Joseph’s Coat
a queering theology devotional
Today’s Passages
Now Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים [an ornamented tunic] (Genesis 37.3 Tanakh).
She was wearing כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים [an ornamented tunic], for maiden princesses were customarily dressed in such garments (II Samuel 13.18).
Reflection
When I was a young not-recognised girl in high school, I was introduced to Andrew Lloyd Webber; none of his musicals spoke to me more deeply than Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I was already aware of the Joseph story and it had held a fascination for me, but hearing the Act I song “Joseph’s Coat” gave me shivers. The list of colours the narrator runs through as she describes the coat brought home for me the dazzling beauty such a garment would hold. It gave me (and still gives me) chills; I was captivated, envious, and oddly embarrassed all at once. I desired, no ached for, such a beautiful robe. A chance to be me, spinning in a beautiful outfit, and have everyone who saw me be awed by it. It was an expression of who I was; it was a way of asserting and embracing the young woman I was.
I longed to play Joseph on the stage and to dazzle in my colourful robe as I sang “Any Dream Will Do” to applause…
