The Scripture Reading this week is Matthew 18:21-35
The Sermon title is Forgiven as We Forgive Others???
Early Thoughts: Do you sometimes wrestle with forgiveness? I know I do. Can everything actually be forgiven? And looking at the phrase from the Lord's Prayer, do we really want to be forgiven only so well as we forgive others?
This week's passage would be confounding enough with just the first few verses. I am with Peter, forgiving someone 7 times seems extravagant enough but 77 times?!?!? (or even more challenging 70 TIME 7 -- 490). That just seems unrealistic. How might one do that?
Then I listened to a podcast this morning which called to memory things like the shooting at an Amish school where the community response was to offer forgiveness. At the time many people simply could not understand how the community could be so quick to forgive the shooter. The podcast pointed out that if your whole life you have lived out forgiveness, if it is a part of who you are, then forgiveness may become the natural response. Maybe Jesus is encouraging us to make forgiveness so much a part of our being as renewed, transformed people (a new creation Paul might say) that it becomes our first response rather than recrimination or vengefulness.
Sure that sounds like a laudable goal. I am still not sure it feels realistic.
I struggle with forgiveness. Or maybe it is more accurate to say I struggle with the letting go that is often part of the healing power of forgiveness (which I think is why we have the expression "forgive and forget", so we are encouraged not to hold on to the hurt). I don't think I hold grudges (well not all the time, or at least not intentionally). But I do remember damages done. I do replay events and discussions well after it is healthy to do so. Forgiveness is hard sometimes.
Then, to further complicate our discussion of forgiveness we have this troubling parable. A story where one is forgiven much and then proceeds to deny forgiveness to others (with the result of losing the forgiveness first offered). It is certainly a story about hypocrisy, and many of us can wear the label hypocrite at times, but it is also a challenge to us a a community that regularly prays "and forgive us our trespasses (or sins or debts) as we forgive those who have trespassed against (or sinned against or are indebted to) us". Do we really want to claim that we are so good at forgiving others that we want the same treatment? Or are we sometimes like the servant in Jesus' story -- grateful to be forgiven but not as free to give it out?
Forgiveness can be a transformative thing. Forgiveness can bring freedom both to the forgiven and the forgiver. It can transform not only the people involved in a particular situation but can, I believe, cause ripples that help others see the world differently. It may not always mean that our relationships are the same as they once were. It may be that even with forgiveness and letting go the relationship is gone (or maybe the situation is such that there was nor relationship to begin with) but that does not take away the importance, and transformative power, of forgiveness.
If we can not forgive then we may be lead to the world of holding grudges, of wishing "they'll get theirs!", of wanting payback. This is a path that is common in the world today. In the end, it is a path that is toxic to ourselves, to our neighbours (friends, family, enemies) and to the world around us.
As beloved children of God we are people who are forgiven. We are called to be people who forgive others. Even when that seems impossible ( think of the idea of the Unforgiveable Curses in Harry Potter -- total control over another, causing excruciating pain, murder) we are challenged to forgive. Not once, not twice, not even seven times but 77 (or 490). NO one said it would be easy. Can we try to allow forgiveness to transform us?
--Gord
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