HOW MUCH FORGIVENESS DO YOU NEED?

SALIGIA. S-A-L-I-G-I-A. This is a clever mnemonic that helps us remember the 7 deadly sins… and if you were confirmed in the 14^th century, you would’ve learned that Superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath), and acedia (sloth) are the seven deadly sins. Except for the 10 Commandments, the 7 deadly sins have framed the church's thinking about sin since the Middle Ages... and in a quest to discover if we're sinners ourselves, let's see if these ancient seven are still around. Pride is unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem and in my experience, it is pride, not guilt, which prevents people from accepting God’s grace. How many of you know someone who is filled with inordinate self-esteem? Greed is an insatiable desire to have more wealth. Consider Ebeneezer Scrooge. Consider the rich man in hell- the one who passed by Lazarus every day- but remember- greed is not having it all. It is wanting it all- so badly, that getting it justifies sins like lying, cheating, and many others. Lust is an intense feeling that knows no boundaries, and ever since Jesus said “Whosoever looks on a woman to lust has already committed adultery in his heart” (Mt. 5), we think of sex when we think of lust, although a person can lust after other things, such as your neighbor’s house or oxen (Ex. 20:27).  Envy is a feeling of uneasiness, even mortification, when someone else receives honor, riches, or happiness... and by definition, it is suspicious and hostile to others. Do you know of anyone who would refuse to applaud if you won the lottery? Gluttony is eating too much, too extravagantly, or too eagerly… all of which suggest a lack of balance or self-control. Wrath is anger on steroids. It is forceful, often vindictive, and all-consuming... but all of these sins want all of us. Rather than being a little bump on an otherwise smooth road, they lead us down a different road altogether. They set us... in opposition to God, and sloth is no exception. A slothful person may be lazy, apathetic, or bored, but for whatever reason… his service to others and his stewardship for God… is less that it should be. The 7 deadly sins. How many of us know someone who has been in the hands of one or more of them? And how many of us... would they know by name?

Well, in our quest to find out if we're sinners or not, let's consider the 10 Commandments, which could be summarized in this way. Thou shall worship God with all of your heart, mind, strength, soul, and with every fiber of your being… and never worship yourself or anything that exists in your world- not Wall Street, main street, the corner office, not even the NFL, and certainly not the Cubs- not even really good things, like family country, and church. God first, last, and everything in between- this is the greatest commandment. Have you ever fallen short of this standard?  Have you ever failed to honor His name or to keep His Sabbath day sacred? The second part of God's commandments deal with family and neighbor, and the love and respect we show them. Honor your father and mother. Keep your hands and thoughts off your neighbor and his things. Do not murder, steal, commit idolatry, bear false witness, or covet what he has! Well, it's not easy to keep these commandments, is it? Of course not, and, and apart from God's grace, it's not even possible to fulfill these commandments... but I get ahead of myself... and there are other sins to consider, like the list of the things that God hates, from Proverbs (6)- a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plots, feet that are swift to run into mischief, a deceitful witness that utters lies, and a man who sows discord among his brother and sisters. Have you ever told a lie, been involved in a scheme to hurt someone, engaged in gossip, sown discord in a community… deliberately?  Who among us has never committed any of these sins? 

Still, there are more sins to avoid. At one time or another, and in differ places, the church has considered the following behaviors to be sins. How about you? Homosexuality, girls in low-cut tops and mini-skirts, dancing, rock music, adult movies, movies period, wearing blue jeans to church, wearing blue jeans to golf, smoking, drinking, swearing, voting Democrat, having a beard, voting Republican, waging war, letting pedophiles and other deviants out of jail, nonfat foods, flirting, fantasizing, wealth, and poverty? In a recent poll by Gallop, Americans ranked sins, and here are the top five: #5 pornography, #4 suicide, #3 cloning humans, #2 polygamy, and #1… adultery! They also thought that divorce, gambling, stem-cell research, and Dr.-assisted suicide were prominent sins, although not at the top.

Well, how about it? Have you committed any of the sins we've mentioned? Are you a sinner, and if so, are you as bad as other people? In the 18th chapter of Luke's gospel, we encounter two men, both of whom are praying in the temple. One of them is a well-respected Pharisee, who offers a prayer of gratitude, thanking God that he, himself, is not a sinner. The other man is a despised tax collector, who offers a prayer that is little more than a plea for mercy. The text invites us to identify and join with one of these two men. Indeed, it insists that we do because, if we are to encounter God at all, it must be as a righteous man... or as a person in need of grace. One or the other. When we offer our prayers of confession, we will offer the prayer of a grateful non-sinner... or the words of a sinner in need of grace. One or the other.

Let's close with one of two prayers. If you don't consider yourself to be a sinner, or if you feel that your sins are less serious than those committed by other people, let the words of Luke 18:11 be your prayer: Lord, I thank you that I am not like those here today who have committed adultery or gotten a divorce. I am neither a pedophile nor a glutton… but if, in some small way, I have inadvertently disappointed you, I seek your understanding. Amen.  However, if you have sinned in some, many, most, or all of these ways- and are, in fact, a sinner- join the tax collector (Luke 18:13) and say this prayer with me: God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner, and I’ve been a sinner throughout my life. I love you, Lord, but apart from your grace, I will never see your face. I cannot save myself- so, I put my trust in Christ Jesus, who has already saved me on Calvary’s Hill. I put my trust in Him, Holy God, knowing that, in Him, I am reborn and free. May I continue to grow in my faith; may I continue to serve you in more and bigger ways, and may I never forget… that I am saved by grace… and grace alone. Amen.