First United Methodist Church - Fort Collins, CO

In all our theological reflection on Jesus as the Son of God there is something important that gets lost. It is the influence of Joseph. We really have very little about Joseph directly, and yet, there is much about Joseph that comes to us indirectly.

I think the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” is Jesus’ definitive understanding of the nature of God. He believed in a God who was preemptively forgiving. He believed in a God whom he called “abba”; a word that means “loving Father”.

Joseph must have died when Jesus was young. We don’t hear anything about Joseph after Jesus had attained the age of 12 and was taken to Jerusalem when Jesus was lost in the crowd and separated from his parents. Mary chastized Jesus by saying that he had worried her and his father Joseph.

Joseph was a builder; some say he was a carpenter. Some suggest he was a stone mason. He taught Jesus his trade.

In Matthew’s Gospel we have the story of Joseph taking Mary and Jesus from Bethlehem to Egypt when there was a threat on children two years and younger. Joseph was a protective father.

The sermon will explore the influence on Jesus’ life of his father. He was Joseph’s son and in the lineage of David because of it. The fatherhood of Joseph is important as we explore Jesus’ life and teaching. This son of God had an earthly father, and when he wanted to express what God meant to him and how God was to him Jesus used the name “abba”. He might just as well have used the name Joseph.

How important is or was your father in determining your values and character? How important is a father to a son or daughter? How does your idea of God compare to the best that was attributed to your dad?

If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. Click on the blank space and my email address will appear.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles

                                               Sermon Series For Lent 

February 10th     “Jesus Abrahamson”     Son of Abraham        Pam Everhart
February 17th     ”Jesus Josephson”         Son of Joseph          Charles Schuster
February 24th     “Jesus Manson”              Son of Man               Joel Kershaw
March 2nd         ”Jesus Godson”               Son of God               Charles Schuster
March 9th        “Jesus Marison”              Son of Mary              Charles Schuster
March 16th       “Jesus Davidson”           Son of David             Charles Schuster
                                                  

                                             Maundy Thursday (Passover Meal)
March 20th “Jesus Lambson”            The Lamb of God      Joel Kershaw
 
March 21st                 Good Friday (Requiem by Mozart)
  “Jesus Crux”        The Crucified One    Charles Schuster

Biblical scholar E.F. Blair writes, “The second century Book of James (Protevangelium), and the fourth-century History of Joseph the Carpenter (Death of Joseph) present Joseph as a widower with children at the time he espoused Mary, a girl of 12 years. The latter book describes in great detail the death at age 111. The Gospel of thomas (second century) also presents fanciful incidents concerning Jesus and Joseph. In the Middle Ages a cult of Saint Joseph grew up.”

How do you think he felt about dying?
How do you approach death?

What does the fact of death do with the way you live?

I’d love to hear from you.

                                             Jesus’ Last Name

March 10     “Jesus Abrahamson”     Son of Abraham        Pam Everhart
March 17     ”Jesus Josephson”         Son of Joseph          Charles Schuster
March 24     “Jesus Manson”              Son of Man               Joel Kershaw
April 2         ”Jesus Godson”               Son of God               Charles Schuster
April 9         “Jesus Marison”              Son of Mary              Charles Schuster
April 16       “Jesus Davidson”           Son of David             Charles Schuster
                                                  

                                             Maundy Thursday (Passover Meal)
April 20th   “Jesus Lambson”            The Lamb of God      Joel Kershaw
 
                                              Good Friday (Requiem by Mozart)

We know how important education is and we work on getting our facts and figures accurate and push forward for advanced degrees only to discover that human knowledge is in such flux that what we learned as fact becomes ancient fact soon after we learned it and ancient fact is fiction. More important than what we know it is important whom we follow. Whom we follow will enable us to know what the present state of knowing is and to build on that.

Playing games with people is one way to put people down. Sometimes, it seem people deserve to be “toyed with” by the way they behave and the tendency is to do that. We play games with people only to realize that the best interaction is away from the games we play. We see that honesty is not only the best policy, it is the only path that will lead us to understand each other.

We strive to be upwardly mobile without being aware of whom we are leaving behind in our striving and climbing.

Joseph’s story is a story of aspiration, forgiveness, honesty. It took Joseph a life to learn these lessons, but he learned them, and he died at peace with himself and his family. Also, I think it is important to note the one chosen to be the earthly father of the “son of God” was named after the one who took a lifetime to learn some of the most valuable lessons anyone ever learns.

What lessons have you learned and what lessons do you need to learn before you die?  I’d like to hear from you. Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. Click on the blank space and the email address will pop up.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Joseph had the chance to gloat when his idiot brothers came to Egypt for food — they had suffered in the famine. Joseph, who could predict the future through his dreams, had been elevated to an important position in Epypt. The brothers didn’t realize it was Joseph.

Here are some observations for consideration:

1. It’s not what you know; it’s who you follow that matters most.
We want to avoid becoming a know-it-all.

“Joseph Got To Gloat”

Most of life we take what comes to us and there is not so much justice. If people hurt us; we are told to turn the other cheek and forgive them. If we have been overlooked; we rarely are looked at again.

Joseph was betrayed by his brothers. He was beaten, thrown in a pit, and left for dead. Would there ever come a time when Joseph could get even with them for what they had done to him.

Joseph is taken to Egypt where he becomes a valuable to the king. He is given a position of advisor to the king and becomes wealthy. He predicts years of good harvest followed by 7 years of famine. Egypt is prepared for the worst of times because of Joseph. His brothers come to Egypt asking for help. They do not recognize Joseph but he knows, very well, who they are.

The end of the story shows us how Joseph got to gloat. He put one over on his brothers. He got even.

It is an interesting story and one that has application. It raises important questions like:

If we could get even how would we do it?
Does the Christian faith have any room for this kind of thinking?
Are we to forgive and forget?
Do we ever have a chance to gloat?

What do you think?

Write me, if you have some thoughts on this, at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net (click on the space and the address will pop up).

I look forward to hearing from you.

When life takes our coat; think about the goat
When things happen to us it helps to know that there are others who are suffering as well and some of their suffering is on our behalf.

The other part of the story of Joseph has to do with what happened when he was thrown into the pit. Sometimes life throws us into the pit. Sometimes life is the pits. When we are put into the pit, it’s time to plan the palace. When we are down in the dumps it’s time for us to begin to plan our escape.

These are the two points of the sermon — as far as it goes on Friday morning.
1. When life takes your coat; have concern for the goat
2. When life puts you into the pit; begin to plan to build the palace.

Good lessons to live by; but there is much work to be done before they become a sermon. If you have suggestions write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net (click on the blank space and the email address will pop up.

I look forward to hearing from you.