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.
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