I Am Joseph!

may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin.

How far from his mind was even the possibility that he would ever see his son Joseph again. You see, as we turn to chapter 45, the brothers are just hoping to escape Egypt with Benjamin. Jacob is just hoping his remaining sons would return home again. They're all full of fear. The brothers are crippled by guilt. They're all just hoping that God in his mercy won't let something else bad happen to them. How little did they realize? God was actually doing good for them exceedingly abundantly above all that they could ever ask or think or expect. I mean, God grants to them the equivalent of the resurrection of their brother, the reconciliation of their family, and rescue from a famine that was so much worse than they expected. You see, the point is God works for the good of his people even when they least expect it. Now, as we consider that this morning, we're going to first walk through the story, which breaks down into four scenes. There's Joseph revealing himself to his brothers. There's the Egyptians' response. There's Joseph sending his brothers home to get Jacob. And then there's Jacob's response. And then after we've walked through the story, we'll draw out three points of application. And as we'll be concentrating on the surprising ways God works for the good in Jacob's family, We'll consider three surprising ways that God works for our good as well. So first, let's take a look at the longest of the four scenes in the story. Scene one, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. This is verses one through 15. Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. Now last week I commented on the sheer emotion of Judah's speech at the end of chapter 44. The very brother whose idea it was to sell Joseph now falls down at Joseph's feet, begging to be taken as a slave in order to free Benjamin. The enslaver has become a redeemer. The man who was once like Cain has become his brother's keeper. And not only that, but Judah's love for his father just gushes forth. Fifteen times he mentions him, how passionately he appeals for Benjamin, lest his father's gray hair should come down with sorrow to the grave. I mean, Judah's willing to do whatever it takes for the good of his father. And how moving this was for Joseph. I mean, this is what Joseph had been praying for. This is why Joseph had done all this scheming and done all these things to conceal his identity for so long. He was yearning that his brothers would come to repentance. And now he's finally seeing it. Just imagine your wayward child coming to faith in Christ. Think of the joy we feel when Kevin or any of the other Southwood kids gets baptized. Imagine a loved one who's deeply wronged you finally repenting. That's what Joseph's experiencing here. And so it says in verse one,

he could not control himself.

His emotions are just too great. And so with a breaking voice, he cries,

make everyone go out from me.

And how strange this must have been. I mean, this is the ruler of Egypt, one who has always attended with countless men and bodyguards. And he's asking to be alone with 11 foreigners, even convicted criminals. And as an Egyptian ruler, I mean, how strange was this show of emotion? They were always expected to be austere and composed. And yet Joseph breaks down with cries so loud that the Egyptians outside the room and even Pharaoh's own household heard it. And imagine how alarming and confusing this must have been for Joseph's brothers. Judah had begun his appeal by saying,

please don't let your anger burn against me.

But what do these tears mean? I mean, is he mad? Is he sad? Has he become unhinged? I mean, is he about to just execute us all? I mean, how far from the brother's imagination was the thought that this was their brother who wanted a personal, intimate moment with them? And so when Joseph can finally get the words out through the tears, he cries out,

I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?

But the brothers are just stunned silent. In fact, it says,

but his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

Dismayed means alarmed concern. Other translations say they were terrified. Overall, the picture here is one of fearful paralysis. They're not even able to speak. I think they were probably experiencing something tantamount to an emotional sensory overload. It's like when you try to open up like 6,000 programs on your computer and it just freezes. I mean, that's what's going on in their hearts. I mean, think about it, they've just offered themselves as lifelong slaves. They've been grappling with the possibility of never going home to see their families or their children again. Then Judah has offered himself in place of Benjamin, and they're on the edge of their seats waiting to see how this Egyptian ruler is going to respond to that. And then the ruler starts weeping. And they're just confused, they're baffled, they're so uneasy as the other Egyptians leave the room. And then suddenly this man says, I am Joseph. I am the brother that you think is probably dead. I'm guessing their first thought is something along the lines of, what is it that God is doing to us now? I mean, it was strange enough to find the money in our sacks. It was strange enough to be lined up in perfect order at the lunch in Zaphonath Penea's house. I mean, what is this? Is it a cruel trick? I mean, has God sent the ghost of our brother to haunt us? Have the Egyptians found out our past crime? And now they're about to trap us in our guilt. But then perhaps it started to sink in. Wait a second, could this be Joseph? I mean, how old would he be? How tall was he? Is that his face? And then, you know, if this is Joseph, well, we're dead. This is the brother we sold. This is the brother who no doubt wants revenge. And here he is in every position to do it to us. So they're just paralyzed in fear and shock. They cannot answer him a word. And then notice how compassionately Joseph responds to them. He says,

come near to me, please.

He invites them to himself to come and see that it's really him. And notice that at first he had asked about his father. He goes, my father's still alive. Probably because that's what was on his mind from Judah's speech. He yearned for his father. He wanted his brothers to reassure him that dad was still alive. He was looking for them to comfort him. Now he sees their fear. And he moves to comfort them. He invites them to himself. And already how different this is. This is the mighty ruler of Egypt. Everything up to this point has been a command. And now he says, please. He invites them to come near, to see him, to touch him, to know him, and to be assured that he is not revealing himself to punish them, but to embrace them. So he says,

I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.

I'm really him. I'm that brother, the one you sold. And knowing their fear, knowing their guilt, knowing how sensitive their consciences were, he immediately adds,

and now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. For God sent me before you to preserve life.

In fact, three times Joseph says, God sent me. It's here in verse 5, then again in verse 7 he says,

And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on the earth.

And again in verse 8,

So it was not you who sent me here, but God.

You sold me. God sent me. You intended evil against me. God intended it for good. You regret it and feel angry with yourselves because of what you've done. But I wouldn't change it because this was God's plan. And this is how God is saving our family and many lives. And one of the things we need to see here is that for the first time in all Joseph's interactions with his brothers, the mask has come off. Up to this point, he's been, you know, maintaining a ruse. He's been pretending. He's been trying to influence them and projecting something. This is the real Joseph. This is how he really feels. This is what he really thinks. And what's so amazing is that behind all the masks, behind the austere persona of Zafarnath Pania he had projected, what we find here is pure love. Such tender compassion. Such full forgiveness. There's not a hint of bitterness. No mention of any of the ways that they had hurt him. Not how they'd cost him. Not how he had lost time with his father and Benjamin. Not how he had suffered so much in prison and as a slave. Just God. God. God. God planned this for good. God sent me here. God is orchestrating this. And because of God, you yourselves need not be distressed or angry with yourselves. In love, he seeks to pacify their consciences, not wound them. because he sees that they are repentant. Now, it's important to realize that Joseph isn't saying, you know, don't be angry with yourselves because sin isn't really sin when God uses it for good. He's not saying, well, let's do evil that good may come. What he's saying is, my brothers, you don't need to live in crippling regret or self-hatred or fear of retaliation. because God has superintended the consequences of your sin for good. Joseph is assuring them that in spite of their sin, all has worked out for the best and that he fully forgives them. And friends, the point is repentance is enough. They do not need to feel the burden of trying to fix the past or make up for the past. They don't need to live their life always looking over their shoulder, fearing the day when vengeance will come. To live as repentant and changed men in the present is enough. And as a further sign of this reconciliation, this forgiveness that Joseph's extending, notice that he commands them to come down to Egypt to live with him. He says there's going to be five more years of famine and this is the place that God has provided for our family to survive. So he says, verse nine,

hurry 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 tarry.

And he says,

you shall dwell in the land of Goshen and you shall be near me. You and your children and your children's children.

In other words, Joseph doesn't want a reconciliation like what happened between Jacob and Esau, where they hugged and kissed and then lived apart. He wants his family near. He wants his family united. He wants his father and his brothers and their children and their grandchildren to come and live together with him as one. This is the full reconciliation that Joseph is inviting them to. And as if he knows that this surely must sound too good to be true, too surreal to believe, he says in verse 12,

and now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

And he kissed all his brothers, every single one, and wept upon them, showing his personal love and forgiveness for them all. And then it says, and it's after this, his brothers talked with him. What a conversation that must have been. You know, 22 years of life, 22 years of marriages and families and children, 22 years of sharing about all that had transpired back in Canaan and Joseph sharing about Potiphar's house and the prison and how he'd become Lord of Egypt. And through it all, how they all must have stood just utterly amazed at the providential hand of God, at the way that God had preserved them as his covenant people, even when they'd been so unfaithful, even when they didn't expect it, even when in many ways the brothers had tried to thwart it. Yet God was working for the good of this family in a most surprising way. And that brings us to the second and much shorter scene, which is the Egyptians' response. So scene number two, the Egyptians' response. This is verses 16 through 20. And what stands out is how delighted and supportive the Egyptians are. They'd heard Joseph's weeping. Now they hear that it's because his brothers have come. And it says

this pleased Pharaoh and his servants.

And on one hand, of course, they should feel great gratitude to Joseph because he had saved them, and they very much do. But on the other hand, it's almost surprising that no one seems to gripe or complain. I mean, normally you'd almost expect someone to feel envious of Joseph's family getting this preferential treatment, someone to voice a concern about all these Hebrews coming and having such influence on their country. But in this case, there doesn't seem to be any of that. Pharaoh and his servants are united in being pleased at this news and being ready to bring the greatest blessing on Joseph's whole family for Joseph's sake. And Pharaoh himself announces that the whole family is to move to Egypt and to be given the most extravagant provision. He says they shall have the very best of the land, take all the provisions you need, and even take wagons. And, of course, that sounds sort of insignificant to us, but apparently this was a totally unknown technology in Canaan at the time. Only the very wealthiest in Egypt would have had access to this. You know, so in modern terms, think luxury yachts and private jets, you know, and perhaps anticipating that Joseph might think this is too much to ask for his own family. Notice that the Pharaoh says in verse 19,

and you, Joseph, are commanded to say,

right? Not just, you know, Joseph, I give you permission. No, you are commanded, Joseph, take the wagons. And through it all. Once more, what remarkable provision God is giving his people. What surprising favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. And then we come to scene number three. Joseph sends his brothers to bring Jacob. This is verses 21 through 24. Joseph sends his brothers to bring Jacob. And in this section, there are three things of note. First, Joseph does just as Pharaoh commanded him. He sends his brothers with wagons and provisions just as Pharaoh said. Second, notice that Joseph gives his family gifts. He gives an extravagant gift carried by 20 donkeys to his father. He gives each of his brothers a new change of clothes. And then he gives a special gift to Benjamin, 300 shekels of silver and five changes of clothes. And unlike at the banquet where, you know, his special treatment of Benjamin was part of a test, this is just an expression of the special love, the special bond he feels for Benjamin as his younger brother and as the only other son of his mother. And then the third thing to note here is Joseph's parting words to his brothers. In verse 24, he says,

do not quarrel on the way.

Now, there were probably multiple reasons why Joseph was concerned about his brother's quarreling, but I have to think foremost on his mind was because he realized how difficult it was going to be for his brothers to face their father. See, after 22 years of lying, now the truth would have to come out. The last thing Joseph wants is for his brothers to begin bickering, blaming, turning against one another. You can imagine Reuben saying, I told you not to lay your hands on the boy. Judah saying, well, if I hadn't suggested selling him, you would have killed him. Someone else saying, well, it was your idea to put the blood on the coat. And Joseph wants none of that. Nothing good will come by arguing, blaming, and trying to litigate the past. What his brothers must return home with is united around the one message that really counts. that Joseph is alive and he is the Lord of Egypt. And contrary to their wildest expectations, God had sent him there for good. So they as a family must arise and go so that they may be reconciled and spared from the famine. And that brings us finally to scene number four, which is Jacob's response. Verses 25 through 28, Jacob's response. Now, for a narrative that's included so much detail, it's almost surprising how little we're told here. We're left to wonder when and how the brothers told their father about their lie and what really happened and how Jacob had responded to that. But as if with laser focus, the narrator focuses our attention on what really counts. It says, the brothers return home and tell their father

Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.

And kind of like if you just told someone you were adopted and your dad is like the ruler of the world. I mean, they've just unloaded two of the most shocking statements imaginable. I mean, Jacob had held Joseph's bloodstained coat in his hands. For 22 years, he had grieved the loss of his son. Then finally, he'd been able to let go enough to send Benjamin, hoping that God would send Benjamin back, but surrendering to God.

If I am bereaved, I am bereaved.

God's will be done. And now he's confronted with the reality that his sons have been lying to him? That for 22 years, they have lied, and now they expect him to believe that Joseph is not only alive, but the Lord of Egypt? The ruler of the most powerful nation in the world. What kind of cruel trick or mockery is this? I mean, this is simultaneously the best news that Jacob could ever hear. But news that seems far too good to be true. And so Jacob's heart became numb. It stood still, for he did not believe them. So he doesn't know if this is a cruel trick or a dream. But either way, it just cannot be reality. But then it says in verse 27,

But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

And so the brothers continue to speak, sharing not their words, but Joseph's. Words which we know were full of talk of God. And it seems Jacob began to realize that this was no lie or scheme of his sons. I mean, these are the words of Joseph. This is truth from God. And then he sees the wagons, probably stepping outside the tent and for the first time seeing these Egyptian royal wagons, seeing the hard evidence that the Lord of Egypt was behind this indeed. And so now, Even though his eyes have not yet seen Joseph, Jacob believes. He says,

it is enough. Joseph, my son, is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.

Kind of like the father of the prodigal son. It's as if Jacob is saying, this, my son, was dead. And he's alive again. He was lost and is found. The difference is this time it's not a sinful son returning home to his godly father. It's a grieving father getting to go and see his long lost son. What a beautiful restoration. What an amazing twist in the providence of God. That he would give a man who had finally surrendered, had finally said God's will be done. He had given him something infinitely better than he would have ever prayed for or imagined. And again, the point is God is bringing about a most unexpected blessing on a most undeserving family. God is blessing and keeping his covenant people ultimately for his sake, not just theirs. I mean, these are the people he has chosen, the people he preserves, and the people he is blessing in this most surprising way. You see, there are many stories in the Bible about great faith, but this really isn't one of them. This is a story about God blessing a family who didn't expect it, who wasn't looking for it, who in some ways had even tried to work against it. Yet nothing could thwart his sovereign purpose for their lives. Nothing could derail him from doing them good. He's a God who works for his people's good even when we least expect it. In the time we have left, I want us to consider three ways that God works for our good as well. Three surprising ways in light of this passage that we can think about how he works for our good. And the first is this, through Jesus' resurrection. Number one, Jesus's resurrection. Now, I'm not sure if you picked up on it as we went through the story, but there are some uncanny similarities between Genesis 45 and the narrative of Jesus's resurrection. For example, just as Joseph concealed his identity from his brothers, well, Jesus also concealed his identity from his two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Then, just as Joseph's family was utterly shocked to discover that he was alive, Well, Jesus' disciples were every bit as shocked to discover that he had risen from the dead. It even seemed to them like an idle tale when the women first reported that the tomb is empty. You know, his disciples said,

we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.

But then he died. We were clearly wrong. And then just as paralyzing fear gripped Joseph's brothers when he revealed himself to them. Well, Jesus' disciples were also terrified when Jesus revealed himself to them. They thought he was a ghost. And then just as Joseph said, come to me, see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. Jesus says, touch me, see me, see my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Put your hand here in the print of the nails. Know that I am the one who died for you and is now risen. Just as Jacob didn't believe because it just sounded too good to be true, well, Jesus' disciples disbelieved for joy and were marveling. It seemed too good to be true to them. And yet, ironically, in both cases, God had already revealed what was gonna happen. I mean, Joseph had shared with his family his dreams. They should have known that he was gonna reign over them one day. And Jesus had told his disciples,

I will be delivered up to be crucified, and on the third day, I will rise again.

In both cases, they were caught totally off guard. And then consider how emotionally complicated the meeting was. I mean, Joseph says, I am Joseph, to brothers who had sold him as a slave. Jesus says, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, Paul. I am Jesus whom you abandoned, my disciples. I am Jesus whom you denied, Peter. And yet, just as the Lord Joseph welcomed and wept with his brothers, the Lord Jesus says, peace to you, to his disciples. He says, you're my chosen instrument, Paul. Feed my sheep, Peter, and follow me. I still want you to be near to me. And then just as Joseph sent his brothers to tell their father Jacob, Jesus sends his disciples to tell the world, and especially Thomas. Just as Jacob heard and refused to believe at first, so did Thomas. But then just as Jesus said,

blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

Jacob says it is enough. Joseph, my son, is still alive. I will go and see him. And friends, the point of it all is this. We, like Jacob, have received a message that seems too good to be true, that exceeds our wildest expectations. Right? We have been told that there is one greater than Joseph, who not only died, but now lives and is now ruling not over just all of Egypt, but over all of heaven and earth itself. And though we have sinned against him and deserve his wrath, he invites us near. He is even better than a beloved son. He is the beloved lover of our souls. He's the one who welcomes us to come to him, to be saved, not just from a famine, but from death and hell itself. And like Jacob, our eyes cannot see him, but we can hear his words. Because his message is being relayed to us. We can see the wagons, so to speak, because he too has sent his messengers with gifts. Not gifts of Egyptian wagons, but the gift of his Holy Spirit. And as you hear the gospel, and as you see the witness of God's people today, may you, like Jacob, say, it is enough. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. I will arise and go to him. May 1 Peter 1, verse 8 be fulfilled in you.

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

And as you receive this most surprising gift, this news that seems too good to be true, may you exclaim with the Apostle Paul,

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways.

Well, friends, God has worked for our good in a way beyond which we could ever describe and beyond what we could ever expect. Jesus, his own resurrection is the first and most surprising way that God has worked for our good. But a second way is this. God has worked for our good, quite surprisingly, by bringing reconciliation. By bringing reconciliation. Of course, Genesis 45 is a story of reconciliation, of most surprising reconciliation. And God is the God who brings reconciliation for us, both with Him and with one another. Think first about reconciliation with God. Isn't the case that the way Joseph leads his brothers to this point of reconciliation, it's often similar to how God works with us. I mean, Joseph was working their lives to convict them, even to confuse them, you know, to terrify them. But it was all to bring them to this point when finally it's like the mask could be taken off and he could show them his amazing love. And friends, how often God, in his great love for us, works in us like that. I mean, at times, it seems like this path toward reconciliation with God, it's not always brightly lit. And God, at times, can seem to us like our enemy. God, at times, leads us through the darkest and most frowning of providences. He leads us in a path that I think can be intentionally confusing. Because He's trying to bring us to the end of ourselves. He's trying to bring us to the point when finally, we can come to Him. Finally, we can know Him. Finally, we can receive His great and amazing love for us. Oh, as we saw in weeks prior,

t'was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.

Or as Hosea 6 says,

God has torn us, that He may heal us. He has struck us down, and He will bind us up.

Oh, how unexpected and yet how beautiful is the way God works reconciliation in our lives with him. But God also works to bring us back to one another. Because Genesis 45 shows us that it was not enough for Jacob's family to be God's people individually. They needed to be God's people together. And the same is true of the church. As Ephesians 2 says,

Christ himself is our peace who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.

In Christ there is therefore now neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, no male and female. We're all one in Christ Jesus.

We're all being built together as Christ's church for a dwelling place of God in the spirit. And so if we're gonna live together as Christ's people, we must be reconciled to one another. We must learn to forgive one another. And you know, as you think about Genesis 45, think about the way that God, through his surprising, unusual providence, enables forgiveness. Joseph can say to his brothers, you intended evil against me. You did these things to me, but God sent me to Egypt for our good. It's like you tried to hurt me, But she blessed me, because God was sovereign over it all. And you know, if you understand that, I mean, what freedom we feel to forgive. What an ability to let go of bitterness, to let go of the feeling that someone has taken something from you forever, and it will never be restored, because you can trust the sovereignty of God. You know, show me someone who is harboring bitterness, and unforgiveness and is unwilling to reconcile and I'll show you someone who has not fully believed and come to trust in the sovereignty of God. This story shows us that we have a most wonderful reason to forgive because God works for our good even in the most unexpected of ways. And on the other side, You know, understanding God's sovereignty is equally important for reconciliation when you're the offender. Because if you won't accept forgiveness, if all you ever do is run and hide in shame, if you just become crushed under the weight of thinking that you have to somehow undo your sin, somehow make up for your sin, well, there can be no reconciliation either. I mean, you will just close yourself off to the possibility of relationship. Just as Joseph told his brothers, perhaps you need to hear, Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because of what you have done. You have not derailed the good and sovereign purposes of God. You have not out sinned God's ability to forgive in Christ. So repent and trust in the Lord, and that's enough. And friends, may we walk and live in the reconciliation that Christ has died for. And may we do so by trusting that God is working for our good. even in ways that we least expect. And then thirdly and finally, I want us to consider what this story teaches us about God's providential care. So number three, God's providential care. And of course, this has been in the background throughout. This really is the foundation of what we were just discussing regarding reconciliation. But it's important that we see that this also applies generally across the board. I want to take a moment to return to the verse I mentioned at the beginning, Romans 8, 28.

And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are the called according to his purpose.

Friends, all things there means all things. The Bible puts no limits on God's sovereignty. It puts no limits on his promise to work all things together for his people's good. It does limit it to his people. This is not a promise for the unbeliever. But for God's people, it is a promise that he works all things for our good. And I don't know where you doubt that promise this morning. But I'm guessing that deep down, somewhere, to some degree, each and every one of us does. And the way Genesis 45 confronts that is by showing us that that is true even and especially where you and I least expect it, where we cannot see it. I mean, just think about the fact God uses Joseph to save his brothers here in a way that the brother's own spiteful act of selling their brother becomes the means of their own salvation. It's how they themselves were saved from a famine. As a crude illustration, I mean, imagine coming home one day in a rage and you're prepared to murder your spouse. You see them there under the covers on the bed, and so you pull the trigger. And then you find out in the end that this wasn't your spouse. It was an assassin secretly sent to kill you. By trying to kill your spouse, your own life had been saved. I mean, that's the sort of paradoxical deliverance God works here. The very sin of these brothers God is using for their own good. And friends, the point is not that we can somehow always figure out how God is using the situations in our lives for good. The point is how foolish we would be to doubt his ability to do it. I mean, how arrogant to say, well, this is too hard for God. I know that God could not use it that way. Oh, how we need to hear a fresh God's own word that

as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

How we need to hear a fresh that God says,

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning, I will thwart.

He wants to bring us to our knees in humility before him. And remember what Jesus said to his disciples before he washed their feet. just before his own crucifixion.

What I am doing now, you do not understand. But afterward, you will understand.

See, as we sung earlier in the service,

God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. Deep in unsearchable minds of never failing skill, he treasures up his bright designs and works his sovereign will. And ye fearful saints, fresh courage take. The clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace. Behind a frowning providence, he hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower. Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan his work in vain. For God is his own interpreter, and he will make it plain.

And friends, as dark, opaque, mysterious as God's purposes were for Joseph's brothers, until Joseph revealed himself to them. Oh, so it will often be for us, until the day when Jesus returns, when he reveals himself to us. In the light of his shining face, we are welcomed into eternal glory and bliss. because of the great and surprising grace that he has worked for us. Let's pray. Oh God, we thank you so much for this wonderful reminder that you are good, that you are in control, that you are the God of all grace, and that you are the God of all grace working for our good even when we least expect it. May this give us courage, may this give us strength, may this help us to trust you, to forgive, to reconcile, and to live as your expectant people waiting and hastening the revelation of your Son and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, amen.