O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing; Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

This year, many pastorates have been making space for members to share their stories. I figured that hearing one another’s stories would help us know one another better and thus offer better support and prayer - fairly utilitarian goals, really. But it turns out that hearing and holding one another’s stories is deeply sacred. Because our stories are not just a string of linear facts (“this happened and then this”). When we tell our stories, we recognize that there is a meaning, a narrative, a Story-Teller at work in and through each moment, even – often, especially – the most painful turns our stories have taken.

This Sunday, our lectionary draws us into the story of Joseph, the longest single narrative told in Scripture. His is a story with many painful turns – betrayal, jealousy, false accusation, being forgotten. But at the climax of his story and the conflict with his brothers that has plagued his life, he is able to recognize the work of the Story-Teller. He gives witness to a God who sends, who preserves life, as he works in and through Joseph’s tumultuous story. It’s a witness we need to hear, as we make sense of our own stories in a fragmented world and as we receive and give the forgiveness that’s so desperately needed.