Joseph Feeding His Brothers in Egypt: A Reader’s Theatre of Genesis 45: 1-15
Genesis 45:1-15 tells the story of Joseph’s reunion with his brothers after many years of slavery in Egypt. At the time of the reunion, Egypt and much of the Middle East had been caught in the grip of a long famine.
Because of a dream interpreted by Joseph, Egypt (unlike its neighbours), had been able to prepare for famine years in advance, storing up grain when it was plentiful so that they would have enough in times of drought.
In the Genesis account, Joseph explains to his brothers how God had deliberately allowed him to be sold into slavery in Egypt years before, in order that he might be in a position to save his family and countless others from starvation.
(In a similar way, the Foodgrains Bank was created in 1983 in order to help provide assistance to people in the developing world who need food. We call it, in fact,
the Joseph Principle—storing up money, in this case, so we can help during times of need.)
Here are a few resources that might be helpful for congregations that want to reflect on the needs in east Africa, or other parts of the world, including a prayer for those who, like Joseph, feel called by God to help others experiencing hunger in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and other parts of the world.
One of the suggested lectionary texts for August 14, 2011 is Genesis 45:1-15. It’s the story of Joseph’s reunion with his brothers after many years of slavery in Egypt.
Readers’ Theatre version of Genesis 45:1-15