The Favorite Son
Genesis 37:2ff ~ The story of Joseph and his family
This Rally Sunday, we gather once more,
returning from summer for what is in store.
The children return to their schools once again,
and parents celebrate, but sadness we feign.
For now we come back to our everyday routines,
back from the cottage to those familiar scenes.
Today here in church, it is much the same,
but hopefully we worship with renewed aim.
We’ve listened to a tale, in words that are said.
We heard Joseph’s story, and now we are lead
To contemplate, through these words that rhyme
How Joseph’s story is like yours and mine:
Fathers and brothers, sisters and mothers;
Me, my cats, my rabbits, and others.
Grandmas and uncles, aunts and cousins;
Family members by the dozens.
How many people live with you?
Eleven or twelve; or one or two?
Joseph lived with many others.
Joseph, we know, had eleven brothers!
Their names were: Levi, Asher, and Dan,
Judah, Gad, and Simeon.
Reuben, Issachar, and Benjamin.
Naphtali, and Zebulun.
But Joseph was the favourite son -
his father Jacob's number one.
In love, he gave Joseph a beautiful coat;
a sign he was special - then he could gloat.
”Dad loves me more than he loves you!
Don’t you wish you had a coat, too?”
So naturally, his brothers made a fuss.
"Why does he get treated better than us?"
For Joseph’s coat was quite a sight!
So colourful and very bright.
Shades of purple, yellow, pink, and green -
the prettiest coat you've ever seen.
His coat made him special; he needn’t work
Hard like his brothers, the spoiled little jerk!
So they began to grumble and pout.
"Why did our father leave us out?"
Tell me now what you would do
if there'd been no gift for you?
To make things worse, Joseph began to dream -
his brothers all bowed down to him!
When Joseph told them, they’d had enough,
so they decided they were going to get rough.
"This favourite son has got to go!
Then maybe Dad will love us, too."
His arrogance was just too much
His dreams of glory goaded them, such
that they took Joseph and threw him in a pit.
Surely this was a place for which he was fit!
They said,”We’ll leave him there for the beasts to eat!
Won’t that be a fitting treat?”
Very soon, a caravan of travellers came by.
His brothers said, "Hey! Why don't we try
to sell Dad’s favourite for some money?
Imagine Joseph a slave! Won’t that be funny!
Then they showed their father the coat
No more would young Joseph gloat.
The caravan took him very far,
Then sold Joseph as a slave to Potiphar.
His brothers got him in quite a mess,
but Joseph chose to try his best.
Through trials and troubles he thought, "You'll see -
the Lord my God will set me free."
Soon Potiphar’s wife told a nasty tale
and Joseph ended up in jail!
But still he didn't moan or pout -
he trusted God to work things out.
He dreamed his visions of how things would be
And helped others understand how God sees.
So one day Joseph got a call
To see King Pharaoh in his hall.
The king was troubled by his dreams.
He said, "Please tell me what this means."
Joseph helped him understand
that God in heaven had a plan.
"For seven years you'll have good crops,
But after that, the growing stops.
Get someone to make a plan
to save up all the food you can."
The king said, "Joseph, you're my man!
I'll make you second in command."
Now that Joseph was in charge,
He built new barns that were quite large.
He gathered food from everywhere
so there would be enough to share.
Then when the ground grew hard and dry,
all people came to him to buy.
In Jacob’s country, things were bleak,
There wasn’t any food to eat.
To the land of Egypt they were sent
And to the king’s own house they went.
There, they bowed before their brother;
they mistook him for another.
So Joseph tested them to find
if their hearts were mean or kind.
Joseph's brothers passed the test.
He knew they wanted what was best.
He filled their baskets with good food.
More and more - they overflowed!
Soon, Joseph told his brothers the truth
God was with them, and here is the proof:
God sent him to Egypt to preserve life,
To save the grain for the time of strife
“Come live here with me,” he invited
“As a family, let’s be reunited!”
When Joseph's brothers went to pack,
they promised to bring their father back.
The family moved to Egypt, where
they lived their lives in God’s loving care.
They spent their days like you and me
as a part of God’s great family.
So what message does this tale impart?
What can we learn and take to heart?
In good times and bad,
Whether we’re happy, or whether we’re sad,
Joseph’s tale is all about trust;
Of knowing God is always with us
Yes, my friends, God has a plan
For every boy and girl; for each woman and man.
A heart chock-full of love and grace;
God has no favourites - each has a place!
We are all part of God’s family, my friends;
So thanks be to God! Alleluia! Amen.
Original version by The Rev. Sarah Fanning – April 30, 2006
Adapted for CRPC’s Rally Sunday 2009 by Rev. John Crowdis
This Rally Sunday, we gather once more,
returning from summer for what is in store.
The children return to their schools once again,
and parents celebrate, but sadness we feign.
For now we come back to our everyday routines,
back from the cottage to those familiar scenes.
Today here in church, it is much the same,
but hopefully we worship with renewed aim.
We’ve listened to a tale, in words that are said.
We heard Joseph’s story, and now we are lead
To contemplate, through these words that rhyme
How Joseph’s story is like yours and mine:
Fathers and brothers, sisters and mothers;
Me, my cats, my rabbits, and others.
Grandmas and uncles, aunts and cousins;
Family members by the dozens.
How many people live with you?
Eleven or twelve; or one or two?
Joseph lived with many others.
Joseph, we know, had eleven brothers!
Their names were: Levi, Asher, and Dan,
Judah, Gad, and Simeon.
Reuben, Issachar, and Benjamin.
Naphtali, and Zebulun.
But Joseph was the favourite son -
his father Jacob's number one.
In love, he gave Joseph a beautiful coat;
a sign he was special - then he could gloat.
”Dad loves me more than he loves you!
Don’t you wish you had a coat, too?”
So naturally, his brothers made a fuss.
"Why does he get treated better than us?"
For Joseph’s coat was quite a sight!
So colourful and very bright.
Shades of purple, yellow, pink, and green -
the prettiest coat you've ever seen.
His coat made him special; he needn’t work
Hard like his brothers, the spoiled little jerk!
So they began to grumble and pout.
"Why did our father leave us out?"
Tell me now what you would do
if there'd been no gift for you?
To make things worse, Joseph began to dream -
his brothers all bowed down to him!
When Joseph told them, they’d had enough,
so they decided they were going to get rough.
"This favourite son has got to go!
Then maybe Dad will love us, too."
His arrogance was just too much
His dreams of glory goaded them, such
that they took Joseph and threw him in a pit.
Surely this was a place for which he was fit!
They said,”We’ll leave him there for the beasts to eat!
Won’t that be a fitting treat?”
Very soon, a caravan of travellers came by.
His brothers said, "Hey! Why don't we try
to sell Dad’s favourite for some money?
Imagine Joseph a slave! Won’t that be funny!
Then they showed their father the coat
No more would young Joseph gloat.
The caravan took him very far,
Then sold Joseph as a slave to Potiphar.
His brothers got him in quite a mess,
but Joseph chose to try his best.
Through trials and troubles he thought, "You'll see -
the Lord my God will set me free."
Soon Potiphar’s wife told a nasty tale
and Joseph ended up in jail!
But still he didn't moan or pout -
he trusted God to work things out.
He dreamed his visions of how things would be
And helped others understand how God sees.
So one day Joseph got a call
To see King Pharaoh in his hall.
The king was troubled by his dreams.
He said, "Please tell me what this means."
Joseph helped him understand
that God in heaven had a plan.
"For seven years you'll have good crops,
But after that, the growing stops.
Get someone to make a plan
to save up all the food you can."
The king said, "Joseph, you're my man!
I'll make you second in command."
Now that Joseph was in charge,
He built new barns that were quite large.
He gathered food from everywhere
so there would be enough to share.
Then when the ground grew hard and dry,
all people came to him to buy.
In Jacob’s country, things were bleak,
There wasn’t any food to eat.
To the land of Egypt they were sent
And to the king’s own house they went.
There, they bowed before their brother;
they mistook him for another.
So Joseph tested them to find
if their hearts were mean or kind.
Joseph's brothers passed the test.
He knew they wanted what was best.
He filled their baskets with good food.
More and more - they overflowed!
Soon, Joseph told his brothers the truth
God was with them, and here is the proof:
God sent him to Egypt to preserve life,
To save the grain for the time of strife
“Come live here with me,” he invited
“As a family, let’s be reunited!”
When Joseph's brothers went to pack,
they promised to bring their father back.
The family moved to Egypt, where
they lived their lives in God’s loving care.
They spent their days like you and me
as a part of God’s great family.
So what message does this tale impart?
What can we learn and take to heart?
In good times and bad,
Whether we’re happy, or whether we’re sad,
Joseph’s tale is all about trust;
Of knowing God is always with us
Yes, my friends, God has a plan
For every boy and girl; for each woman and man.
A heart chock-full of love and grace;
God has no favourites - each has a place!
We are all part of God’s family, my friends;
So thanks be to God! Alleluia! Amen.
Original version by The Rev. Sarah Fanning – April 30, 2006
Adapted for CRPC’s Rally Sunday 2009 by Rev. John Crowdis
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