FORGIVE... AS IF YOUR JOY, PURPOSE, AND FOREVER... DEPENDS ON IT

"Forgive them, Father, for they don't know what they're doing." They haven't been able to let go of their fears, prejudices, greed, and illusions. They have all strayed. They're all lost. They're all caught up in the moment. They are afraid of dying and afraid of living too, if that means trusting you. Forgive them for they know not what they do. "Hear their prayer and their supplications, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee." (2 Chron. 6) "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." "Bear with one another and forgive one another as the Lord has forgiven you." (1 Col. 3:13) "If you forgive others, God will forgive you..." (Matt. 16:14) "Get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, slander- forgive each other." (Eph. 4) "When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them." (Mark 11:25) As Stephen was being stoned to death, he cried out, "O God, do not hold this sin against them." (Acts 7) After Jacob deceived Esau and their father, he ran and hid and lived with the guilt for years. But when he met Esau again, after he had done business with the Living God at Peniel, the two of them hugged and wept. (Gen 33:4) After they had sold him into slavery, Joseph saw his brothers again when they came to him for food years later. By then, Joseph was a powerful official in Egypt. He had power, money, and everything he wanted, but the Bible says that when he met his brothers, he excused himself, went into an adjacent room, and sobbed so loudly that everyone in the palace heard him. (Gen. 45) Such is the power of letting go and the grace of reconciliation. The story of the Loving Father, the one we call the Prodigal Son, is another story of healing and forgiving, which is the only action that will open the door to a new beginning. Forgiving others lies at the heart of any Christian's journey! For those who ponder WWJD, forgiving others is the most Christ-like thing that we can do because it sets people free and allows them to breathe fresh air again, ourselves included. "The weak can never forgive," Ghandi noted, because it takes strength to forgive. "He who doesn't have the power to forgive, doesn't have the power to love." (Martin Luther King) "To be a Christian is to forgive the inexcusable," C.S. Lewis noted, "because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you." "Forgiveness is the final form of love." Reinhold Niebuhr said that, and the cross indicates that he is right. "Forgiveness is love's toughest work- it's love's power to break nature's rules." (Lewis Smedes) Yes, forgiveness will set us free to be and love ourselves; it will set us free to love our neighbors, our competitors, our enemies; and it will set us free from the never ending cycle of keeping score and getting even, keeping score again.... People say that we're only human, but Christ is able to make us fully human, so that we won't have to be ruled by everything that smiles and glitters, or hurts our feelings, as we go along. We all know the Pentecost story that is told so well in the 2nd chapter of the Acts of the apostles, but there is another passage that we could read on Pentecost, and it is found in John 20:19ff. "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Shalom alakem, he said. “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, Shalom alarm. “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Receive the Holy Spirit and then get out there and forgive someone. Forgive them of little sins that annoy you and forgive them of big sins that crush you. Forgive them if they have asked for forgiveness and if they haven't asked. Forgive them if they seem sorry about their words and actions, and forgive them if they don't. Forgive them if you think they will be grateful, and forgive them if you think they won't. Forgive, forgive, and forgive. Forgive as a way of life. 77 times, over and over again, until you begin to wonder about it yourself. Forgive for their sakes, because they are children of God, because they're frightened and fragile, just like you, because you have been commanded to. Forgive for your own sake, to set yourself free, and also, make sure to forgive yourself. Accept the truth that you are forgiven in Christ and let that truth set you free. Unless you forgive yourself, you will be forever imprisoned by the mask you choose to wear. Forgive, finally, for Christ's sake. Forgive because he has told you to, forgive, even more, because He has forgiven you! All people need forgiveness. We can't forgive them, and won't even want, to unless we forgive ourselves. Not forgiving others blocks our relationship with God. Forgiveness is a choice on our part. It is not a deal we make with someone who deserves it. Forgiveness is not something we offer from time to time, but a permanent inclination in our heart. Forgiving others is what Jesus did. Judging others is what he told us not to do. Forgiving others is the most Christian thing we can do, except for loving others, but we can't love if we don't forgive. I don't know the context in which he wrote these words, but I apply them to my Lord. Ralph Waldo Emerson said this: "His heart was as great as the world, but there was no room in it... to hold the memory of a wrong." Amen.

WHO DO YOU SAY HE IS?

       There comes a point in any relationship when you have to get down to business and deal with what it really means.  So, when they reached Caesarea Philippi in the north of Israel, Jesus asked his disciples to tell him what people were saying about him. Considering all of his teachings and the miracles he had worked, Jesus asked, "Who do people say I am?" What have you heard? Well, you know that people say a lot of things- some say that you are a teacher, others say you are a physician, still others consider you a philosopher, and many people say that you are a prophet. Then Jesus asked the question that he really needed to ask, "Who do you say I am?" Who do you say I am? Of all of the Bible's profound questions, this may be the most important. Who do you say I am? It's a life-changing question and Jesus asks us the same question today- who do you say I am?
      Well, Simon bar Jonah (the son of John), a man who was often impulsive, shouted it out, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" What a marvelous answer. You, my friend and teacher from Nazareth... are the anointed one of God. You are the man who has come to set us free. You are the Son of the Living God! It was an awesome answer, and although he credited the Holy Spirit for giving Simon the insight, Jesus affirmed it, saying. "Blessed are you, Simon bar Jonah" for my Father in Heaven has revealed this to you. "And I tell you that you are Petros (Peter) and on this rock (petra) I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!"
      Christ used a play on words to say that he would build his church on such divine revelation and the profession of faith, but from that time on (Matt. 16:21ff) Jesus began to talk about his suffering, death, and resurrection plainly. He began to tell his followers what it really meant to be a follower, but Peter the Rock, would have none of it. In a bold and inappropriate move, Peter took Jesus to the side and told him to quit talking about things that we never going to happen to him. Peter assumed the position of teacher and was bold enough to re-define that it meant to be God's Messiah. In plain English, while he was thoughtful enough to avoid embarrassing Jesus, Peter told Jesus to "knock off" all of his talk about suffering and dying. He wanted Jesus to embrace an easier and softer way, a way without sacrifice, and Jesus had already heard this temptation in the wilderness. So, Jesus turned and said, "Get behind me, Satan, because you are a stumbling block to me! Get behind me, Rocky! Go back with my other followers... and fix your mind on the things of God while you're at it!
      Then, Jesus said to all of them, "If anyone wishes to follow me (and we do have a choice). (s)he must deny himself and pick up his cross." We don't have to follow Jesus. We don't have to get involved, but if we choose to, we must let go of our agenda and embrace His. If we decide to follow him, we will need to be a follower! We will find our purpose and joy in life by going where Jesus leads us. We may encounter a leper on the edge of town, we may meet a widow who is burying her son, we may be asked to take a stand against injustice, we may find ourselves dining with the least among us. No one knows exactly where Christ will lead them, but we do know that if we sign-on for the journey, we must follow... with a cross on our back! Our cross is a cross of surrender, service, and love, that we pick up daily, because we cannot follow Christ on our own terms! No one can, of course, and the cross that we carry is a daily reminder that we have chosen the road less traveled... AND a purpose-driven life that will store our treasure up in heaven.
      If we give ourselves to Jesus, we will find lasting peace and joy. We will experience the joy of being authentic and of being free from our own baggage and temptations. Some people insist on a small god- a god who actually serves them and whose greatest desire is to make them happy and comfortable. But this is NOT the God of the Bible or the Cross! Christ didn't die to applaud everything that we think of and do, but to transform us and lead us to a full and everlasting life. The journey to life begins when we die to ourselves and discover the wonder and the joy of living for God. Amen!
   
      

IT IS ALL ABOUT LOVE!

      In Jesus'day, the Pharisees and other religious scorekeepers kept an eye out for anyone who may be violating any one of the 613 commandments that made up the Law. The Law covered ways in which God should be worshiped, means in which the poor and vulnerable people of the land should be protected, foods that were forbidden, justice in the marketplace, and personal behaviors that were offensive to God. You can easily look these up and read them for yourself, but here is a sampling. 1) KNOW THERE IS A GOD because God's handiwork is easy to see; 2) LOVE GOD, where the word love has more to do with commitment and actions than it does with attraction and "funny feelings inside"; 3) EMULATE GOD'S WAYS. Study the Bible, listen to God's word, see what God is doing and inviting you to do. Discover God's ways and be like God; 4) CLING TO PEOPLE WHO KNOW GOD. Connect with a faith community, attend their events, make friends, and don't let go of them; 5) DON'T OPPRESS THE WEAK. There is no room in the kingdom for bullies; 6) If you are a man, don't wear women's clothing; 7) DON'T TATTOO YOUR SKIN; 8)DON'T WITHHOLD FOOD,CLOTHING, or SEX FROM YOUR WIFE; 9) RELEASE A MOTHER BIRD WHO HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM HER NEST; 10) LEAVE A CORNER OF YOUR FIELD UNCUT FOR THE POOR; 11) DON'T USE OR POSSESS INACCURATE WEIGHTS AND SCALES; 12) DON'T MURDER; 13) DON'T LEND WITH INTEREST.
     There are 600 other commandments, but you get the idea. Someone asked Jesus (Mark 12) to identify the most important of all the commandments. Which one is the greatest? Is it one of the commandments that deals with social justice? Or dietary matters? Or relationships? Or self-discipline? Which one is the greatest? And Jesus said,"Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One, and you shall love your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength." (Deut. 6) Love God with every fiber of your being and with everything you have! This is the first and the greatest commandment, and the second is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." "All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matt. 22:40) because it's all about love! You won't know God unless you love Him and you can't love God without loving your neighbors. It's all about love.
      If we love another, we will go out of our way to serve, understand, and be present to the one we love. If we love another, we will be faithful. We will try our best to make things better for those we love. We will work to ease their burdens and bring joy into their lives. And if our love is deep, we will give the one we love everything we have, including our lives, because that is what love demands. Love leads us to give generously and forgive easily, then to give some more and forgive again and again. It's all about love, and in John 13, Jesus added what He himself called a "new commandment." "As I have loved you,"he said,"so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples- if you love one another." Love one another deeply, honestly, sacrificially... and people will see that you belong to me.
     Love God. Love your neighbors, without regard to color, culture, point of view, or sexual preference. Love them every bit as much as you love yourself. Give them the same amount of slack you give yourself, consider their intentions to be as good as your own, believe that their stories and dreams are just as meaningful to them as yours are to you. Give them a helping hand when they're down and stand and applaud when they win the prize. And if we are part of the church, we must love one another in such a visible way that others will see Christ in your midst. Let our love for one another shine so brightly that others are attracted to the light!
      "Above all things have fervent love for one another."(1 Peter) "Owe nothing to no one, except love." (Rom. 13:8) "Let all that you do be done with love." (1 Cor. 16:14) O it's easy to see. Our journey with God and one another is all about love! Martin Luther once said that we should "love God and sin boldly," knowing that if we love God, we won't sin and certainly not boldly. Love God and sin boldly seldom pleases a Calvinistic crowd, but Luther was making the point that love is a much stronger source of faithfulness and commitment, of support and sacrifice... than all of the rules and monitors in the world! Let us go forth, then, as people who worship, serve, and live as if it is all about love. Amen.