Session 12
Genesis 45:1-15
Memory Verse: Genesis 45:5
share experiences with class reunions.
Note that it’s always interesting to meet up with people we haven’t seen for a while.
read the introduction on page 109 of the PSG.
Affirm that conflict is a reality in all families, and it can make situations difficult when families get together.
We live in a world of broken relationships.
Perhaps nowhere is that fact more evident than in the family.
Recent statistics from the American Psychological Association indicate that approximately 40 to 50 percent of first marriages end in divorce.
The divorce rate for second marriages is even higher.
And recent information from the United States Census Bureau indicates about 1,300 new stepfamilies are formed each day.Every human being who has ever walked on this planet has been wronged by someone.
As difficult as it is to be mistreated by others, it is often more difficult to forgive others for what they’ve done to us.
We may even think that reconciliation circumvents justice.
We can learn from Joseph’s example that God is directing our lives for His purposes-even when we experience mistreatment by others.
Highlight the importance of reconciliation within families.
In today’s session, Joseph will be at the center of a family reunion.
And while it could have been awkward, it wasn’t because he understood how God’s sovereign plan had brought him back together with his brothers.