Reflections on Forgiveness

Proper 19C: The Sunday Closest to September 14
Exodus 32:7-14
Psalm 51:1-11
I Timothy 1:12-17
Luke 15:1-10
Preached at St. John's Lancaster

And they said of Jesus, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” “So He told them this parable…and he told them, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Are you happy when a sinner repents? I don’t mean a person who has had some bad breaks and then things come together for them, or a person who really needs to grow up, who comes to his or her senses. I mean a really bad person who rebels against God and hurts other people. I would suppose that for most of us, it depends on who the sinner is and what the sinner has done. When I see someone who has squandered their life and happiness in drink, drugs, or sex that is not particularly related to my family, I am thrilled that such a person comes to terms with their past and with God, and I wish them nothing but the best. But what about when it is closer to home? What about that former spouse who was so abusive, and who destroyed the people who were nearest and dearest to me? What about the drunk driver who robbed my son or daughter of life or health or reason? What about the child molester or the murderer or the terrorist? Then, for almost all of us, the command to follow the example of Jesus and the Holy Angels becomes much, much more difficult.
The Gospel lesson makes it hard enough, that I should be happy over the repentance of such a person, and that I should be willing to welcome their presence; but today’s Old Testament lesson makes it even harder, and as it were raises the bar to a seemingly impossible level. The children of Israel had fallen into idolatry almost as soon as Moses left them to go up on the mountain. By their calculated actions, they had despised everything Moses had done, and mocked God Himself. By my standards, Moses would have been very justified to be angry with such a people, but when God announced His determination to judge the people there in the wilderness, Moses poured out his heart with all of the love and eloquence he could muster. “Oh Lord…turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.” You see, Moses went far beyond simply standing back and being happy and welcoming those who had rebelled against God and hurt him personally after they decided to turn again to the Father. He actively interceded that God might have mercy on them and give them another chance to live lives of fullness, joy, and opportunity. The Bible calls us all today to consider whether we are willing to do as much.
Yesterday was the anniversary of the attack on our country, and on our culture, that we have come to call simply “9-11.” Flags across our land were flown at half-staff, memorial services were held, and patriotic and devotional e-mails were sent by the thousands between Americans who still struggle to deal with the shock and horror of that day. In the midst of our grief and anger, we still sometimes wish to strike out, and our words and attitudes seem intuitively justified. The only problem is that our religion, the way of the Cross, is counter-intuitive, and it calls us to love our enemies, to pray for those who despitefully use us and persecute us. In imitation of our Lord, we are called not only to be welcoming to sinners and to rejoice at their conversion. We are called as the people of God to actively work to be the agents of God’s mercy to the most guilty people in this world. We are called to be peacemakers where there is no peace, and to bring reconciliation where there is nothing but mistrust and hatred.
So often, we make excuses to escape the clear teaching of God to follow the example not only of Jesus and the Angels, but of Moses as well. We say that in the midst of our grief, we are working through the stages of healing, and that anger is an important part of that process. That may be true, but to stagnate in one stage of the process is not merely bad mental health- it is sin against God, because it represents a denial of his ability to bring us healing and a disregard for the clear command of Scripture. Many of us have also claimed the responsibility of bringing God’s justice and retribution on the evil that is so real in this world. St. Paul makes it abundantly clear that governments are instituted among men to restrain evil, but he, along with the rest of the Biblical authors, also makes it abundantly clear that it is God who is ultimately the judge, and the vindicator. We humans ought to be very careful that the power we may hold in our political and economic institutions is used with compassion and a true regard for justice for all who are made in the image of God.
In clear language then, God calls all of us who have given our Lives to Jesus Christ to embrace a new way of forgiveness and sacrifice. He calls us to be willing to work and live in such a way that everyone, even our most decided enemies, might be drawn to know the love of God and the saving transformation of relationship with Jesus. When I consider such a high standard, such a difficult order, I realize that I cannot do this thing on my own, for my anger is too great, my hurt too deep. And this is where God speaks to us today in St. Paul’s second letter to Timothy. Paul humbly follows the example of King David in today’s Psalm and admits that this is not a thing he can do on his own. In fact, he acknowledges that in times past, he was the chief of sinners, a blasphemer who persecuted and hounded the church of God. But in spite of such a past, God strengthened him, judged him faithful, and appointed him to heavenly service. As the free and unmerited grace and love of God flowed through his heart, Paul was transformed into an example of God’s patience, that in Christ Jesus even the most notorious sinner might come to believe in Him unto eternal life. We serve that same God who called, cleansed, and empowered the Apostle to be an example of God’s love…that all people might come to acclaim Him as Saviour and Lord. As He empowered Paul, so He will empower you and me, for He has called us and set us apart for the task, and where He calls, He enables.
To be sure, the task is daunting. In a world so often filled with the darkness of hatred, violence, retribution, and justification of the same, we are called to bring the light of Christ. We are called to be different: to live beyond the hatred, to seek alternatives to the violence, to eschew the retribution, and to resist the attempts to justify the same. Through us, God has deigned for His light to shine into the world that all might be saved.
And so, as we come to our God at this table on this day, let us recall in our minds those most painful times, those most horrendous offences against ourselves and God, and let us seek his grace that we might forgive others as we have been forgiven. Jesus said that without such forgiveness, we will not find a place in His kingdom. Let us beseech Him today to heal our past memories, to fill our hearts with love, and to give us a strength not our own to rejoice over the sinner who repents, and to offer ourselves in service to even the most onerous people, that they might see the living Christ in us, and that by our example they might share with us in that forgiveness which comes only from God. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.