Despite very cold weather, a group of folks gathered more informally at Eric and Wendy Coykendall's house to continue our series on the Patriarch Joseph. In this lesson, we cover ground in chapters 40 and 41.  Here we see Joseph's rise to power within Egypt. For each humiliation resulting in the stripping of Joseph's garments, so every exaltation results in his being literally re-clothed, two times, one for each deprivation. Having been humbled to trust utterly in God, Joseph is nevertheless a strong and confident personality who manages to impress the most powerful man on earth in his day, the Pharaoh of Egypt. This section of the story ends with Joseph "forgetting his father's house," which makes the reader wonder how the promise originally given to Abraham about his descendants is going to continue forward.

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Today we began a new series called "biblical biographies," which is actually several month long mini-series on various biblical figures from both Testaments.

Our first three-week miniseries focuses on the Patriarch Joseph from the book of Genesis. Looking at Genesis chapters 30, 37, and 39, we walk with Joseph through his two great deprivations, first sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, then wrongly accused by the jealous wife of his master and thrown in prison. In both cases, his humiliation is symbolized by the stripping of his garments. Does Joseph learn anything from these injustices? And where is God throughout all this? 

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Because we had several Sundays last fall when our church was quite literally *at* capacity, Fr. Adam and the vestry have decided to start a second, earlier, service. The service will be at 8:30 am.

Some quick notes about this service:

• Aside from the absence of the choir, the 8:30 service will be identical in every way to the 10:30 service: same liturgy, readings, sermon, and hymns.
• Additionally, at the present time this service will *not* have any nursery support. Families are, however, still welcome to come.
• There will be a simple fellowship hour with coffee and pastries downstairs from 9:30 to 10:30. Anybody who regularly attends the 10:30 may show up early for this coffee hour to see their friends who worship at 8:30.
• Every aspect of the 10:30 service will remain as it is now, including the fellowship hour afterwards.
• The choir will be receiving additional instructions about when and where they will be rehearsing.
• AT THE END OF THE SPRING SEMESTER, about mid-May, WE WILL REVERT TO ONLY ONE SERVICE ON SUNDAY MORNINGS, at 10:30 am.

We need volunteers! We need readers, ushers, altar servers, altar guild help, and a small cleanup crew.  If you know you plan to attend the 8:30 service, or if you are interested in lending a hand while still worshipping at 10:30, please contact Fr. Adam immediately.