It’s a tiny little word and it shows up two times in this gospel. Verse 23 and verse 25. “But.”
Every time I think about “but” in the bible I think about Joseph in the Book of Genesis because like the Canaanite woman whose daughter is possessed in the Gospel today. Joseph understood the power of that one little word. Joseph was a devout dreamer, a coat of many different colors. At the tender age of 17 he had a dream that he would be a ruler and his brothers would be subject to him.
Joseph was foolish enough to share that dream with his brothers and they hated him for it. They resented him further because he was their father’s Jacob’s favorite. So ,one day out in the field they decided to kill Joseph. But the oldest brother Rebar prevented the murder and they sold him instead to a caravan of camel traders heading towards Asia.
Imagine yourself like Joseph your hands tied behind you, transported as a hostage with uncaring strangers to a foreign land. Your status plunge from favorite son and future ruler to a slave worth twenty sheklels, less than a camel’s value. Where is God in this dream? Sounds more like a nightmare.
But Joseph knew two of the best words in the bible are “but God.” That pairing occurs at least 42 times in Scripture. Words that mean that God is about to do something. Things may be going one way, regardless of appearances but God is about to intervene. “But God.”
David is in the wilderness, Saul is in hot pursuit searching to kill David but God did not give David into his hands. The Israelites are fleeing he Egyptian army not knowing how to escape but God led the people by the desert road through the Red Sea, :”but God.”
Let me remind you that God protects, God delivers, God intervenes, God saves. So it’s no surprise that Joseph knowing full well the dream that God has in store for his life when he encounters opposition and he gets a bunch of hostility he gets a bunch, even failure, yep. Two words to lean on. “But God.”
Situation worsens, Joseph at the end of his life is able to look at his brothers and say you intended to harm me but God intended me for good to accomplish what is now being done, saving of many lives.
When there appears to be dead ends, look for God’s detour signs. His course corrections. Because what we learn from the Canaanite woman in the gospel and from Joseph in Genesis is that dead ends may turn out to be holy moments. If the dream in your life is truly God’s dream, if he has given the destination, He will make the necessary course corrections. There are no dead ends, nothing is impossible with God.
Down in Egypt, God helps with the first detour, Joseph gets sold to a good man named Podermer, put him in charge of management over the household. Joseph manages the household and discerns God’s dreams astounds Podemer. But Podemer’s wife sexually harasses, sexually assaults Joseph and when he wouldn’t agree to an affair, she falsely accuses him of assault. So, he goes to jail. Another dead end. But in jail God found another good detour. The jailor puts him in charge of the prison and he interprets dreams for two different inmates who work in the household. One of them is released and returns to the Pharoah as cupbearer and he promises to remember Joseph and help him but he forgot. Dead end.
Two years later Pharoah has a dream and desperately needs somebody to interpret and the cupbearer says “Aha,” I remember this guy in prison named Joseph. He was filled with God’s wisdom, he interpreted dreams. He also advises Pharoah on polices for government and became the second in command. There was a dead end and God turns it into a holy moment. What seemed unholy has become holy. Joseph learned to trust God.
Trust God…
Joseph had dreams, his brothers sold him into slavery but God was with him. He was accused by Padermer’s wife and put in jail, but God was with him.. He was forgotten by the cupbearer but God was with him. It took 23 years for the dream to become a reality. A lot of twists and turns. False accusations. But Joseph had patience and persistence to wait and trust God.
So I invite you today as you hear about our parish being threaten to close and accused of false accusations to think about Joseph and think about the gospel, learn those two words, “but God.”
They work in every situation when you’re alone, when you’re wandering, when you’re struggling with the decision to go to trial, when you’re a committee member and tired of trying to save this parish, when you accused, when you’re teetering and ready to give up the fight, “but God.”
Joseph trusts God, despite prison, poverty, suffering. All the members of your parish committee and all of you who are parishioners need to “trust God” despite harassment, bullying and deception these past six months of detour.
Joseph despite 23 years of detour of suffering gets better, not bitter. And all of us on Divine Mercy’s committee and all of you in these pews are better not bitter.
God has dreamed your life and it will require your cooperation. As your pastor and your parish committee members we humbly ask your support to make a decision to move forward in our legal proceedings and give us your permission and support to go to trial to return this building to Divine Mercy.
There are challenges ahead and everyone will not get excited about God’s journey. You will get to a point what appears to be dead ends, setbacks, disappointments but in those moments turn to God. I mean really where else will you go. DON’T GIVE UP!
He will help you turn what would make you bitter, into something that will make you better. Because truly, there are not more beautiful words then, “BUT GOD.”
