Rev. Hillary Peete
- Kjelder
- Mar 6
- 2 min read
What are we willing to do from a distance that we wouldn’t do up close?
Our family joined St. Alban’s in October 2025. I love the welcoming community and how all ages are empowered to serve. The Sunday recharge service has quickly become the place I go to center myself for the week ahead. The meal and fellowship that follow can’t be beat!
…So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.” - Genesis 17-20
Devotional
Joseph’s brothers have been stewing in jealousy. His father’s favorite since he was born, the long beautiful coat was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Their jealousy turned to hatred. Joseph is not deterred by his brothers’ lack of brotherly love. When asked by Israel to go find his brothers, he dutifully obeys.
I imagine Joseph was tired, hungry, and thirsty as he trekked through the fields. When he saw his brothers in the distance, perhaps Joseph was relieved. But his brothers only plotted against him. It strikes me that they determined from a distance that they would kill their brother. Before greeting him or talking to him. Or even knowing what he wanted. From a distance they conspired to kill him because he was a dreamer.
What are we willing to do from a distance that we wouldn’t do up close? What assumptions are easy to make about someone from a distance? How might they be dispelled after hearing their story? What are we willing to say behind someone’s back that we wouldn’t say to their face? What are we willing to inflict upon people in other countries that we wouldn’t allow in our own community?
Lent is an opportunity to get up close and personal with parts of ourselves that we’d like to keep at a distance. The things we’d rather justify or ignore, we’re invited to bring closer. In these moments, notice how God never keeps us at a distance. What might you reexamine today?
