What had probably for the brother’s started as just annoyance with Joseph and his showing off had, over time, become hatred and jealousy. So, when an opportunity presented itself, their hearts turn to murder, followed by covering up the dirty deed by lying about what had happened.

In today’s reading we see Joseph enjoying his status as set above his brothers, even though he should by birth be near the bottom of the pile. He does not seem to mind telling his brothers how he is so much more important than them. He seems oblivious to their unkind words and the hatred brewing in their hearts.

Have you ever dressed up for a special occasion and felt perhaps more important, or worth more, just because of the clothes you were wearing? Joseph was something special. He was set apart from the ordinary by his ornate robe. The robe was a status symbol. The robe was a gift from his father. He had to do nothing for it.

At the start of a new year we often make plans for the months ahead. Perhaps plans to get fitter or to eat more healthily, or maybe home or garden improvements. We may talk about God’s plan for our lives. Sometimes our plans can go awry and we wonder what God is doing.

Pressing on and going all out for God is an admirable desire, yet it is important to be realistic about the challenges ahead and our own frailties. For our final message of the year, we want to encourage you to keep pressing on ‘every day with Jesus’.

Once Joshua had taken over the leadership mantle from Moses, and had received his instructions from the Lord, he faithfully passed these commandments on to the people.

There are some things that we need to hear time and time again for them to sink in. Perhaps this is due to distractions, inner fears or straightforward rebellion, a refusal to heed wise words. In Joshua chapter 1, we read of a pivotal moment in the history of God’s people – Moses, the faithful servant of the Lord has just died (v1), and now it is Joshua who is called to lead the people into the promised land – to take on the mantle of leadership.

Having just given us an impressive list of Old Testament saints who all ‘by faith’ followed God’s purposes for their lives, it would have been understandable if in the next section of his letter, the Hebrews writer exhorted us to ‘be like them’, to follow their example.

Hebrews 11 gives us a list of people considered to be heroes of faith in the Old Testament. People who heard God’s call, and obediently stepped out to follow His purposes for their lives.

In the UK, it is quite common to hear the sound of church bells ringing. These bells are often used to call local people to worship, or perhaps to hail special events. Celebrating the birth of Jesus and announcing services to celebrate this are such occasions.