9/25/22 - God With Us - Genesis 39 - Pastor Hudson Garcia

I have been thinking a lot about family recently. I have family members in other states getting older that I want to spend more time with. I have cousins and siblings moving to incredible cities around the country that I’d love to visit and support. My wife has family on opposite sides of the country and in different cities than all of my family. We have college friends who have moved back to their hometowns or have moved to different countries, to pursue their goals and dreams. 

I realize that my relationships with these people, though I want them to flourish, will never be what I would like them to be, simply due to proximity. Sure, FaceTime is great, and sharing memes over social media is a band-aid for almost anything, but at the end of the day, the deepest bonds come from physical proximity.

The reality that proximity breeds relationships is the wonderful news of our text in Genesis this week. In Genesis chapter 39, we pick back up with the story of Joseph. Through chapters 37 and 39, Joseph goes from being daddy’s favorite, to being beaten up and thrown into a pit by his brothers, to being bought as a slave to living in a penthouse in charge of a wealthy man's estate, and finally, being lied about, falsely charged, and thrown in prison. Through this roller coaster of events, we learn something very important about God’s character. He is a God who keeps close proximity to His people.

This becomes even more evident through the person and work of Jesus.

Matthew 1:21-23 - “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Illuminate family, it is good news that whether we face trial, tragedy, or triumph, Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is with us. That is our hope and confidence in this life!