Hi, my name is Susan and I’ve been on the Elder Team for about five years. I came to Riverside when City Chapel (a small church downtown) became blended into the fabric of Riverside. I serve at Camp Ray Bird, live with my husband Shawn (and usually another housemate! – though right now it’s just the two of us :).

The passage you are going to read today is Exodus 3 where Moses meets the Most High God in the form of a burning bush. He gets commissioned to lead God’s people, the Israelites, out of Egypt where they have been slaves for hundreds of years. When they first went to Egypt, they were welcomed by Pharaoh and given a special place to live. Joseph, all his brothers and their dad, Jacob brought everything they owned to live there.

But now, many years had passed and there were thousands of Israelites and that made the Egyptians anxious, so they made them become slaves. They were cruel to them.

The Israelites had been told from generation to generation about the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and how He would care for them. So they cried out over and over for help.

And God answers by sending Moses!

Although this can seem like a random story, it really is part of a large story that ends in the birth of Jesus. God was always pursuing the people that He had created in His image. He is pursuing them again through Moses, and asking them to follow Him to a life fulfilled in every way. If we read all of their story, we would see that they rejected God over and over and over again. But God was determined to provide access into His family to those who would have faith and believe in Him.

Finally, He sends Jesus to pursue them and offer them freedom from slavery to sin. Just like Moses led the Israelites out of their slavery, Jesus is born to offer us freedom and point us to belonging in His Kingdom.

Now, do the Know, Be, Do method of study through the chapter.

• KNOW – What does the text say about God?

• BE – What does the text say about us?

• DO – What is the text calling me to do?

• Write out the whole verse that you want to stick with you throughout the day today.

Hello! Today’s reading and reflection comes from me, Benji. My wife Ila and were a part of the team that planted Riverside and it has been quite the journey! And speaking of a journey, lets continue with the life of Joseph today. Our reading is Genesis 45, one of the most dramatic passages in the book of Genesis.

Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers and will begin the process of reconciling his relationship with them. While Joseph’s brothers were undoubtedly afraid that Joseph would want revenge, Joseph makes it clear that it was God who had arranged for Joseph to be sent to Egypt. Wow. And not only that, Joseph was sent in order to rescue his family during the famine. What incredible insight and trust in God.

God was orchestrating the events the entire time. God was at work through all of the circumstances and human decisions to ultimately bring about His plan. God was with Joseph and his family the whole time. This rescue by God in the course of this family reminds me of God’s plan to rescue all of humanity through the birth of Jesus. Emmanuel. God is with us. God’s plan was and has been in full motion the entire time, through all of history and even now.

The certainty of God’s will to turn harm into good is the basis for forgiveness and reconciliation with those who do wrong, cause hurt, or bring harm.

• In your life, with whom do you need to forgive or seek reconciliation?

• As Joseph explained, God was at work the entire time. The past year has been a year of struggle for many. Where have you seen God working good in your life this past year?

Hi, my name is Wade and I have been on the elder team for two years. I came to Riverside shortly after it began, when it was meeting at the Keller Park Missionary Church. I have been a home group leader/co-leader for about six years. I was married to a wonderful woman, Pat, who went home four years ago. We have three adult children and four grandchildren.

The passage you are reading today is Genesis 37. In this chapter we learn about an event that would change Joseph’s life forever, as well as impact future world events. Joseph is seventeen years old and working with his brothers tending the family flocks. We learn that his father, Israel, loved Joseph more than all his other sons. As a sign of his love he made Joseph a multicolored tunic, a loose fitting outer garment. The obvious favoritism toward Joseph created such hard feelings with his brothers they actually hated him. Joseph had a series of dreams that revealed his brothers and parents bowing down before him. When he shared these dreams with his family, the brothers were so jealous and angry they decided to kill Joseph. His brother Reuben intervened and stopped the killing. The brothers removed his tunic and threw Joseph down an empty pit. While trying to decide what to do, a group of Midianite traders passed by. The brothers sold Joseph into slavery, then told their father he had been killed by a wild beast. When the traders arrived in Egypt Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the captain of the bodyguard of Pharaoh.

How can such a sad, evil story be considered during this time of Advent? It is because the life of Joseph in many ways foreshadows the life of Jesus. We have read Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons. God declares that Jesus is his beloved son in whom he is well pleased (Mt. 3:17). Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver, Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Mt. 26:15). Joseph became a servant in Egypt, Jesus took on the form of a servant (Phil 2:7). Joseph was stripped of his tunic; Jesus was stripped by the Roman guard (Mt. 27:28). Joseph’s brothers rejected him and condemned him to death, Jesus was rejected by his family (the Jews) and condemned to death (Luke 19:14, 23:21). In both cases, the salvation of many people was the ultimate result of their rejection. Many other interesting comparisons can be found here:

https://jewsforjesus.org/publications/newsletter/newsletter-sep-1985/acomparison- between-joseph-and-jesus

• As you prepare your heart for the birth of Jesus, reflect on the events of this year and the impact they have had on your life.

• How can the life of Joseph, and the earthly life of Jesus, help you cope with the effect of these events?

There is an old advertising jiggle: Within this vale of toil and sin, your head grows bald but not your chin. Burma-shave.

It is cute and catchy. As we struggle with the problems of this world, remember what Jesus said in John 16:33. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Hi, my name is Dale. My wife Cathy and I have been on the Elder Team at Riverside for the past two years. We have attended Riverside since its inception 11 years ago.

The passages you are going to read today are Genesis 12:1-5 and Genesis 15:1-6. These passages describe God’s call to Abram and the covenant he establishes with him. In Genesis 12:1-5 God calls Abram and commands him to leave his country and his people to go to a land that God will reveal to him. God promises to bless Abram and to make him a great nation and that through him all the people on earth will be blessed. Abram chooses to obey God even though he has no idea where God will lead him. He realizes that the blessings he will receive in obedience will be greater than the things he will leave behind. He takes his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and the people he has acquired in Harran and heads for the land of Canaan. In Genesis 15:1-6 God appears to Abram in a vision and tells him to not be afraid, that he is his shield and his great reward. Abram asks God how His promise will be fulfilled since He has given him no children, and a servant of his household will be his heir. God reassures Abram saying “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir”. God tells him to look up at the sky and count the stars, that his offspring will be just as numerous.

These passages demonstrate God’s faithfulness. Even in times of doubt, God will reassure us of His promises and will fulfill them as we remain obedient to Him.

Now, do the Know, Be, Do method of study through the chapter.

• KNOW (What does the text say about God?)

• BE (What does the text say about us?)

• DO (What is the text calling me/us to do?)

Hi, my name is Greg and I’ve been an Elder at Riverside for the last 2 years. Megan and I have been married for 22 years and have seven kids, one daughter-in-law and one granddaughter : Nick and wife Morgan, Charlie, Ben, Lincoln, Crisiya, Tariya, Eddie and granddaughter Genevieve.

The passage you are going to read today is Genesis 3. In this chapter our species made a choice that would affect humanity severely. Eve was by herself and she was deceived by the serpent. She took the conversation and the fruit from the forbidden tree back to Adam and they ate it. Their eyes were opened and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. Shame causes fear and fear makes us want to hide. So when they heard the Lord God walking in the garden they hid. God knew where they were but he asked where are you. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. Because of their transgressions God cursed them. The serpent will be cursed more than all other animals and made to crawl on their belly. For Eve, she will endure pain during pregnancy and child birth. For Adam the ground will be cursed and grow thorns and thistles and he will work the ground until he returns to it. God made clothes from animal skins for Adam and Eve and banished them from the garden. God placed cherubims at the garden and a flaming sword to guard the tree of life.

This narrative tells a story of paradise lost, the result of the first willful human sin. The consequences were immediate shame and lifelong separation from their home with God. It is only because of the birth of Christ that we don’t have to live apart from God. We can live with him now and forever. Because of Jesus we don’t have to live as a paradise lost but as a paradise to come. It is only because of Jesus that we can be forgiven for our transgressions.

• KNOW (What does the text say about God?)

• BE (What does the text say about us?)

• DO (What is the text calling me/us to do?)

Hi, my name is Andrew and I’ve been a pastor at Riverside since we moved here from Michigan in early October. Marcie and I have been married for 17 years and have five kids: Addison (14), Hosea (11), Joel (9), Gabe (6), and Eloise (3).

The passages you are going to read today are Genesis 1:26-31 and 2:15-25. These passages describe the creation of humanity; the crowning jewel of God’s creation. In Genesis 1, God emphasizes that we are created in the image and likeness of God, to watch over and care for the great gift of this world God has made. In chapter 2, the human (Hebrew ha-Adam) is given freedom to eat from the garden and is given a companion Eve so that he will not be alone. So from nearly the first breaths of humanity, God decides that people should be connected in healthy and close relationships with Him and with one another. This is the original picture of God’s shalom, a Hebrew word that describes wholeness in relationships and the flourishing of God’s Kingdom in concrete expressions.

This narrative connects to the birth of Christ because it is the very foundation of the incarnation. Jesus is the Word made flesh, the same embodied humanity of Adam and Eve. And the actively flourishing shalom of Eden is precisely what Christ comes to earth to restore; in fact, a new and greater shalom is made possible in Christ. This new shalom will be the picture of justice and reconciliation and all things made new, and what we see in Eden is a foretaste of the glory that will come on the other side of our history.

• What does it mean to your faith and theology that Christ comes in the same flesh as you and I?

• How is God inviting you to lean into His shalom? Is there something specific you can do to bring about flourishing today?

We did it! We made it through some really hard chapters in Romans- treat yourself this morning with your favorite hot beverage and spend some time worshiping and praising God, who has granted us access into his family!

WEEK 4: MEMORY VERSE 
ROMANS 11:33
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!