Jesus’ Instructions for Dark Times (Part 2) - 2.23.25 The Rev. John Hayes, Ph.D.

Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany

Old Testament: Genesis 45:3-11, 15

³Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. ⁴Then 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. ⁵And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.⁶For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. ⁷God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. ⁸So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. ⁹Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. ¹⁰You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. ¹¹I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’¹⁵And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Psalm: Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42

¹ Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; *
       do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
² For they shall soon wither like the grass, *
       and like the green grass fade away.
³ Put your trust in the Lord and do good; *
       dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord, *
       and he shall give you your heart’s desire.
⁵ Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, *
       and he will bring it to pass.
⁶ He will make your righteousness as clear as the light *
       and your just dealing as the noonday.
⁷ Be still before the Lord *
       and wait patiently for him.
⁸ Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, *
       the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
⁹ Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *
       do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.
¹⁰ For evildoers shall be cut off, *
       but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.
¹¹ In a little while the wicked shall be no more; *
       you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.
¹² But the lowly shall possess the land; *
       they will delight in abundance of peace.
⁴¹ But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the Lord; *
       he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
⁴² The Lord will help them and rescue them; *
       he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them,*
       because they seek refuge in him.

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50

³⁵But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” ³⁶Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. ³⁷And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. ³⁸But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.⁴²So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. ⁴³It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. ⁴⁴It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. ⁴⁷The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.⁴⁸As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. ⁵⁰What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Gospel: Luke 6:27-38

²⁷“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.²⁹If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. ³⁰Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. ³¹Do to others as you would have them do to you. ³²“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.³⁴If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. ³⁵But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

³⁷“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; ³⁸give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”