Joseph, A Man with Wood-shavings at His Feet:

SOMETHING  TO THINK ABOUT I feel a certain kinship with Joseph.  From time to time I make things with wood.  Wood has a character of it's own.  Everyone who has worked with wood knows that pine is much softer than oak.  Since I don't know how long ago, tool makers have realized that the long, straight, strong fibers that make up the "grain" in hickory make it ideal for tool handles.  With the power tools that I From an article by Rev. Jack Barr use, I can make a cut, or drill a hole, in less than a minute that would have taken Joseph hours to accomplish.  Even with modern tools, though, one must respect the wood.  I can think of a few projects I've worked on, where I was not merely working on the wood but with it.  There is a sense of partnering with God.  God made that tree.  He created its kind.  He is the giver and sustainer of the life that allowed the seed to become the log.  The marks of falleness--the universal condition in this world-are embedded in the wood.  Drought effected the rate of growth and therefore the pattern of the grain, rot leaves its mark, and the tunnels of invading insects reminds the worker that life is not safe.  Evil is not only out there; through Adam it invaded us all.  Now it is my privilege--it's not to much to say it is my responsibility to take this which my Lord has provided and make something useful of it.  Joseph had to be a man of great patience.  A beam for the flat roof of a house had to be formed from a tree that he might cut down himself.  His handsaw was likely not as sharp as mine.  Converting round to square was accomplished by muscle and skill.  To make a yoke that is easy (pleasant or comfortable) requires that one not only consider the nature of the wood, but the needs of the one who would bear the yoke.   We often speak of reading between the lines.  In the case of Joseph, there is a lot of space between the few lines that are written about him.  I'm not sure we can fill those spaces--certainly not with the kind of authoritative words that are in the lines themselves--but it is worth some time spent thinking. On the Sunday before Christmas we'll be looking at Joseph.  I hope you'll join us, if not in person then by recording.   With a wish for the best of Christmases, it's Something To Think About, from the Covington Bible Church.