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Engaging with Scripture and God this Week Readings (Epiphany 7 Freedom Sunday )

Genesis 45:3-11, 15.  Today's reading describes Joseph’s revelation of his identity to his brothers (who had sold him into slavery).  Joseph explains he knows that his enslavement in Egypt was God's way of ensuring their survival from the famine and thus also making sure that God's promises would be fulfilled.

Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42. In Psalm 37, the psalmist urges the righteous to take their eyes off wicked people and to focus instead on the richness of their relationship with God.  Three times he warns the righteous not to fret, for such anxiety can gnaw away at their righteousness and lead to evil.

Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50.  Resurrection is the great sign of transformation, the shape of which Paul expresses through contrasts. These are not mere opposites. Resurrection does not simply reverse our situation and restore something innate. It is the act of a new creation.

Luke 6:27-38. Today's reading announces the basic guideline of the Kingdom of God:  love for all. This principle is applied especially to the problems of persecution and of possessions. Love is offered not in hope of reward, but in response to God's own nature and our relationship with God, which will be our reward.

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Liturgy