In the ICF-Delft church service coming Sunday we meet a family with a lot of issues: gossiping, favoritism, jealousy, hate, revenge and even murder. What happens in this family could easily be the script of an exciting soap series on TV. It concerns the family of patriarch Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, as it is written in the first book of the Bible, Genesis.

Facing reality

You may ask yourself: why is this in the Bible? At least it helps us realize that relational problems are widespread in families and communities. When we face that reality we shouldn’t run away from it. We cannot escape difficulties in dealing with family-members, friends and colleagues. Joseph’s story might cure us from unhealthy idealism. We are part of a broken world and partake in the complexity of relationships. Idealism never has saved a world.

No quick solutions.

Maybe you recognize this kind of relational and family problems. Do you still search a way out? Probably you still struggle with these issues. Coming Sunday we don’t deal with quick solutions or easy answers. We need God’s wisdom and help to find the way. Bad relationships completely contradict the goodness and holiness of God. But, if He is able to use challenging relational issues in his plan of salvation, there is real hope for restored relationships!

Healing what is broken.

This Sunday we start a series of sermons about the life of Joseph (Genesis 37 and on). In the story of Joseph, Jacob’s favourite son, we face all kinds of family issues. But we also discover the hidden hand of a living God. He prepares a boy of 17 to become a leading minister and saviour of the nation. His extraordinary and often humiliating life story becomes part of God’s story of salvation in a wonderful way. It is already a picture of Jesus’ humiliating way. Through Him God brought redemption to a broken and lost world. And through Him God is able to heal broken relationships. Hear more in the service in ICF-Delft on Sunday 3 September in the Génestet Church, Oude Delft 102.

See you Sunday!

pastor Niek Tramper