Pastor Sherry’s message for August 9, 2026 

Scriptures: Gen 37:1-35; Ps 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b; Ro 10:5-15; Matt 14:22-33

Have you ever noticed that Scripture gives us about as many lessons on how not to live as it points us to the best ways to live? Our Old Testament lesson is a prime example of how not to manage a family. Genesis 37:1-35 reads like a daytime soap opera or a reality TV show. We’ve got a family that that’s a hot mess . Let’s count the ways:

(1) First, there is the matter of choosing favorites: Jacob, the favorite of his mother, has to run for his life to escape the murderous wrath of his twin Esau, the favorite of his father. You would think Jacob would learn from his experience and not repeat it with his own family . But no . He breeds jealousy and discord by favoring one wife over another—the beautiful Rachel over the prolific Leah. And he compounds his trouble by favoring Rachel’s son, Joseph, over all 10 of his other, older sons. To make matters even worse, he gives Joseph a costly and gorgeous coat, fit for a prince, thereby indicating that Joseph is a prince in his father’s eyes. I just want to talk to Jacob and ask him, “Did you not take Developmental or Child Psych in college? Did you never learn to treat your children as equally as possible? (similar clothes, shoes, backpacks, the same amount of money spent on birthdays and Christmas, and the same size cookies or pieces of cake?) They often tend to think you favor one over the other anyway, but you don’t ever want to be as overt as you were .

(2) Then there is the really odious behavior of his eldest sons: Reuben, the first born, carries on an affair with Bilhah, Jacob’s concubine, and the mother of his half-brothers, Dan and Naphtali. Yuck! Even if she was a lovely “cougar,” he let his carnal instincts short-circuit his brain. His behavior implied he wished his father, Jacob, were dead. Next, Simeon and Levi are so incensed that Jacob would not punish their sister’s rapist, the Prince of Shechem, but rather have her marry him, that they slaughter the men of Shechem while they are laid up, recovering from adult circumcision. I’ve known some guys in the Navy who had to undergo circumcision as adults and they tell me the recovery period is pretty rough. These Canaanite men were willing to endure this procedure as a condition of the marriage contract Jacob had put to them. In other words, these pagans were converting to the One, True God . Perhaps Jacob intended to make things right through the marriage, but Leah’s sons are furious and want revenge for their sister Dinah’s rape. (This all foreshadows King David’s family issues, in the rape of Tamar by her half-brother Amnon.) Jacob is furious with his sons and also ashamed of them, believing they went too far and made God and their family look bad among their Canaanite pagan neighbors.

(3) Finally there is Joseph’s naivete regarding sharing his dreams openly with his brothers, and their father’s using him as a snitch. Joseph, at 17 years old is not yet sophisticated enough to realize how he added to his brothers’ enmity toward him, but Jacob should have been wiser than to pit his favorite against his jealous and embittered other sons. Unfortunately, the stage is set for horrendous sin and grief . Joseph had already told Jacob that 4 of his brothers had barbequed some of the sheep they were supposed to watch over, thus defrauding their father. In today’s passage, Jacob unwisely sends Joseph to again report what they are up to, and the 10 brothers are now so angry and enraged that they plot to kill him. Reuben apparently hoped to regain his father’s regard by saving Joseph, gathering materials to rescue him from the pit. But Judah, in Reuben’s absence, convinces the others to sell him to Ishmaelite and Midianite traders heading to Egypt. They sell him for 20 pieces of silver, and assume he will die as a slave—but not directly by their hands. Now they also have to lie to their father, Jacob, leading him to believe Joseph was killed by a wild animal. And they have to live with Jacob’s resulting, unrelenting grief. In Chapter 38, Judah becomes so distressed by his father’s grief (and his own guilt) that he leaves the family and goes to live among the Canaanites. Having learned nothing about the dangers of favoritism, Jacob now treasures Benjamin, his last child by the beloved Rachel who died while giving him birth.

This family is in a world of hurt . Last week we considered how God had been working on Jacob: Jacob had learned to love someone beyond himself, Rachel, Joseph, and Benjamin. He had developed perseverance, grit, and a good work ethic. He had also become grateful to God for his protection and his acquired wealth. But he was still a work in progress. He had not yet learned to turn to God in every circumstance (Dinah’s rape; his sons’ perfidy). I have to wonder what kind of example of faith he set out for those 10 bitter, resentful, and murderous sons. None of them checked with the Lord before selling their own flesh and blood into slavery. None of them appeared to consider the effect of Joseph’s death on them, their consciences, or on their father–or even Benjamin. They each had to go through a personal hell on earth before they would learn to keep their eyes on the Lord.

Nevertheless, the Good News is that even though they have created an ungodly mess, our God is in the business of redeeming our messes—if we will let Him. God had given to Joseph two dreams that were very similar to each other: In one, his brother’s sheaves of wheat bowed to his sheaf; in the other, the sun, moon, and 11 stars bowed before him. None of them realizes this yet, but Joseph will be elevated by Pharaoh to command of all the resources of Egypt. His brothers will indeed bow before him. God will eventually use him to save his entire family, and many others, from a 7 year famine. Our Psalm 105:16-22 recalls God’s purposes behind Joseph’s sojourn in Egypt. The remaining chapters of Genesis deal with Joseph’s trials while enslaved; his rise to power through keeping his eyes on God; and his brothers’ journeys to repentance, reconciliation and faith.

Now, let’s turn our attention to the two lessons that teach us how to live:

A. Paul wants us to be sure we understand that is not by following the rules of religion that we are saved—but rather by having a personal relationship with Jesus. He famously states in verses 9-10 (NLT)-→If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. And he further adds in verse 13-→For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. We are saved by our faith in Christ. We are saved by keeping our eyes on Jesus and His Cross.

B. And this precious and exceedingly important fact is demonstrated by Peter in today’s Gospel text, Matthew 14:22-33. Recall that Jesus wanted to go away somewhere private to pray, but was prevented from doing so by the crowds following Him. Now He has healed all the sick, taught them the wisdom of God, and even miraculously fed them. Then he sends the crowds away and the disciples to their boat, and he goes up into the hills to pray most of the night. The disciples encounter heavy seas in a storm, just as Jesus returns to them on the water. Peter wants to walk on water too, so he asks Jesus to allow this, which he does. Peter does fine as long as he keeps his eyes on the Lord. He starts to sink as soon as he puts his eyes on his circumstances. Perhaps the heavy winds had not yet diminished; perhaps the huge waves had not yet calmed. Once Peter takes his eyes off Jesus, he sinks. But he is saved from drowning when Jesus reaches out and clasps his hand.

This is such a great reminder for all of us: Keep our eyes on the Lord, not on the circumstances that either frighten us or frustrate us. We are safe in His hands. We are safe in His care. No circumstance in which we dwell is too great for Him . He heals; He provides (jobs, peace, financial well-being, family unity, etc.); He saves; He blesses; He either helps us overcome adversity, or He helps us persevere through it. God saved Jacob, and his unruly sons, so they might see and be reunited once again with Joseph. In the meantime, he molded and reformed their characters. Jacob drew closer to the Lord in his faith. Joseph’s brothers grieved their sins and experienced being forgiven—a lesson for next week. Again, the life lesson is for us to keep our eyes on the Lord.

When I was in seminary, my best buddy and I—a woman named Amanda from Chicago—heard about a church south of Sarasota with a powerful healing ministry led by the Rev. Sharon Lewis. Our field worksite church paid for us to attend a weekend healing conference there to learn what they were doing. After having met up with my brother (who lived near there), I had come back to the room we shared on Saturday night to find Amanda asleep. At about 4am, I awoke to hear her weeping. When I asked what was wrong, she told me she was sure she would never be ordained. Now I knew her pretty well, and had observed her over time, so I was clear she was called to be a pastor. But I think the Holy Spirit must have inspired me to tell her to not pay any attention to what men or women said to her about it, but to keep her eyes on the Cross of Jesus. I said she should not look to the left or to the right, but to look to Jesus alone. She calmed down and we were able to get back to sleep. The next day, we attended the Sunday communion service. When Amanda stepped up to receive the bread, Pastor Lewis said to her, “You are not to look to the left or to the right, but to keep your eyes on Christ .”—almost verbatim what I had said earlier that morning. We both took that to mean she would eventually be ordained (and she was).

I attended a wedding in Gainesville, Florida, yesterday that was just awesome. The precious daughter of my son’s best male friend (from age 3 to college), Kaiti, had taken a gap year between high school and college. She worked with a youth missions agency that sent her to Jerusalem. While there, she met a fellow named Sterling from Colorado. They became friends and talked for hours about their faith in Christ. During this time, she came down with covid and was quarantined. Sterling brought her snacks and notes daily. They continued to correspond when he returned to Colorado and she went off to begin college in Pittsburgh. Their friendship grew into love during their four year, long-distance relationship, culminating in yesterday’s lovely and deeply heart-felt ceremony. The church was packed. Their precious relationship is truly a testimony to what can happen when God provides the foundation for a marriage. They both kept their eyes on the Lord and their example ministered to each of us who attended.

In the days ahead, and always, let us keep our eyes on the Lord. Watch and see what He will do. Amen.

©️2026 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams