PODCAST
Pocket Watches
October 25th, 2010
Genesis 43:15-34
Who does not love receiving gifts? We all do. Most of us have a gift that we treasure more than any other. How we determine our most-treasured gift usually has less to do with the actual gift and more with the person giving the gift or the meaning behind the gift. My most-treasured gift is a silver Remington pocket watch that my grandmother gave me on the day of my grandfather’s funeral. It was his watch, and he was rarely seen without it. I didn’t need a pocket watch, but it represents for me a life blessed by the grace of God and passed down through the generations.
In today’s scripture, Joseph’s brothers fail to recognize the gift in their sacks is really from God. Yes, Joseph gave it to them, but it was God who provided the gift from the very beginning. Sometimes we have mementos, like watches, to remind us of God’s gifts in our lives. When I look around, I recognize that all of life is a gift from God. Take a moment to think about the gifts God has given us all. God does not give gifts according to our own labor, but by virtue of God’s being.
