen, God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams. The most blessed part of that blessing is times when I’ve been able to be a blessing to others. As well as local church experiences there have been youth conferences, mission trips, encounters with people that have left me in awe, so much, so much, so much!
In seminary in the beautiful University town of Aberystwyth, in the rural communities of Denbigh and Ruthin, in the city of Liverpool, in the tourist paradise of Anglesey and Caernarfon, in wild, wonderful West Virginia, in Maryland and here on Long Island… I don’t have words to express the joy each place and each person has bought my way.
Yes, there’s been hard times. There’s been days when I was ready to quit. There’s been tears and disappointment and frustration and anger. Sometimes at others, sometimes at the institution, but more often at myself. Ministry is emotionally draining, physically exhausting and spiritually it can feel impossible to stay filled up when you are constantly seeking to be a conduit through which grace can flow to others.
At this point in my life, it’s time for another transition. That is where we catch up with today’s reading. Joseph had followed his dreams. He had worked hard to establish himself. Now Joseph had a new call. We see in this passage…
Discernment for the future.
I am viewing the challenge of retirement not as a cessation of ministry, but rather a call to embrace a new way of ministering, where my focus is no longer on a particular institution, but on what my family and I need to face the challenges of growing old, declining health, and nurturing each other.
Joseph has kept his brothers in the dark up to this point in the narrative. He had other priorities, other adventures, other things to do within the institution to which he was committed. But now it was time to focus on family and friends and rebuild those bridges and nurture those relationships.
And it was not easy. There were tears. There were regrets. There were unspoken dreams that remained unfulfilled. There was that dreaded specter of ‘change’ a word not always easily embraced, even by communities of faith.
So, we arrive at this climatic juncture in the story. (Genesis 45 4-5) “Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me." And they came closer. 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.”
Joseph is at a point where he realizes that where he is, is entirely due to the grace and mercy of God. God had directed him. God had protected him. God turned every obstacle into an open doorway to something new. Did you catch those words? “God sent me before you.” And again, in Genesis 45:8 “It was not you who sent me here, but God.”
A final word though. This not part of the Joseph story, but a huge part of mine.
There is one person alone who can truly speak about my achievements in ministry, the times it has nearly destroyed us, and the times grace has unexpectedly carried us through. She alone knew me in my wildest days, before I ever made any form of commitment to follow the way of Jesus Christ, and was there as I struggled to understand our call and has been beside me every step of the journey... my partner, wife, best friend and rock, Yvonne.
It has been a journey we have made together. Whatever has been achieved is testimony to the amazing grace, love and persistence of God's Spirit. If anywhere or at any time or in anybody’s experience we have been able to offer some joy, some insight, some encouragement, some sense that we are not alone in this vast and often frightening experience called life, then to God be all the glory. Thank-you Yvonne. You made the dream a reality.
There we are.
Joseph’s story.
Dreaming of a destination.
Dedication to an institution.
Discernment for the future.
I found myself following a similar path. Who knew that playing the part of ‘Hairy Ishmaelite and accompanying choir member/musician’ would lead to a calling that has taken me across two continents, gifted me with whole communities of friends and has truly been a journey I never dreamed I would be a part of.
Aware this is a Harvest service I pray that whatever harvest has resulted from seeds of ministry I have sown, may continue to blossom and to grow.
To God be all glory.
To God be the glory.
To God be all glory.
Amen and Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
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