Abraham and the Justice of God: Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18) The 18th chapter of the Book of Genesis tells the remarkable story of Father Abraham, pleading on behalf of two violent and corrupt cities (Sodom and Gomorrah) that God intends to destroy. Among the many remarkable aspects of this story is this: Abraham dares to stand before God- the Creator of the Universe- and call Him to a higher standard of justice. "Will you sweep away the just with the wicked?" Abraham asks. "Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:22-25. Abraham's bold intercession before the presence of God has a lot to teach us about: (1) What divine justice looks like, (2) what it means to stand under God's judgement and (3) what it means to plead for divine mercy.

​Whilst staying in the home of a certain Simon the Tanner in Joppa, Saint Peter has a vision of a large sheet being lowered from the heavens.  In this sheet are all kinds of unclean animals (i.e., animals which the Jews are forbidden by the Law of Moses to eat). Peter hears the voice of the Lord saying, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat." Peter, however, refuses, protesting that the animals are unclean. The voice then replies by saying, "What God has made clean, do not call unclean." This happens 2 more times before the vision is removed from Peter's eyes.

The vision reaffirms a truth asserted by Jesus himself during his earthly ministry; namely, that it is not what goes into a person but what comes out (i.e., from the heart) that makes a person unclean.  However, this vision is more than just about food. It is about PEOPLE.

In the same way that Peter was taught to believe certain foods are unclean, he was also taught to believe that certain PEOPLE (among them, the gentiles) are unclean. Peter, however, has now learned something new; namely, that God shows no partiality. Having learned this profound truth, Peter is then led to the home of Cornelius (a Roman Centurion) where he preaches his first sermon to a gentile audience. In today's sermon, we take a closer look at what Peter says to Cornelius and what that means for us.

Since being sold into slavery in Egypt by his ten older brothers, Joseph's life has been filled with hardships.  Falsely accused by his master's wife and thrown into prison unjustly, Joseph has truly experienced his fair share of suffering.  However, Joseph's God-given, prophetic vision eventually enables him to rise to the highest political position in all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.  

The adult Joseph whom we encounter in today's reading is a far cry from the naive young shepherd boy whom we met in the beginning of this story.  Having lived most of his life in Egypt, Joseph has even begun to forget about his old life in Canaan.  However, in the beginning of today's reading, Joseph will be reminded of his past in a rather striking and unexpected manner.  Driven to find food in the midst of a devastating famine, Joseph's brothers travel all the way to Egypt in order to buy grain.  Their journey brings them to their long lost brother, Joseph himself.  

How does Joseph treat his brothers? How does he feel about seeing them again after so many years?  We'll explore this in today's Bible Study.