The Story of Joseph - When God Opens the Door - Genesis 41

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I have great news for Everyone that's here today, if you've been with us throughout the summer, we have been in this series over Joseph, the Old Testament patriarch. And it's been a great series. I've had a number of you come up to me going, "Oh, he's one of my favorite characters." And every week you kind of sit there glued in like it's the next episode of some dramatic TV show or some dramatic movie in there. Um, but if you've been following the life of Joseph with us the last five weeks or four weeks, it's been kind of a downer. If you know much about Joseph, Joseph started out big. He was a 17-year-old boy that had these big dreams and dreams that just not only his dreams, he felt like they were dreams from God. He was favored by his dad to receive this beautiful coat just to kind of signify the the relationship that his dad had with him. But from the moment that I received that coat, his life went downhill. Um he has been imprisoned. He has been falsely accused. He has been forgotten. And so honestly, church, I was looking forward to this series over the Joseph, but I thought to myself after last week, it's got to get better, right? Anybody ever felt that way? Well, here's the good news. It gets better today. Okay, if Joseph's life is kind of picture on this downhill slope, it is going to head up and it's going to head up fast today. And so, I'm just excited excited to finally get to the chapter where his life comes all together. And so, if you're just now joining us, you're going, "But I don't know much about Joseph." Go back and read the first probably three or four chapters before this one. And it's just one of the most amazing stories in the Bible. In fact, sometimes people tell me, "Well, I don't read the Bible because it's boring." Here's what I would say to you. Then you never read the life of Joseph because it is really like a Hollywood movie in the making. But we're going to pick up today in chapter 41 and we're going to find out where his life takes this positive turn and things really get better. And so here's what it says in chapter 41 of Genesis. Starting in the first verse, it says, "Two full years later." Now, let me catch up to these two full years later. Remember that Joseph had been in prison and he'd been in prison. Historians and theologians believe about seven years and he would have had been falsely accused of of having some kind of affair going after um his boss's wife, but none of that was really true. But he was stuck in jail. And about two years before all of this, he had a couple of his prisoners in the same prison he was in. And he had actually been set aside as the kind of caretaker of all the prisoners. And it was the baker and the cup bearer. And they both came to him. This is what we learned last week. They both came to him and had these dreams. And Joseph interpreted the dreams and they both got out of jail. Now, the good news is one got out of jail and got to live happily ever after. The other one got out of jail and he didn't live happily ever after. In fact, he was executed just a few days after he got out of jail. But when they were getting out of jail, Joseph made a statement to them. He said, "These are your dreams. You're going to get out of jail and do me a favor. Don't forget about me, okay? Could you please tell somebody I have been falsely accused? Could you please plead my story to somebody because I don't want to spend any longer in this jail. And so when it says about two or two full years later, it's two years after the cup bearer and the baker had been released from jail after Joseph interpret their dreams. And so two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River. And so the Pharaoh, the man in charge of all of Egypt, had this dream. And here's what the dream he saw in this dream. The first dream he had said this, that he saw on the side of the the the just the shore by some water there was these seven skinny cows. And these I'm sorry, these seven really plump, fat, healthy cows. And they were just grazing, doing a good thing. And out of the water came seven more cows. But the seven cows that came out of the water, you're like, "This is crazy. It's a dream, remember?" And so these seven skinny, scrawny cows come out of the water and they gobble up and eat up the seven plump, healthy cows. And the Bible says that Pharaoh woke up going, "Woo! I I ate some bad pizza for dinner that night because that was just a weird dream." And he goes back to sleep and he has a similar but different dream. And this time in his dream, he sees seven really healthy stalks of grain. And they're just blowing in the wind and they're the kind that every farmer wants to have. And next to them rises up seven just unhealthy, dried up, need to be plowed down stocks of grain. And those seven stocks of grain eat up the healthy stocks of grain. And so the pharaoh wakes up and he's going, "That is really weird. Two dreams that seem to be the same, but they're different." And you have to understand, back in those days, whenever an individual had a dream, they always thought it meant something. It wasn't just because they ate bad pizza or they had some bad Mexican spicy Mexican food. It was because somebody, some kind of deity was trying to tell them something. And so the Bible says there in verse 8, the next morning, Pharaoh was very disturbed by these dreams that he had. And so he called for all the magicians and the wise men of Egypt. Let me pause here to make sure we're all tracking on the same way. We've got Joseph, this character that we're going to bring back into the story here in just a second, but he believed in God. God Yahweh, the God that we would believe in. But he was living in another country, Egypt, and the the all the people of Egypt did not believe in God, God Yahweh, that we believe in. And so this particular Pharaoh that he had all kinds of deities that he would look to. So he had magicians and priests and all these wise seers that he would think would help him and he called them together. So he called all the magicians and all the wise men of Egypt. And when Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one of them could tell him what they meant. In verse 9, finally the king's chief cup bearer, do you remember the cup bearer? Remember two years before these two guys got out of jail, one was executed. The cup bearer wasn't executed. He was the one that was in the prison with with Joseph. And Joseph had interpreted his dream. And so the king's chief but cupbearer spoke up and he goes, "Oh, Pharaoh, today I have been reminded of my failure." He told the Pharaoh, now before I tell you anymore, what do you think his failure was? Oh, he knows somebody that can interpret dreams. He had encountered someone that can encounter that can interpret dreams. Two years a earlier it was Joseph. His dream came true and he goes, "Oh my goodness, I just now remembered. I know this guy who can probably do what you're asking. And and so he actually told the Pharaoh, if you read some more of the verses there, he explained the whole story of the Pharaoh. And he said, "This is what happened. You got the baker out, you got me out, and these were our dreams." And he told him the whole story. And he said, "He interpreted my dreams and everything I said came everything I dreamed true." And so Pharaoh says this. He says, "We got to get this guy. We we got to pull him out of here because I need to know if this guy Joseph that you're talking about can interpret my dreams. Now, can you see where our story is about to take a turn? Can you see where Joseph has been in jail since he was probably 18, 19, 20 years old? And all these years have passed by and he's been waiting God and dreaming for God and living for God, but nothing seemed to go his way. And all of a sudden, it's about to take a turn. And so then the Pharaoh says this, "We got to get this guy out so he can help me know what to do." So he pulls him out of jail. And they said, "They cleaned up Pharaoh or they cleaned up Joseph and Joseph came before the king or before Pharaoh and and he said, "Okay, I'm I'm here. What do you want?" And Pharaoh said, "Well, here's my dream." And he shared the entire dream with him. He told him everything that was he dreamed of. And Joseph just keeps listening to all of it. You can imagine, here's a young man that has been in jail since he's 20 years old. He is now in the presence of the highest ranking official in all of Egypt. And he's been told, meaning Pharaoh, that this is your guy. This is the one that can interpret your dreams. This is the one that can tell you what it all means. And so Pharaoh told him those dreams. And finally at the end of his dreams, Pharaoh looks at him and says, "And what do you think? Can you interpret my dreams?" And Joseph looks at Pharaoh. Remember again, I want you to see the audience here. I want you to see the tension in the room. Here's a young man that we're going to find out later is about 30 years old. He's in the presence of the highest ranking person in all of Egypt. And Pharaoh looks at him and says, "And what do my dreams mean? Can you tell me?" You know, Joseph looks at him and says, "I can't interpret your dreams, but I know the God who can." This was Joseph's moment that he's been living a bad life. Nothing has gone his way. And he could have stepped up and said, "Somebody owes me something." Yeah, let me tell you what it means. But he deflected all the attention. He deflected all the ability. And he says, "I I I can't tell you, Pharaoh, but I know the God who can." And he looks at Pharaoh and says, "Let me tell you what your dreams mean. You know these fat cows, these seven fat cows you had. Here's what it means. For the next seven years, your land of Egypt is going to be rich. You're going to have fertile crops. The rain's going to come. and everything's going to grow more than you've ever seen it before. And it's going to be an abundant seven years. He said, "But you know those seven skinny cows you saw after the first seven years, you're going to have seven years of drought. You're going to have seven years of famine, which means those skinny cows represent the seven years, seven um just droughtful years that's going to eat up all the seven good years." And he goes, "The wheat, it means the same thing." Yeah. The seven plump wheat stocks that represents the seven years. So bottom line, Pharaoh, here's the deal. You better get ready. You better prepare your country because here's what you need to do for the next seven years. You need to put somebody really, really smart, somebody really, really wise. And you need to put them in charge of all that's going on in your country because this is not his time to sip in and sell it all. You need to save it up. You need to build silos. You need to build barns and all the grain that comes in the next seven years. You're going to feel like you're living high on the hog, but you actually need to start saving it. Because the next seven years, it's going to be the worst drought you have ever experienced in your life. And if you don't have the savings to get ready for it, if you don't have the grain in the barn, you're not going to survive the next seven years. So, can you imagine the room? Pharaoh's just sitting there going. Remember, he's the he's the he's the man in charge of all of Egypt, and he's got this young man, 30 years old, that's sitting there telling him all these things. And he goes, "So, you got to find somebody. You got to find somebody that can help you. Look at what it says in verse 37. So, Joseph's suggestions were well wellreceived by Pharaoh and his officials. And so, say Pharaoh asked his officials, "Can we find anyone like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I sitting on my throne will have a rank higher than yours." And Pharaoh said to Joseph that day, "I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt." So he stepped out of prison and the Pharaoh looked at him and said, "You're in charge of everything." Does this sound like a familiar story? Remember when Joseph was in Piper's house a couple of chapters ago, the king of the one in charge of all the the prisons and the army, and he put him in charge of all of his house, but things didn't turn out too well on that one. And so you're thinking Joseph is sitting there going, "Oh my gosh, this is the opportunity I've been waiting for." He may be thinking, "Men been there, done that." But the Bible says this, that Pharaoh took his signate ring off and he placed it on the hand of Joseph. The signate ring was was what would be used if there was ever an official edict or document. They would put some wax on that one and that was the official ring to seal that to say this isn't this is right. The Bible also says this that Pharaoh looked at him and said, "Bring him some of my clothes." Can you imagine when they take Pharaoh's robe and they start to place it on Joseph what he's thinking? The Bible doesn't tell us, but you got to think all kinds of thoughts are going through his mind. And then Pharaoh looks at him and says this, "And I'll place my gold chain on him." And here's what you need to tell all of Egypt. When Joseph enters the room, everybody's supposed to kneel down. Pause here for a second. Go back to Joseph's original dream that he had with his brothers. Do you remember that one? And he dreamed that that the moon and the stars and the sky would all bow down to him. And his brothers looked at him like they were like he was crazy. And that began the animosity and the bitterness. So right here in the moment in the presence of Pharaoh, everything that God had ever promised Joseph was coming true right at that moment. And the Bible says this that at this time Joseph was 30 years old. And then in verse 50 says during this time before the first of the famine these two years sons were born to Joseph. So even um Joseph or even Pharaoh looked at Joseph and said hey let me give you a wife and from this wife he had two sons that were born and it says this the two sons were born to Joseph and his wife Asenath the daughter of potterah the priest of an Joseph named his older son Manisa and he said God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father's family and then Joseph named his second son Ephraim for he said God has made me fruitful ful in this land of my grief and everything happened just like the scripture said. Can you do me a favor? I just needed you to look at me for a second and just put a big smile on your face. Okay? Because really for the last several weeks, we've been in a pretty depressing story of all these bad things that are happening to him, happening to Joseph over and over and over. It's like, is it going to get any better? In fact, it's really been interesting as I've talked with some of you just have you as you've heard the story of Joseph. Many of you have come to me going, "This is the story of my life. I mean, I hear you talking about Joseph, but Keith, I think you're talking about my life because this has happened and this has happened." And you sometimes just look up going, "God, where are you?" So, on the count of three, on behalf of Joseph and all that he's gone through, can you just smile really big? One, two, three. C can you put a grin on your face like God's good? Can you just smile and going, "Man, I love serving God."

Okay. But before you do that, I got to take you back to how the story started. Look back with me at verse one. All this happened two years later. It's really easy to smile at Joseph in his story when you look back in retrospect and know how it turns out. But when it's your story and then you're in the middle of it, when it's your story and it's not two years later, it's in the middle of the two years. Would you agree with me? It's more difficult to smile. Then we can look at Joseph's story and going, "Man, that gives me all the faith in the world." But we're in the middle of Joseph's story and it's our story. Our faith begins to teeter a little bit, doesn't it? And so it really makes me wonder what was going on during the two years. Or maybe another way to put it, I wonder what Joseph was thinking during the two years. Now, let's be honest, part of this scripture, we can only surmise what's going on there. Joseph was faithful. I mean, when when when Pharaoh looked at him and said, "How do I find a man that's filled of God, the Holy Spirit just like you?" Like, there is something about Joseph. When he was put in charge of the prison, he was caring for people. When he was in Potterer's house, everything was was raising up and he defeated temptation. So, there was this ongoing faithfulness that Joseph had to God. But here's what I want you to know. I look back in my own personal life and I hope for the past 40 years of my life that somebody will say there's been faithfulness

but you look in my private journals and I don't always feel what people are looking at. I am trying to live it on the outside but I'm not always feeling it on the inside. And there's been times in my own walk, and probably you can say the same thing in your own walk with God. As faithful as you're trying to be on the inside, you're going, "God, what in the heck are you doing?" Any Don't leave the pastor all alone? Anybody with me on this one? Yeah. And so, here's what I want to do. I want to answer a question today. When God is silent, when God doesn't seem to be moving, when God doesn't seem to be, can we even say this? Sometimes it doesn't even feel like he's caring. You with me? What is God doing? Let me just today, if you're taking notes, I just want to give you four things. If you find yourself in that kind of season, what God might be trying to do through and in your life, here's the first one. God may simply just be working behind the scenes. Okay? There's times going, "God, what are you doing? I don't see anything moving." And God's behind behind the scenes arranging all the pieces for something you can't see. I remember when I was a senior in college, 22 years old, and my dream, my goal, everything was to be married that summer. before I got out of college. I mean, that's what I'd hoped for. That's what I was working for. That's what I was praying for. The only problem is I didn't even have a girlfriend. So, I get out of college and it ain't happening. And there was times that I'm looking going, "God, what are you doing?" And for the next four years of my life, the same answer. Like, I don't think I had a date for the next four years out of college. I'm thinking, I'm a good strapping good-look guy. Why don't anybody want this? And all my friends are getting married and all my friends are in d serious relating dating relationships. And I'm going, God, what are you doing?

And I was the one living for God. They weren't even trying to live for God. And it's like God was giving them all the good stuff. And I'm going, God, what are you doing? Why are you so silent? Looking back, here's what I know he's doing. He was arranging the pieces in my life.

When I was a senior in college, my wife of 30 plus years was a freshman in high school. She had to at least get of age before we get married, right?

But but even more than that,

she didn't know Jesus yet.

So while I'm over here going, "God, what in the world are you doing over here?" God is in the process of introducing my soon to one day be wife to meet him as her personal savior.

Now I look back 33, 34, 30 plus years. I look back, I don't have any complaints now

because he was giving me the most beautiful wife outwardly but inwardly. He was preparing someone that would be my helpmate in life and in ministry.

He was preparing the most amazing wife to my children and the best known in the whole wide world to my grandkids.

And so sometimes when God is silent, we have to understand he is working behind the scenes to do things that aren't ready to happen yet. His silence doesn't mean he's not paying attention. His silence just mean he's taking care of details.

We may not always agree with God's timing, but we need to agree he has perfect timing. Can I say that again? We may not always agree with God's timing, but we always have to agree it's his perfect timing. So, that's one of the things you're like, "God, where are you? Why aren't you answering? Why are you so silent? Why aren't you moving anything?" It could simply just be that he's working behind the scenes getting things ready in your life. Let me give you the second thing. God may be silent or not moving or doing or whatever you need going on there. He might be silent because he may have already told you what to do, right? like he's already given you some instructions, some obedience, some steps you need to be taking in your life, but for whatever reason, you're kind of sitting back here going, "No, I was really waiting for something else, God. No, I don't think I really want to do that, God." So, if God has already spoken and given you directions on what steps you need to be taking in your life, but you're not taking that step, why would he give you another step? So, he simply just may be waiting on you to do what he has asked has you to do. Here in a couple of months in August, Denise and I um are going to be doing a wedding in a Mana, Iowa. Anybody ever heard of a Mana, Iowa? Okay, so here's the deal. We've never driven that part of the country going that way. And so, we could fly, which would be a lot easier, but we made the decision we want to drive so we can see that part of the country. Now, everybody says, "Keith, go drive an hour and you'll see that part of the country because it will look the same thing every hour after that." But but here's what's going to happen. The day we get ready to go, we're going to get in our car and we're going to put in our GPS in Mana, Iowa, and the GPS will give us the first direction to go. Now, here's the deal. With my GPS, I don't have the flexibility going, "No, I want to see the third direction I need to take. I want to see the fourth turn I want to take. I want to see the 10th turn I want to take." The way our GPS is set up, it simply speaks out the next turn. I've never argued with it out loud. Isn't it funny? We will punch into GPS where to go and never argue with the next step we need to take in our drive. But how many times do we argue with God on the next step that he's given us to take?

And so if you feel God's silence, it could be he's just simply waiting you, waiting on you to take the step, the obedient step that he's already given you. Here's a life principle for you. Obey what you already know, and God will reveal the next step. Obey in what you already know, and God will then provide for you the next step. Here, here's a great question to ask yourself if you're feeling in the silence and you have to ask God. Again, it could be one of these four things in here. So, you've got to just kind of sort it out in your own spiritual discernment, but but if you're like, okay, maybe there's a step that I haven't taken that God's asked me to do. Just simply play, God, is there something you've already shown me that I'm delaying in obeying? So, if he feels God's silence, there's the number two. Let me give you number three. If you feel God's silence, God may be trying to reveal to you unconfessed sin. Now, now remember, I'm not saying, okay, if you hear God silence, there must be sin in your life. But if this could be one of kind of options, different things, filters that you run it through. Because here's what the scripture says. When we have unconfessed sin in our life as followers of Jesus that have a relationship with him, it doesn't ever sever the relationship. But unconfessed sin can hurt and create broken fellowship with God. You with me? Again, I want to make sure you hear that unconfessed sin as a follower of Jesus will never sever the relationship, but it can hinder the fellowship. And so when God, I need to know the answer to this one. I need to know what you need me to do. I'm praying for this. So, I've got this prayer before God. But if I've got this unconfessed, unrepentant sin going on here, you know what God's going? I'm not so worried about the next thing that you do. I'm just worried about us. You see, if God kept laying out and laying out everything you're praying, he keeps giving it to you. Everything you're praying, he keeps showing you. Everything you keep praying, he keeps doing. We will get so focused on moving forward that we will forget about the very relationship that is behind the moving in the first place. And so there are times that God will just step back. He will never leave us. He will never forsake us. But he will withdraw his Holy Spirit, his presence in our life for the very purpose to get our attention to turn to him. I remember back many years ago, I was a sophomore in college. It was between my freshman and sophomore year in college. And I went into my freshman year following God, following Jesus. And I got home for the summer for the sophomore year and didn't like take a hard right, but God was over here. And I just kept going my way. And it was the most miserable season of my life. And here's why. I was empty. I was lonely. Like I had friends all around me. But something was not right. And I finally recognized by the end of the summer because I missed my intimacy with Jesus, it was off. And it felt like everything that summer never knew which direction to go, which direction to step. And here's what I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for the worst best summer of my life because God pulled back from me his Holy Spirit. He I was still sealed by the Holy Spirit. My salvation was still there. But the indwelling filling of the Holy Spirit in my life was less because I was quenching the spirit because of unconfessed sin. And God could have kept pointing me in the right direction to go, "Hey, when you go back, here's your major. When you go back, this is what I want you to do." And started lining and pushing me forward in my life. But if I'd gone forward in my life steps and miss God, I don't know where I would be at right now. And so, if you're in this silent season where you're going, "God, I don't really know where you are. I pray and I don't sense you. God, I'm I'm I'm asking this. You're not showing me." One of the third thing that you can, one of the four things, one of the third thing that you can do is this. Simply say, God, is there unconfessed sin in my life? Here's what Psalms 139 says. Search me, oh God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Before asking God for a new direction, ask him if there's anything in your life that you need to repent of. Number four, again, in this season of silence, God, what are you doing? I can't seem like I when I pray, I don't sense you. When I I'm looking what direction to go to, and you're just kind of ending up empty like, God, where are you? Here's four things you can sort through and use spiritual discernment. Here's the fourth one. God may be being silent because he's really inviting you into a deeper relationship with him. God may be inviting you into a deeper relationship with him rather than simply wanting answers. God wants us to know him. God is more interested in us being intimate with him than us getting information from him. Can I say that again? God is more interested in us being intimate with him than us getting more information from him. And so sometimes God will withdraw himself that we will seek him harder, that we will lean in more, that we would pursue him greater, that we would know him deeper. Think about the life of Joseph. He was in prison. We know the two years after the cup bearer and and the the wine taster forgot about him, but we assume about six years, seven years, eight years before that. So there was a good 8 to 10 years that he's in prison. Can you imagine what a wasted 8 to 10 years would that would have been if Joseph would have said, "Well, God, I'm asking for you to get me out of here. You're not. God, I'll pray again. You get me out of here, but you're not. God, I'm not really sure I'm liking you. God, I don't agree with you. Just kind of fold. Anybody ever spiritually folded your arms before God. But Joseph didn't do that. Everything we read in scripture, you sense that Joseph leaned forward to God and said, "God, I don't get it. I don't understand it." And if he's like me, he would have even said, "God, I don't even agree with it, but I want to know you." Again, when Joseph was called into the very court, into the very room with the Pharaoh, the top dude in all of Egypt, the top guy looked at him and said, "It is evident that you're filled with the spirit of your God."

We are not ever filled with the spirit of God when we have our arms crossed. We become filled with the spirit of God when we hold our hands out going, "God, may I know you more. May I know you deeper?"

In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul wrote this. He prays that we would know this love, meaning the intimacy of Jesus. He says,"I pray that you would know this love, this intimacy that surpasses knowledge. It is not a matter of giving more information about God. It is becoming more intimate with God." And so maybe you're in a season of silence

because God is just going, "Come a little bit closer." Go back to the prodical son. You know, the Bible says this that the dad sat on his his his porch every day waiting for the son to come home. And sometimes I've read that story going, "Dude, if I'm the dad, I'm going after him. I'd have chased him down. I'd gone to every sty or pigsty, every bar, every brothel. I'd have gone found my son if he was wewarded like that. But somehow the father knew the perfect love. The son had to lean into him first." And maybe the silence in your spiritual life, God is just going, "Come a little bit closer. Come a little bit closer and sit by me. Come a little bit closer. Let me throw my arms around you. Come a little bit closer." Because what God wants from us is not what we do. It's simply to know us. See, we're praying for all these answers. We're praying for all these directions. We're praying for all this guidance and that leaves us in our life. But if we get to the destination where God wants us, but we miss God in the process, we've missed the point. And God going, "It's the journey where you find me, not the destination." And so, I don't know what journey God has you on today, but here's what I do know. The journey really purposefully is to simply know him and live intimately with him. And when we live intimately with God, he can do more through us than we can ever imagine. You know, it's so easy though to get just like lo lose track, right? It's so easy to get focused on something instead of someone. And that's one of the reasons when we come together weekly, we like to follow scripture. The reason Jesus gave this commandment to us is because communion focuses us on someone, not something. And so I'm going to ask you if you'll take out your communion. We're going to observe it together here in a few minutes. If you're a guest with us here, um we're glad you're here. And we believe communion is for all followers. You don't have to be a member of our church. If you're a follower of Jesus, you're invited to to participate. And it's our time to remember not what, but who. That's why Jesus said, "Remember me. Me is a who, not a what."

As you hold that in your hand, as we think about those four things we just talked about, maybe God is pro bringing to mind an unconfessed sin. A sin that you struggle with that you keep on you keep on. Here's the goodness of Jesus. You don't have to go get it right. He just says, "Come to me. He'll forgive us.

Maybe your mind have been so focused on where you're trying to go that you've kind of left Jesus behind. He's here. And so I'm going ask you bow your head just for a second. Would you in your moment with Jesus focus on the who, not the what?

Maybe as you hold the communion elements in your hand, let them remind you of the who

you're in your spiritual jail or you've gotten out of your spiritual jail like Joseph did today. The who is with you? Jesus is with you.

The Bible says on the night that Jesus was with his disciples that he took the bread.

You hold that bread. It's not his real body, but it reminds us of the body that was broken for us. that Jesus took the pain for us and he said, "Do this in remembrance of me."

In the same way he took the drink that day. The drink represents his blood.

And he said, "Do this in remembrance of me.

Would you bow your head still? Would you take a moment?" We don't ever want communion to be the thing that ends the service.

Just stay in this moment for a second.

Not the what, but the who?

I want to invite you where you are. We're going to sing a song. Great is thy faithfulness.

And as we sing it this time, would you not sing it here? Would you sing it to who? Whether in prison, out of prison, great is his faithfulness. Would you sing this with us?