St. James’ Episcopal Church
Proper 20
September 24, 2017
 
 
Competition. We love to compete.
-          football; baseball; basketball; hockey; tennis; swimming; golf; chess; poker; darts; arm-wrestling; road-racing; frog-jumping; bake-offs; best in show; beautiful baby; Miss Congeniality; Mr. Universe
-          we were born to compete
 
We all know this.
-          especially if we grew up around other children
-          and probably we all did, whether at home or in school
 
In my own case, at home, I was the oldest.
-          that was my competitive edge
-          which counted for nothing, because I had three younger siblings
-          and especially two younger brothers, both born within three years of me
-          sure, I could assert my rights and try to boss them around
-          but what counted in our relationship was physical strength
-          they twisted my arm, wrestled me to the ground, put me in a ½-Nelson
-          and especially when it was two against one, I was at their mercy
 
What about school? Well, in school, I was the youngest.
-          I was the least mature; the least physically coordinated
-          I was shy and socially inept
-          the only arena in which I could compete: I got good grades
-          so I kept going for good grades, all the way through high school and college
-          I earned plenty of rewards, but I also stressed myself out
 
What a relief, then, to go to seminary and study passages like the gospel we just read.
-          Jesus tells a parable about the kingdom of heaven
-          which is not at all like the world of human competition
-          in this parable, there are five sets of vineyard laborers
-          12-hour laborers, 9-hour laborers, 6-hour, 3-hour, and 1-hour
-          in my world, A-students, B-students, C, D, and F
-          at the end of the day, the landowner pays them all the 12-hour wage
-          the 12-hour laborers might have been content with the 12-hour wage
-          which was what they had agreed to with the landowner
-          except that they looked at the 1-hour laborer’s paycheck
 
I love this parable.
-          I love the way it turns our expectations inside-out.
-          We get paid what we deserve, right?
-          and if we work longer hours than someone else, we should get paid more
That’s not what the kingdom of heaven is like.
-          in the kingdom of heaven, we do not get what we deserve
-          and God help us if we do
-          in the kingdom of heaven, we receive from God’s amazing grace
-          and God’s grace is undeserved
-          in the kingdom of heaven, there are no 12-hour Xians and 1-hour Xians
-          there are no A Christians, B Christians, C, D, or F Christians
-          there are only Christians
-          there are no heroes or zeroes
-          there are only forgiven sinners
-          there are no oldest children or youngest children
-          there are only God’s children
-          there are no teacher’s pets or dunces
-          there are only human beings loved by God
-          and, as C. S. Lewis points out, not loved because we are lovable
-          we don’t have to be lovable in order for God to love us
-          we don’t have to earn God’s love, and indeed we can’t
-          God loves us, not because we are lovable, but because God is love
 
Once I learned this lesson, I disciplined myself not to “look at other people’s paychecks.”
-          I’m not always successful, but when I am, it’s quite freeing
-          for one thing, it’s much less stressful when I don’t compete
-          when I don’t compare myself to other people
-          when I’m not envious of God’s generosity to them
-          but receive my lot from God, with gratitude
-          and do the work that God gives me to do, day by day
-          for another thing, I am less ready to judge other people
-          whether they are getting more or less than they deserve
-          whether they are getting more or less than I am
 
I mentioned C. S. Lewis a minute ago.
-          I want to end this sermon by reading from one of his children’s books
-          you may have read The Chronicles of Narnia or seen the movies
-          The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
-          Prince Caspian
-          The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
 
This is The Horse and His Boy, a story about a boy named Shasta, a girl named Aravis, and two talking horses who make a long and dangerous journey together.
-          toward the end of the story, Shasta is riding alone in the fog
-          and passing the time by looking at other people’s paychecks <p. 155>
-          suddenly he is aware of a large someone pacing beside him
-          it’s the lion Aslan, the Christ-figure of the Chronicles
-          but it’s foggy, so Shasta doesn’t know that <pp. 157-159>
-          God tells us no-one’s story but our own
-          and it’s always the story of God’s amazing grace
​

Pentecost 15         Proper 19                     September 17, 2017
Exodus 14:19-31; Psalm 114; Romans 14:1-12; Matthew 18:21-35
 
The Power of Forgiveness / The Gift of Forgiveness
                                                                                                                                               
 
In this morning’s gospel we continue with the community discourse and the requirement of forgiveness.  Peter is trying to be generous in suggesting forgiving someone seven times, but Jesus replies, “no, one must always forgive even a million billion times.”  Then Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant.  The unforgiving servant owes the king a gazillion billion dollars, far more than he could ever hope to repay in many lifetimes.  The king has mercy on the servant and forgives his debt.  The servant then goes out a free man with no debt and meets a fellow servant who owes him sixty-five hundred dollars.  He viciously grabs his fellow servant by the throat and demands to be repaid and when he can’t, throws him in prison.  Their peers tell the king who calls the unforgiving servant back, demands to know why he would not forgive his fellow servant as he had been forgiven and then has him tortured until he should repay his debt, a debt he will never be able to repay.  Death will be a blessing.
 
The king is God.  We are the servants.  We owe a great debt to God.  God has forgiven us much.  In return we are expected to forgive our fellow servants; we are expected to forgive our family, our friends, our neighbors and to forgive our enemies.   When they do you wrong, not “if”, but when they injure you, you are to forgive them as often as necessary.  Are any of us perfect; do any of us never sin?  No, we will sin.  We will yell at our brother.  We will look with lust at another.  We will desire to have what is not ours.  And I am here to tell you that when, not “if”, but when you sin, God will forgive you, has already forgiven you. 
Y-o-u  a-r-e  f-o-r-g-i-v-e-n!
 
In the Lord’s Prayer we say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.”  We provide the measure of how we will be forgiven.  God has forgiven us freely and abundantly; Jesus has forgiven us with the sacrifice of his own life!  Are you not willing to also forgive your neighbor as you have been forgiven?
 
Judas betrayed Jesus.  Peter denied Jesus three times.  Judas regretted his betrayal and committed suicide never asking for forgiveness.  After his resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times if Peter loved him.  Jesus forgave Peter.  I believe Jesus would have forgiven Judas if he had asked to be forgiven; maybe he has in the next life.  The point is Judas thought his betrayal so unforgiveable that even God could forgive him.  I think this is the unforgiveable sin, when we think that we are so bad that God cannot love us, that God cannot forgive us.  You may think that no one would think this, but in my chaplaincy work I met a man who cared deeply for one of the patients and wanted me to pray for them, but believed that God could never forgive him.  He said that he was so wicked that God would never forgive him.  I believe the fact that he loved his friend so much meant that he did have some good in him and that God would forgive him, but he did not believe it.
Today’s parable is very scary though.  When the servant does not forgive his fellow servant his fate is worse than it would have originally been, he is sent into an eternity of torture.  This is a very scary portrayal of God.  It tells us that God’s mercy is not limitless; there are boundaries to God’s forgiveness.  The limit was not reached by the size of the servant’s debt; it was reached by his refusal to forgive his fellow servant.  God has already forgiven us.  We are to live as forgiven people who also forgive those in debt to us. Moses committed murder and yet Moses was called by God to deliver the Israelites from slavery to the Egyptians just as Jesus was called to save us from slavery to sin.  Moses was forgiven his sin of murder.
I have been asked, “Must a woman forgive a man who continually abuses her, even rapes her?”  This is not an easy question.  The simple answer is “yes”, but that does not mean that she has to stay in harm’s way, she does not have to stay with the abuser.  There is forgiveness, but that does not mean you have to forget.  It should not have happened and it should not happen again.  This is true in reverse as well.  The cartoon of the woman hitting the man over the head with a frying pan is not funny, it is abuse.  Many people stay with their abuser: it won’t happen again, but it does.  It was my fault, I deserved it. No, you did not, abuse is not deserved.  I can’t afford to move out, but can you afford not to.  Spousal abuse is not something that can be resolved in a ten minute sermon. 
Spousal abuse, child abuse, elder abuse, abuse of an employee, refugee, undocumented immigrant, abuse of a vulnerable person, abuse of any person, abuse of power is not acceptable under any circumstance, but forgiveness is always acceptable, even required.
You may recall the shooting and killing of several Amish school girls eleven years ago.  The Amish community responded with an emphasis on reconciliation and forgiveness.  This response caused much discussion in the national media.  The shooter killed himself, so forgiveness and reconciliation was of no benefit to the shooter at least in this life.  The shooter did not ask for forgiveness, so why forgive him?  Forgiveness and reconciliation are required by God, but why?  Quite simply, it benefits us.  “According to the Mayo Clinic, forgiveness brings with it plenty of health benefits, including improved relationships, decreased anxiety and stress, lower blood pressure, a lowered risk of depression, and stronger immune and heart health. Letting go of negative emotions can often have a remarkable impact on the body.”  http://www.medicaldaily.com/how-forgiveness-benefits-your-health-forgiving-wrongdoers-can-expand-physical-fitness-316902, retrieved 09/16/2017.
“There is an enormous physical burden to being hurt and disappointed,” says Karen Swartz, M.D., director of the Mood Disorders Adult Consultation Clinic at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Chronic anger puts you into a fight-or-flight mode, which results in numerous changes in heart rate, blood pressure and immune response. Those changes, then, increase the risk of depression, heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions. Forgiveness, however, calms stress levels, leading to improved health.
Can You Learn to Be More Forgiving?
Forgiveness is not just about saying the words. “It is an active process in which you make a conscious decision to let go of negative feelings whether the person deserves it or not,” Swartz says. As you release the anger, resentment and hostility, you begin to feel empathy, compassion and sometimes even affection for the person who wronged you.
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy_aging/healthy_connections/forgiveness-your-health-depends-on-it, retrieved 09/16/2017.
 
Forgiveness benefits you, your health and your relationships.  God has already forgiven you.  God requires you to forgive others.  Your very life depends on it.
 

 
Concerning the Rite of Reconciliation of a Penitent – BCP 446
 
The ministry of reconciliation, which has been committed by Christ to his Church, is exercised through the care each Christian has for others, through the common prayer of Christians assembled for public worship, and through the priesthood of Christ and his ministers declaring
absolution.
 
The Reconciliation of a Penitent is available for all who desire it. It is not restricted to times of sickness. Confessions may be heard anytime and anywhere.
 
Two equivalent forms of service are provided here to meet the needs of penitents. The absolution in these services may be pronounced only by a bishop or priest. Another Christian may be asked to hear a confession, but it must be made clear to the penitent that absolution will not be pronounced; instead, a declaration of forgiveness is provided.
 
When a confession is heard in a church building, the confessor may sit inside the altar rails or in a place set aside to give greater privacy, and the penitent kneels nearby. If preferred, the confessor and penitent may sit face to face for a spiritual conference leading to absolution or a
declaration of forgiveness.
 
When the penitent has confessed all serious sins troubling the conscience and has given evidence of due contrition, the priest gives such counsel and encouragement as are needed and pronounces the absolution. Before giving absolution, the priest may assign to the penitent a psalm, prayer, or hymn to be said, or something to be done, as a sign of penitence and act of thanksgiving.
 
The content of a confession is not normally a matter of subsequent discussion. The secrecy of a confession is morally absolute for the confessor, and must under no circumstances be broken.
 
The Reconciliation of a Penitent – BCP 447
 
 Form One
 
The Penitent begins
 
Bless me, for I have sinned.
 
The Priest says
 
The Lord be in your heart and upon your lips that you may truly and humbly confess your sins: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.
  
Penitent
 
I confess to Almighty God, to his Church, and to you, that I have sinned by my own fault in thought, word, and deed, in things done and left undone; especially __________.  For these and all other sins which I cannot now remember, I am truly sorry.  I pray God to have mercy on me.  I firmly intend amendment of life, and I humbly beg forgiveness of God and his Church, and ask you for counsel, direction, and absolution.
 
Here the Priest may offer counsel, direction, and comfort.
 
The Priest then pronounces this absolution
 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has left power to his Church to absolve all sinners who truly repent and believe in him, of  his great mercy forgive you all your offenses; and by his authority committed to me, I absolve you from all your sins: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.
 
or this
 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered himself to be sacrificed for us to the Father, and who conferred power on his Church to forgive sins, absolve you through my ministry by the grace
of the Holy Spirit, and restore you in the perfect peace of the Church.  Amen.
 
The Priest adds
 
The Lord has put away all your sins.
 
Penitent      Thanks be to God.

The Priest concludes
 
Go (or abide) in peace, and pray for me, a sinner.
  
Declaration of Forgiveness to be used by a Deacon or Lay Person
 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered himself to be sacrificed for us to the Father, forgives your sins by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 
 Form Two – BCP 449
 
 The Priest and Penitent begin as follows
 
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; in your great compassion blot out my offenses.  Wash me through and through from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgressions only too well, and my sin is ever before me.  Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, have mercy upon us.
 
Penitent      Pray for me, a sinner.
 
Priest
 
May God in his love enlighten your heart, that you may remember in truth all your sins and his unfailing mercy. 
Amen.
 
The Priest may then say one or more of these or other appropriate verses of Scripture, first saying
 
Hear the Word of God to all who truly turn to him.
 
Come to me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.    Matthew 11:28
 
God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.    John 3:16
 
This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.    1 Timothy 1:15
If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the perfect offering for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. 
1 John 2:1-2
 
The Priest then continues
 
Now, in the presence of Christ, and of me, his minister, confess your sins with a humble and obedient heart to Almighty God, our Creator and our Redeemer.
 
The Penitent says
 
Holy God, heavenly Father, you formed me from the dust in your image and likeness, and redeemed me from sin and death by the cross of your Son Jesus Christ.  Through the water of baptism you clothed me with the shining garment of his righteousness, and established me among your children in your kingdom.  But I have squandered the inheritance of your saints, and have wandered far in a land that is waste.
 
Especially, I confess to you and to the Church  .  .  .
 
Here the Penitent confesses particular sins.
 
Therefore, O Lord, from these and all other sins I cannot now remember, I turn to you in sorrow and repentance.  Receive me again into the arms of your mercy, and restore me to the blessed company of your faithful people; through him in whom you have redeemed the world, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.
 
The Priest may then offer words of comfort and counsel.
 
Priest
 
Will you turn again to Christ as your Lord?
 
Penitent      I will.
 
Priest
 
Do you, then, forgive those who have sinned against you?
 
Penitent      I forgive them.
 
Priest
 
May Almighty God in mercy receive your confession of sorrow and of faith, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life.  Amen.
 
The Priest then lays a hand upon the penitent's head (or extends a hand over the penitent), saying one of the following
 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered himself to be sacrificed for us to the Father, and who conferred power on his Church to forgive sins, absolve you through my ministry by the grace
of the Holy Spirit, and restore you in the perfect peace of the Church.  Amen.
 
or this
 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has left power to his Church to absolve all sinners who truly repent and believe in him, of his great mercy forgive you all your offenses; and by his authority committed to me, I absolve you from all your sins: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.
 
The Priest concludes
 
Now there is rejoicing in heaven; for you were lost, and are found; you were dead, and are now alive in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Go (or abide) in peace.  The Lord has put away all your sins.
 
Penitent      Thanks be to God.
 
Declaration of Forgiveness to be used by a Deacon or Lay Person
Our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered himself to be sacrificed for us to the Father, forgives your sins by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 
 

​Today’s Gospel reading is from Jesus’ fourth discourse, the Community Discourse, how we should behave in our community.  The messages of the Community Discourse center on the need for the messianic community to renounce status concerns, care for their most vulnerable, and pursue restoration and forgiveness of those who stray.  The community of disciples must deny self and live a cross-shaped existence empowered by Jesus’s presence within the community. 
Chapter 18 begins with the disciples’ question, “Who is the greatest in God’s kingdom?”  This is a status question—an understandable one in the context of ancient conventions that clearly spell out honor and status levels based on birth, family, title, wealth, and relationship with others, a society primarily of aristocrats and everyone else, the farmers, fishermen, poor, sick, foreigners and the vulnerable, with no middle-class.  Jesus’ response, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”, indicates that the disciples’ assumptions about God’s kingdom are mistaken.  In the first century cultural context, children did not possess status inherently; they did not have the rights and honor that modern Western society gives them.  Instead, they were considered weak and irrational as possessing little status until they reached adulthood.  As such, they are ideal examples for the disciples, who are preoccupied with status concerns.  Jesus aligns himself with those marginalized in the status systems of his day, and he calls the disciples to do the same: anyone who welcomes a child welcomes Jesus![1] Anyone who welcomes the social outcast, the poor, the other welcomes Jesus.
The parable immediately before today’s Gospel reading is ‘The Parable of the Lost Sheep’.  The shepherd goes in search of the sheep that has gone astray and if he finds it, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.  In the same way God does not want even one of God’s children to be lost.  Jesus mission was to find the lost sheep of Israel and to restore them to right relationship with God and with the house of Israel, to bring them back into the fold, MT 15:24.
In today’s reading, Matthew tells the church that as disciples they should immediately address any situation where someone has done someone wrong, has sinned or gone astray.  This calls to mind Paul’s plea to the Ephesians, “So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.  Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger”, Ephesians 4:26.  Go to them alone so as not to embarrass them.  Speak to them of how they have hurt you or the community.  The intent is not vengeance or reproof or the assignment of blame, but the restoration of the relationship with the one who has injured you and the community, of reconciliation and forgiveness.
If your neighbor’s dog continually barks or if their stereo is too loud, visit your neighbor; ask them to please turn the volume down, to put the dog in the house.  The hope is that the neighbor will apologize and take care of the problem.  The desire is to build relationships with your neighbors, to talk to them, to be friendly, to show them sisterly love.  When there is a relationship then it should be easy to talk to your neighbor about what is bothering you.  Remember we are talking about actual offenses not for differences of opinion.  Your neighbors, friends and family are not required to agree with you, but to cause you no harm.  I prefer yellow chrysanthemums and you prefer purple asters and together we create a delightful fall display.
If your neighbor will not listen to you then find two or three others who have witnessed the offense.  I have to admit I misunderstood this verse, I thought the two or three witnesses were to support me in my claim of injury.  In reality the witnesses are for the benefit of the accused to prevent false accusations.  Deuteronomy 19:15 reads, “One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”  Likewise the ninth commandment, “Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Deut. 5:20)
Some dogs do bark all night long, day after day after day.  Is the dog being properly looked after with food, water, shelter and exercise?  Is the dog bored?  Or perhaps I am the grumpy neighbor who does not appreciate my neighbor’s dog barking good morning to the neighborhood.  Perhaps if I go to my neighbor with two or three other neighbors, he will agree that his dog is disturbing the neighborhood and correct the problem reestablishing harmony in the neighborhood.  If I go immediately to the police, I have not allowed an opportunity to build a relationship with my neighbors or to save my neighbor from the embarrassment of a visit from the local Public Safety Officer.  It is a sad commentary on our neighborliness and our community when we respond with, “It is not safe to speak on my own with my neighbor.”  If we have relationships formed and developed in our community, then we should be able to talk to each other when issues arise.
If the offender will still not listen or rectify the problem then it is time to bring the matter to the attention of the local Neighborhood Association or the Church Board as in our parable.  Perhaps the neighbor has forgotten about the Noise Ordinance.  Perhaps the church member has forgotten the Great Commandment to Love God and to Love your neighbor as yourself.  Where there is love no harm can be done.  As Paul says in today’s reading from Romans, “The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet; and I add [You shall not lie]; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.”
If the offender will still not listen then it is time to treat them as a Gentile and a tax collector, an outsider.  This does not mean that they should be ignored or shunned, but that we need to continue to try to restore the relationship, but as if they are not already part of our community or neighborhood, to continue to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.  A Christian knows the importance of loving their neighbor, of looking out for the vulnerable, of doing no harm, of not assuming a position of superiority, of reconciliation and forgiveness.  Although Jesus’ mission was to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Jesus did heal the Canaanite woman’s daughter; Jesus did heal the centurion’s servant; and at the end of the Gospel according to Matthew Jesus gives the Great Commission to his disciples to proclaim the gospel to all people not just to the Israelites.
The passage ends with the comforting reminder that where two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, Jesus is there among them.  It is important for the author of Matthew that we know this, that we believe this.  In the beginning of the Gospel in Jesus’ birth narrative, Matthew quotes Isaiah ‘and they shall name him Emmanuel which means, “God is with us.”’ MT1:23 and ends with “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (MT28:20)  Jesus is with us always.  Amen.


[1]     Gary M. Burge and Andrew E. Hill, editors, The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI,2012, Matthew 18:1-35, 987-989.