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grandvhs · 2 years

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lista de nomes masculinos que estava no meu bloco de notas e eu só lembrei agora

starting with A ;;

aaron.

adair.

adam.

aiden.

ajax.

alec.

alfie.

allistar.

anderson.

andrew.

andy.

angus.

antonio.

anthony.

archer.

archibald.

archie.

aries.

arlo.

arthur.

ashley.

ashton.

austen.

avery.

axel.

starting with B ;;

bailey.

beau.

beckham.

beckett.

bellamy.

benjamin.

bennett.

bentley.

blade.

blake.

blaine.

blaise.

blue.

bobbie.

bodhi.

brad.

brandon.

braxton.

brayden.

brent.

brett.

brock.

brody.

brooke.

bryson.

starting with C ;;

caleb.

callum.

calvin.

cameron.

carlisle.

carlos.

carson.

carter.

casey.

chad.

chandler.

charlie.

chase.

chaz.

christian.

christopher.

cody.

colby.

cole.

cooper.

colton.

connor.

conrad.

corbin.

corey.

starting with D ;;

dakota.

dallas.

damien.

damon.

dante.

darian.

darron.

darryl.

david.

dawson.

declan.

demetri.

dennison.

denver.

derek.

diego.

diesel.

dimitri.

dixon.

dominic.

donovan.

drake.

drew.

dustin.

dwayne.

starting with E ;;

eason.

eaton.

eddy.

edmund.

edward.

elijah.

elior.

ellias.

elliot.

ellis.

elyas.

ember.

emerson.

emery.

emilio.

emmett.

enzo.

eric.

ernie.

ethan.

ethaniel.

evan.

everett.

everson.

ezar.

starting with F ;;

fabio.

fallon.

farah.

felix.

fernando.

ferris.

felton.

finn.

finnegan.

finnick.

fitz.

fitzgerald.

fletcher.

floyd.

flynn.

foley.

forest.

francisco.

franco.

frankie.

franklin.

fraser.

frasier.

freddie.

fredrik.

starting with G ;;

gabe.

gabriel.

gale.

gallagher.

garcia.

gareth.

garrett.

gary.

gavin.

gene.

george.

gerard.

gilbert.

giovanni.

glenn.

gordon.

grady.

graeme.

grant.

greggory.

gregor.

greyson.

griffin.

gus.

guy.

starting with H ;;

hadley.

hale.

haley.

hamilton.

hamish.

hansel.

harley.

harris.

harrison.

harry.

harvey.

haven.

hayes.

heath.

hector.

hendrix.

henrik.

henry.

holton.

howard.

hudson.

hugh.

hugo.

hunter.

hyde.

starting with I ;;

ian.

ibrahim.

icarius.

idris.

igor.

iman.

immanuel.

imran.

indi.

indiana.

indigo.

indra.

inrique.

irwin.

isaak.

isaiah.

isaias.

ishmael.

isobell.

israel.

ivan.

ivey.

ivor.

ivory.

izzy.

starting with J ;;

jack.

jacob.

jagger.

jai.

james.

jamie.

jason.

jaspar.

jaxon.

jaydon.

jed.

jeremy.

jesse.

jett.

joel.

jameson.

jonathon.

jordan.

jose.

joseph.

joshua.

jude.

julian.

junior.

justin.

starting with K ;;

kade.

kai.

kalen.

kameron.

kane.

kasey.

kayden.

keaton.

keegan.

keenan.

kellan.

kendall.

kendrick.

kevin.

khalil.

kian.

kiefer.

kieran.

kingsley.

kingston.

klaus.

kohen.

konrad.

kristoff.

kyle.

starting with L ;;

lachlan.

lamar.

lambert.

lance.

landon.

langston.

lawrence.

lawson.

leeroy.

lennon.

leo.

leonardo.

levi.

lewis.

liam.

lincoln.

lionel.

logan.

lorenzo.

louis.

luca.

lucas.

lucky.

lucis.

luke.

starting with M ;;

mackenzie.

madden.

maddox.

malaki.

malcolm.

manuel.

marco.

marcus.

marley.

marshall.

martin.

mason.

matteo.

matthew.

max.

micah.

michael.

miguel.

mike.

miles.

miller.

milo.

mitchell.

morgan.

moses

starting with N ;;

nadir.

naiser.

nasir.

nate.

nathan.

nathaniel.

naveen.

naydon.

ned.

nico.

neil.

nelson.

nero.

nicholai.

nicholas.

nila.

niles.

nixon.

noah.

noel.

nolan.

norman.

north.

nylan.

nyle.

starting with O ;;

oakley.

ocean.

octavius.

odell.

olaf.

oliver.

ollie.

omar.

omari.

orion.

orlando.

osborn.

oscar.

o’shea.

osten.

oswald.

otis.

otto.

owen.

oxley.

starting with P ;;

pablo.

page.

palmer.

parker.

parrish.

patrick.

paul.

paulo.

pax.

paxton.

payton.

penn.

percy.

perry.

peter.

phineas.

phoenix.

pierce.

pierre.

prescott.

presley.

preston.

prince.

princeton.

puck.

starting with Q ;;

qadim.

qadir.

quain.

quenby.

quill.

quimby.

quincy.

quinn.

quinten.

starting with R ;;

randy.

raymond.

reese.

reid.

remy.

reuben.

rhett.

rhys.

richard.

richie.

ricky.

riley.

robert.

robin.

roger.

roman.

romeo.

ronan.

ronnie.

ross.

rowen.

ryan.

ryder.

ryker.

rylan.

starting with S ;;

sage.

sailor.

salem.

samson.

samuel.

sascha.

sawyer.

saxon.

scott.

sean.

sebastian.

seth.

shane.

shiloh.

simon.

sinclair.

skyler.

sonny.

spencer.

stanley.

stefan.

steven.

stevie.

storm.

sullivan.

starting with T ;;

tamir.

tanner.

tate/tait.

tatum.

taylor.

teddy.

theo.

thomas.

timothy.

tobias.

toby.

todd.

tommy.

tory.

trace.

travis.

trent.

trevor.

trey.

tristan.

troye.

tucker.

tyler.

tyrone.

tyson.

starting with U ;;

umair.

umar.

urien.

usama.

starting with V ;;

valentine.

valentino.

vance.

vaughn.

victor.

vincent.

vinn.

vinnie.

vladimir.

starting with W ;;

wade.

walden.

wallace.

walter.

warner.

warren.

warrick.

waylan.

wayne.

wendall.

wes.

wesley.

west.

whitley.

wilbert.

william.

willis.

wilmer.

windsor.

winslow.

winston.

wolf.

wren.

wyatt.

wynter.

starting with X ;;

xachary.

xan.

xander.

xavier.

xeno.

ximen.

xylon.

starting with Y ;;

yahto.

yakub.

yasin.

yasi.

york.

ysrael.

yuri.

yusef.

starting with Z ;;

zachary.

zahir.

zander.

zane.

zavier.

zed.

zeke.

zion.

zolten.

#name ideas #male names #nomes masculinos #rpg #prompt #writing help #list

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euphoriclusts · 8 months

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i've edited my muse page and i've started drafting and replying to threads. what i'd love to do is test out my test muses, to see which ones might stick around. like this for a starter from one (or two) of my test muses. all displayed under the cut.

chanel alistair (ryan destiny).

percy anderson - werewolf (andrew garfield).

october baxter - witch (mike faist and scott speedman).

forest bexley (felix mallard).

franz dietrich (jannik schumann).

mimi flores (giovana cordeiro).

marnie gallagher (niamh mccormack).

malachi gallagher (callum turner.)

oakley granger (milo manheim and lee pace).

elton hazelton (josh macqueen).

shema kabera (ncuti gatwa).

mabel lane - witch (lily james).

briar munoz (ruby cruz).

victoria newton (ella purnell and phoebe tonkin).

comet palmer (rohan campbell).

cherry phillips (annasophia robb and reese witherspoon).

reuben phillips (asa germann and tom hiddleston).

roxanne phillips (alison oliver and kate hudson).

scout phillips (renee rapp and emily blunt).

buster phillipson (john krasinski).

dove sawyer - werewolf (emma mackey).

fox sawyer - werewolf (robert sheehan)

jasper sawyer - werewolf (aaroun taylor johnson and colin firth).

cassius scott - (roman) vampire (kedar williams-stirling).

atticus scott - (roman) vampire (jonathan daviss).

trizie souza - witch (camila mendes).

dexter teagan (archie madekwe).

xavier teagan (alfred enoch).

clifford vasilis - time traveller (nicholas galitzine and andrew scott).

clint walker (lewis pullman).

delilah young (rachel sennott).

#ooc: posts.#indie rp #open rp

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petrichxriii · 7 months

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BlackBile compendium

content that caters to myself and myself only 🌼

BlackBile is about people navigating life and trying to understand love. *Except they are all dysfunctional in one way or another and insane.And someone goes missing. | playlist | board

Characters:

There are two main families; the Riveras and the Alinacs. Their families are business rivals, but there's an Alinac for every Rivera and vice versa. Soulmates even. If you want to go that far (most of them do)

RIVERAS:

Teresa Ashburn (53|185.4cm|Divorced|Board) || Hugo Rivera (48|177.8cm|Divorced (still in love))

Abigail Rivera (28|172.5|It's complicated (she's a whore)| Board|playlist)

Mariana Rivera (18|165.5| With Derek Alinac|Board|playlist)

Miguel Rivera (18|198.8|with Kitty Miller|Board|playlist)

Abel Rivera (15|175.6|Board) || Cain Ashburn (15|175.6|Board)<these cunts are twins they never met. teresa is insane ok

^The riveras children all share a birthday remnant of their past universe where they were cursed amen. ♥ just quirky girl things

ALINACS:

(they belong to my pookie 🐛)

OTHERS:

Brother the characters.

RELATIONSHIPS;

"official" : Mariana&Derek (Marilac) | Abi&Damo (Dabi) | Vik&Connor (Vikcon) | Kitty&Miguel (Kitkat)

"exes" (these bitches r never truly over one another): Abi&Blue (Blubi) | Marcus&Brooke (Marke) | Clarke&Damo (clarien) | Dani&Chae | Zach&Clarke

budding...? ; Ruz&Damien (B&d {buttercups and dandelions}) | Brooke&Blue (Bloo) | Miguel&Alban (Millie) | Kitty&Roman (bikerbabez) | Miguel&Kitty&Roman&Albie | Eric&Gabe (Gabric) | Barb&Chae (Carb) | Cheetz&Yan | Yan&Barb | Yan&Roise | Roise&Roman | Baumann&Dani | Cass&Zeph (Hyrdra) | Alexis&Nat | Eamon&Antoinette | Clarke&Dee | Kendrick&Sawyer

these cunts are soulmates . but theyre not together but they are . but they're not. but they should be and everyone else know it.: Abi&Vik (Vibi)

you are going to HELL: Abi&Eric (Abic) | Connor&Blue (Clue)

Just friends :)? : Mari&Kitty (Cherrysours) | Zeph&Damo (Zamo) | Chava&Sid&Nat | Ruz&Noel

I'm sure i forgot some and theres complexities but can you see. can you see why I'm insane.

OTHER UNIVERSES:

TENDONS | MARROW | KALAKAS

#blackbile #a non exhaustive and incomprehensible guide to bb #like . the characters brother they make me insane.#💬

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mynewshq · 7 days

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Court in Congo hands down death sentences to 37 people on coup charges

A military court in Congo handed down death sentences Friday to 37 people, including three Americans, after convicting them on charges of participating in a coup attempt. The defendants, most of them Congolese but also including a Briton, Belgian and Canadian, have five days to appeal the verdict on charges that include attempted coup, terrorism and criminal association. Fourteen people were acquitted in the trial, which opened in June. The court in the capital, Kinshasa, convicted the 37 defendants and imposed “the harshest penalty, that of death” in the verdict delivered by the presiding judge, Maj. Freddy Ehuma, at an open-air military court proceeding that was broadcast live on TV. The three Americans, wearing blue and yellow prison clothes and sitting in plastic chairs, appeared stoic as a translator explained their sentence. Six people were killed during the botched coup attempt led by the little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga in May that targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi. Malanga was fatally shot while resisting arrest soon after live-streaming the attack on his social media, the Congolese army said. Malanga’s 21-year-old son Marcel Malanga, who is a U.S. citizen, and two other Americans were convicted in the the attack. His mother, Brittney Sawyer, has said her son is innocent and was simply following his father, who considered himself president of a shadow government in exile. The other Americans are Tyler Thompson Jr., 21, who flew to Africa from Utah with the younger Malanga for what his family believed was a vacation, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company. Congo reinstated the death penalty earlier this year, lifting a more than two-decade-old moratorium, as authorities struggle to curb violence and militant attacks in the country. The country's penal code allows the president to designate the method of execution. Past executions of militants in Congo have been carried out by a firing squad. Read the full article

#Africa #Coupd'etat #DRC

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avengingmikaelsonlover · 18 days

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Prompt Character List......

Denny Duquette

Clark Kent

Lincoln [The 100]

Nyko [The 100]

Marcus Kane [The 100]

Kelly Severide

Matt Casey

{Ethan} Hawkins {I think that's his name}

Jimmy Borelli

Frank Castle

Max [The Resident]

Klaus Mikaelson

Wade Wilson

Kol Mikaelson

Bill Cadogan [The 100]

Elijah Mikaelson

Russell Lightbourn [7th] [The 100]

Finn Mikaelson

Damon Salvatore

Logan

Matt Murdoch

Shane Walsh

Rick Grimes

Eugene

Paul {Jesus}

Lex Luthor

Negan Smith

Aegon II {House of The Dragon}

Robb Stark {Game of Thrones}

Jon Snow {Game of Thrones}

Aemond “One Eye” {House of The Dragon}

Thoros of Myr {GOT

Steve Rogers

Bucky Barnes

Thor Odinson

Loki Laufeyson

Pietro Maximoff

Tony Stark

Bruce Banner

Winn Schott

Jack Reacher

Andy Barber

Henry Delarue

Henry 8th [Other Boleyn Girl-Tudors]

Charles Brandon [Tudors] [Henry Cavil]

Richard of Shrewsbury [The White Princess]

Richard 3rd [The White Queen]

Cesare Borgia [Borgias-2007]

Henry [7th] [The White Princess]

Philip Blake [The Governor]

Reuben Palchuk

Glenn Morrison

Mason Lockwood

Scott Lang

Hope Van Dyne

Joker [Suicide Squad]

Harley Quinn [Suicide Squad]

Miles Quaritch [Avatar]

Nathanial Taylor [Terranova]

Lucas Taylor [Terranova]

Eddie Brock

Eddie Brock with Venom

Spiderman [Peter Parker] {Tom Holland]

Hannibal Lecter [Hannibal]

Frederick Chilton [Hannibal]

Raoul De Chagny [Phantom of the Opera]

Mathias Vogel [Tomb Raider 2018]

Johann Struensee [Royal Affair]

Ido Dyson [Alita Battle Angel]

Geralt of Rivia {Henry Cavil} [The Witcher]

Dusan [Downsized] {Christoph Waltz}

Multiple Characters [From the Same Show]

Qaletaqa Walker [Fear the Walking Dead]

Travis [Fear the Walking Dead]

Daryl Dixon

Meryl Dixon

Alexander Grayson [Dracula] {Jonathan Rhys-Meyers]

Vlad Dracula [Dracula Untold] {Luke Evans}

Deckard Shaw

Owen Shaw

Dominic Toretto

Luke Hobbs

Tormund Giantsbane

Normand Nordstrom

Dante Reyes

Connor Slaughter

Stephen Strange

Erik Lehnsherr {Magneto}

Gambit [Remy LeBeau] {Taylor Kitsch}

Kraven {Aaron Taylor-Johnson]

Chon [Savages]

Ben [savages]

Ben and Chon [Savages]

Miguel “Lado’ Arroyo [Savages]

Haldir

Elrond

Thranduil

Fili

Kili

Thorin Oakenshield

Miguel O'Hara

Troy Otto

Hector [Troy]

Black Adam/Teth Adam

Superman [Henry Cavil]

August Walker [Mission Impossible? -6]

The Collector [Guardians of The Galaxy]

Yondu [Guardians of The Galaxy]

Ronan [Guardians of The Galaxy]

Carol Danvers [Marvels]

Grant Ward [S.H.I.E.L.D.]

Jim Shannon [Terra Nova]

Director Mace [S.H.I.E.L.D.]

Barry Allen [Flash TV]

Arthur Curry

Peter Quill {Star Lord}

Owen Grady [Jurassic World]

Ajax {Francis Freeman} [Deadpool]

Zapan [Alita Battle Angel]

Martouf [SG-1]

Martouf/Lantash [SG-1]

Ra [Stargate Movie]

Zipacna [SG-1]

Ba'al [Stargate-Multi Appearances]

Carson Beckett [SG-A]

Varro [SG-U]

Wade Wilson {Alternate Universe}

Judge Turpin [Sweeney Todd Demon Barber]

Severus Snape

Lucius Malfoy

Sirius Black

Voldemort

Xerxes [300]

Aaron Hotchner [BAU]

Spencer Reid [BAU]

Derek Morgan [BAU]

Luke Alvarez [BAU]

Emily Prentiss [BAU]

Jake Riley [Containment]

Ichabod Crane [Sleepy Hollow] {TV}

Jack Daniels | Whiskey [Kingsman Golden Circle]

Sam Winchester [Supernatural]

Dean Winchester [Supernatural]

Crowley [Supernatural]

John Wick [John Wick]

Joel Miller [Last of Us]

Ned [Pushing Daisy's]

Cleon {Empire-All Clones} [Foundation]

Ethan Sawyer [Those Who Wish Me Dead]

Rafael Barba [Law and Order SVU]

Master Chief John-118 [Halo TV 2022]

Christian Grey [50 Shades of Grey Movie Series]

Tequila [Kingsman Golden Circle]

Tom Chandler [Last Ship]

Mike Slattery [Last Ship]

Mills [65]

Guy [Free Guy]

Erik Green

Phil Constantino

Bill Kohler

Asmodeus

Stolas-Blitz

Lucifer [Helluva Boss]

Lucifer [Lucifer]

Adam [Hazbin Hotel]

The Ghoul [Fallout]

Richard B. Riddick [Riddick]

Kaulder [The Last Witch Hunter]

Beauregard ‘Bo’ [House of Wax]

Vincent ‘Vince’ [House of Wax]

Sebastian Monroe [Revolution]

Garret [Twilight]

Emmett [Twilight]

Carlisle [Twilight]

Jasper [Twilight]

Aro [Twilight]

Caius [Twilight]

Marcus [Twilight]

Paul Lahote [Twilight]

Jared Cameron [Twilight]

Sam Uley [Twilight]

Billy Black [Twilight]

Charlie Swan [Twilight]

Dimitri Belikov [Vampire Academy]

Lucien [Underworld]

Vasiliy Fet [The Strain]

Gabriel Bolivar [The Strain]

Cyrus Grissom [Con-Air]

Sabas [Underworld]

Braxton [The accountant]

Griff [Baby Driver]

Brad Bodnick [Wolf of Wall Street]

Matt Rayburn [Wind River]

Kandomere [Bright]

Ransom Drysdale [Knives Out]

John Proudstar [Gifted | X- Men] {Thunderbird}

Warpath {John Proudstar's Brother}

Kilgrave [Jessica Jones] [David Tenant]

Johnny Storm [Fantastic 4] [Chris Evans]

Miami Man [Bad Batch]

#fandom ships #movies #character list #ao3 fanfic #fanfiction #fanfics

0 notes

johnhardinsawyer · 1 year

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Living Mercy

John Sawyer

Bedford Presbyterian Church

8 / 20 / 23 – 12th Sunday after Pentecost/Proper 15

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

Genesis 45:1-15

“Living Mercy”

(Moral Courage and Holy Mystery)

Brothers are supposed to get along – at least that’s what I’ve been told. Brothers are supposed to get along, but they don’t always.

I was in the eleventh grade. My little brother was in the fifth grade. We had just moved to a new town, didn’t know many people, and didn’t have anywhere to go (and no car to go anywhere in, anyway). It was raining outside. Both of our parents were at work. We had one grainy working channel on our ancient TV, we had each other, and we had all day. . . stuck in the house. . . together. We also had access to our dad’s collection of rubber bands, of which my brother availed himself and began to shoot at me with his finger. He was a pretty good shot. I was annoyed, so I went to my room to read a book. I locked the door, but that only gave my brother a chance to knock on it repeatedly and wiggle his fingers underneath until I got mad and chased him around. The final straw came when I needed to use the bathroom and my brother locked me out of the part of the house with the bathrooms. I yelled something like, “Open this door or else!” “Or else what?!?” my brother yelled back. And then I kicked the door – busting it open and leaving a big dent in it. The look of shock on my brother’s face was priceless. He didn’t mess with me after that. In fact, it took some time, but all these years later, my brother and I are pretty much best friends.

In today’s story from the Book of Genesis, we find a story about some brothers. Just in case you’re not familiar with the story of Joseph and his brothers, you might remember that we have spent some time this summer with the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Abraham has one son, Isaac. Isaac has two sons, Jacob and Esau. And Jacob? Well, Jacob ends up having twelve sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. Out of all of his sons, Jacob loves Joseph the most, so he gives Joseph a colorful robe with sleeves. This special attention goes to Joseph’s head and he starts to annoy his ten older brothers. Eventually, they get fed up with Joseph and they beat him up, throw him in a pit, and sell him to some traveling merchants who are going down to Egypt.

The story of Joseph is long and detailed, but here are the highlights: Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery. But God is mysteriously at work in Joseph’s life, lifting him up from slavery and imprisonment to become second only to the Pharaoh – the king of Egypt. When there is a famine, Joseph uses his God-given administrative skills to avert a crisis in Egypt. There is enough food for everyone and they even have some food left over to sell to foreigners, including Joseph’s hungry brothers who have traveled down to Egypt to find food. Of course, all these years after Joseph was beaten and sold by his brothers, they don’t even recognize their younger brother as this rich and powerful person who has had them arrested and brought before him.

Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes: the people who did you wrong, the people for whom you have been carrying a grudge all these years are right there in front of you. You have the power not just to kick the door in on them, but absolutely destroy them. What do you do? I mean, brothers are supposed to get along, but sometimes they don’t. People are supposed to get along, but sometimes we don’t.

Of course, it might seem old fashioned, or wishful thinking on my part, or maybe even counter-cultural to say that “people are supposed to get along,” because I’m under the impression that there are plenty of people who seem to be okay with not getting along. In a recent article in The Atlantic magazine, called “How America Got Mean,” David Brooks writes that the stories we tell ourselves as to why our culture is “mean,” is that social media, or the rise of despair and hatred, or economic inequality, or social isolation are each to blame. And, yes, each of these has had an effect on us. But, as Brooks writes,

The most important story about why Americans have become sad and alienated and rude, I believe, is also the simplest: We inhabit a society in which people are no longer trained in how to treat others with kindness and consideration. Our society has become one in which people feel licensed to give their selfishness free rein. The story I’m going to tell is about morals. In a healthy society, a web of institutions — families, schools, religious groups, community organizations, and workplaces — helps form people into kind and responsible citizens, the sort of people who show up for one another. We live in a society that’s terrible at moral formation.[1]

Now, before you say, “Duh, John, tell us something we don’t know!” I want to remind you where we are: a little church on a hill – a place that for nearly 275 years has had, as one of its goals, some kind of moral formation. I’m talking about the morals that we find in the ancient words of scripture, in the life and example of Jesus Christ, and in the centuries of moral formation that the historic church has sought to provide. Yes, the church has had an influence on culture, but Brooks is clear that religion – or religious moral teaching – is not always a cure-all for what ails us. As Brooks writes,

. . . the emphasis on morality didn’t produce perfect people. Moral formation doesn’t succeed in making people angels — it tries to make them better than they otherwise might be. Furthermore, we would never want to go back to the training methods that prevailed for so long, rooted in so many thou shall nots and so much shaming, and riddled with so much racism and sexism. Yet a wise accounting should acknowledge that emphasizing moral formation meant focusing on an important question — what is life for? — and teaching people how to bear up under inevitable difficulties. A culture invested in shaping character helped make people resilient by giving them ideals to cling to when times got hard.[2]

Times had been hard for Joseph, and yet he somehow still clung to a Holy and merciful ideal instead of clinging to resentment.

Just so you know, the story of Joseph takes place before the arrival of the 10 Commandments – God’s holy list of “thou shall nots.” And surely there must have been some kind of rule in that day and age – spoken or unspoken – that “thou shall not beat up your own brother, steal his colorful robe, sell him into slavery in Egypt, and go home holding the robe stained with animal blood, telling your father that your younger brother Joseph is dead.”[3] It was wrong what they did to Joseph and he knows this (and, deep down, they know it, too). But somehow, Joseph also knows that it would be wrong for him to destroy his brothers. Somehow, he still has some higher ideals to which he has been clinging ever since that awful act in his past. In the moment, his brothers don’t recognize him and have no idea the rage and fury that this fancy Egyptian-looking person can bring down upon them. If he calls for the guards and if he says the word, his brothers could all be killed. But Joseph chooses mercy and as he reintroduces himself to his brothers, he brings God into the story, as Eugene Peterson translates:

I am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don’t feel badly, don’t blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives. There has been a famine in the land now for two years; the famine will continue for five more years—neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me on ahead to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance. So you see, it wasn’t you who sent me here but God. He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh, put me in charge of his personal affairs, and made me ruler of all Egypt.[4]

In other words, “It might sound crazy, but God was part of it all – at work for good. Somehow, God made something good out of this awful thing that you did that most people would never forget or forgive. I don’t blame you, though, because God did something amazing – turning this whole awful mess around.”

For the record, this is one of the amazing things that God always seems to be doing – taking some awful mess and turning it around. Time and time again in the Bible, there are so many stories of redemption, and reversal, and even resurrection in which God chooses blessing over cursing, life over death, and mercy over condemnation.

Contrary to what you may have heard, our God is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”[5] This ancient description of God appears multiple times in the Hebrew Bible. And in the New Testament, we see Jesus Christ as the incarnation – the merciful, and gracious, and slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love embodiment of these words.

We see this idea in today’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans. Paul, who is descended from Benjamin, Joseph’s younger brother, writes, “All have been imprisoned in disobedience so that God may be merciful to all.” (Romans 11:32). Or, again, as Eugene Peterson translates,

God makes sure that we all experience what it means to be outside so that he can personally open the door and welcome us back in. Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice? Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes.[6]

To put it another way, “We all know how it feels to be on the outside, but God – in God’s inexplicable mercy – graciously opens the door and welcomes us in. Why? How? We’ll never figure it out, we’ll never fully deserve it, but God is merciful. . . Yes. Yes. Yes.”

So, what about us? If mercy is one of the calling cards of the God we believe in, what is the church to do? What sort of moral example is God giving us and calling us to emulate. . . to live? If we supposedly live in a society that is terrible at moral formation then what if we began with mercy – living some of the mercy that we have been given?

What sort of moral courage does it take to show mercy in this world? As David Brooks writes,

Look, I understand why people don’t want to get all moralistic in public. Many of those who do are self-righteous prigs, or rank hypocrites. And all of this is only a start. But healthy moral ecologies don’t just happen. They have to be seeded and tended by people who think and talk in moral terms, who try to model and inculcate moral behavior, who understand that we have to build moral communities because on our own, we are all selfish and flawed. Moral formation is best when it’s humble. It means giving people the skills and habits that will help them be considerate to others in the complex situations of life. It means helping people behave in ways that make other people feel included, seen, and respected. That’s very different from how we treat people now—in ways that make them feel sad and lonely, and that make them grow unkind.[7]

In other words, moral formation humbly begins with mercy. For far too long, the message that our culture has received from the not-so-humble loudest voices who call themselves Christian is that the Christian message is not one of mercy. This could not be farther from the truth of who God is, though, and who we are called to be. And, while it may be old-fashioned, or wishful thinking, or countercultural, having moral courage begins with living lives of mercy.

Church, if we are to have any relevance, any impact – and, perhaps, any future – may we be known by the mercy we live, clinging to mercy even when it’s hard, even if we see little to no reward, even if we feel we have nothing to gain. The mercy we offer our enemies, and one another, and even ourselves is an amazing and Holy act of deliverance from the harsh reality of what is to the gracious blessing of what God intends for us and for all the world.

So, friends, give mercy. . . live mercy. And may your mercy – which is really God’s mercy at work in and through you – be a blessing.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/09/us-culture-moral-education-formation/674765/.

[2] David Brooks, ibid.

[3] See Genesis 37.

[4] Eugene Peterson, The Message: Numbered Edition (Colorado Springs: NAV Press, 2002) 73. Genesis 45:4-8.

[5] See Psalm 86:15, Exodus 33:19, Exodus 34:6, Numbers 14:10, Psalm 103:8, Psalm 145:8.

[6] Eugene Peterson, 1556-1557.

[7] David Brooks, ibid.

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