Grow Guide | October 4, 2026
Text Study for Sunday, October 4, 2026
Series Theme: People and Promise
Reading: Genesis 45:1-7
CONNECTING QUESTIONS
Tell about a quality in a sibling that inspires you. Why?
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Loving God, by covenant promise and enduring mercy you have joined us to yourself forever. By your Spirit may we join with all your faithful people in trust and hope, through Jesus Christ, our true King, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
CONTEXT
Our sermon series, People And Promise will focus on the ways God shows up!
Throughout history, God’s people have celebrated God’s goodness and trusted in God’s mercy. However, God’s people have also fallen short of what God desires, leaving behind suffering and pain. Scripture reminds us that God still loves and claims us! Just as God met people of the Old Testament where they were and worked through them to fulfill God's promise. A promise to be in relationship, to be life affirming, to defend, especially to remain with us even when we stray. God is with us today, in the joys and struggles, praise be to God!
From Dr Terry Fretheim at EntertheBible.org:
The Book of Genesis is filled with theological reflection, that is, reflections about God and the divine-human relationship. The word “theology” for what the Bible contains has in the past been suspect in scholarly circles, not least because that word is thought to introduce subjective factors into an “objective” or “descriptive” enterprise. But it has increasingly been evident that every reader of the text, from whatever angle, introduces subjective factors into biblical study, whether admitted or not. In other words, every reader brings his or her own perspective and experiences to the reading of the biblical text. At best, one might strive for a relatively objective approach. Theological analysis is not innately any more subjective than historical or literary study. For believers, in particular, asking the questions, “What does this text tell us about God?” or “What is God ‘up to’ in this text?” is a legitimate exercise in understanding what the text meant to its original audience and what it means in the life of faith today.
LOOK AT THE BOOK
How is it with your spirit this week?
What was one take-away from listening to the Carry On Cast podcast that connects with this Grow Guide?
Our theme is “People and Promise.” God’s promises are deeply woven in relationships we have with one another. What is one person you have met at Easter who has been life giving to you?
Open to Genesis 37. The family tree of Abraham continues to unfold. What did God give Abraham and Sarah? Why was it important?
What is Jacob doing in Genesis 37?
Where did he settle? Open a Bible map and find what is being named.
In verse two, whom do we meet? What is the first detail we learn about him?
What job is he doing? And why is that important as a lead up to King David and eventually to Jesus?
In what ways have your experienced God being like a “shepherd” in your life?
What report to does Joseph bring to his brothers? In verses 3-4, what do we learn is key to understanding Joseph’s story?
Jump to Genesis 45:1. We are now at the punchline of the entire Joseph story. There has been a famine in all the lands, but Joseph’s leadership made Egypt a source of food for hungry people all over. What precedes the big reveal of Joseph to his brother in Genesis 45:2? Why do you think this detail was captured?
Does the Bible include lots of expressions of grief? What is being grieved?
What is said in verse three and how do the brothers respond?
What does Joseph say in verse five? What does that say about God?
In what ways can Easter Lutheran Church create space for “hungry” people to gather?
How is Jesus good news for us this week?
What would you like to talk about that we have not yet?
TAKING IT HOME
Everyone carries grief. How can you support someone who is grieving today with presence? What might a kind, life giving word to them be?
Sending Prayer
O God, you made us in your image and send us into the world you so love by your Spirit’s power. As you have called all people to you, make us one in your name. Through your grace, let us live in community to the glory of your Son, for we pray in Christ’s holy name. Amen.