a Pathway to Grace

Sept. 7, 2014                                         

Rom. 13:8-14, Matt. 18:15-20

It seems a certain little boy reached school age, and his mother worked very hard to make him enthusiastic about the idea [of school] -- bought him new clothes, told him about the other children he would meet, got him so excited about the project that he eagerly went off on the first day, and came home with excellent reports of what school was like. Well, the next morning, his mother went into the bedroom and said it’s time to get up. He said, "What for?" She replied, "You've got to go to school." He said, "What, again?" 

Prayer

Last week was a fairly easy message to give… this week not so much… in fact, this is the first time I've ever preached on this story. And … it’s sort-of a tough one… it would have been easier to reflect on our Romans text. After-all… it’s pretty cut and dried as Paul gives us a prescription on how to live and love one another. Although… I’ve never been one to shy away from the tough teachings of Jesus… the truth is… many times I search them out, and as I've reflected and studied this story I've discovered this story is really about “a Pathway to Grace.”

When you look at our bible story today, at first glance you may be thinking or have heard this story from Jesus as a prescription of how the church is suppose to resolve conflicts among themselves. That as if following some simple steps will guarantee & ensure God’s love for us all and as a faith community. The truth is… this passage has often been abused and used to root out people who didn't agree with the power structures in place. For these instances… it was about changing behavior and inviting him or her to repentance and to go along with the status quo. The problem with this of course is… there was no church at this point… Jesus is still present.

On the other side of the coin… unresolved conflict ought not happen in silence either, nor behind closed doors, nor whispering gossip. Rather… we should address the issues as quickly as possible so they don’t ferment into something larger. So… we should really see this story within its greater context as Gentiles or as I like to say… “the regular people,”  thus this story is really about relationships and more intentionally the centrality of forgiveness & grace.

What I believe this story demonstrates to us is a pathway to grace. Without the centrality of forgiveness in our relationships in mind… it’s easy to hear this story as some divine recipe for dealing with troublesome Christians

Step 1… pull the offender aside & show them their error.

Step 2… if that doesn't work, bring a group.
Step 3… shun and or dismiss the unrepentant offender…repeat as necessary.

No… the heart of Matt 18 is about forgiveness and how important it is to God, how important is should be to us, and about how hard it can be to actually extend and receive it.

David Lose says it like this…  “in the verses just before those we read this week, Jesus tells a brief parable, or really uses an analogy, to get at how much God wants to draw us into God’s rich embrace of forgiveness and mercy. God is like a shepherd who will leave ninety-nine sheep to them-selves, Jesus says, in order to find the one that has gone astray. Similarly, the verses just after our passage describe Peter’s question, “how many times must I forgive someone?” followed by his diligent suggestion of seven. Jesus, however, isn’t satisfied with merely towing the line of the law and so instead says, “seventy-seven,” or about as many times as it takes to love your neighbor back into right relationship with you.” 

So… what does this mean for us?

Forgiveness is from God.

Jesus says in John 13… “Love others as I have loved you,”

John 3:16 states… 

“God loved you and me so much that he sent his son Jesus to make that love known.”

In Gen… “God created everything out of love and it was good.”

And from our understanding of God… we believe our God is a God of love. That forgiveness is really about God’s love for us no matter what our life is like.

Forgiveness is for Each Other.

Well… this is pretty much a given… because we all screw up… Because we put our wants & desires before others. Because we hurt others & they hurt us. There isn't a single one of us that hasn't been hurt by someone or that we haven’t hurt someone. This is life… and why forgiveness is an essential part of loving and growing relationships. And why it’s one of Cana’s core values as we strive to have honest, respectful, forgiving & caring relationships in this community. Though forgiveness is hard to do… forgiveness is the only way to keep relationships hopeful and in place.

Forgiveness is The Pathway to Grace.

If we believe God is a God of love and this love is demonstrated in Jesus.

And if we believe Jesus is the forgiving agent of God’s love for us and how we need to respond & love each another. Then it seems… if Jesus is about forgiveness…. Forgiveness is the pathway to grace and a life of love. Though forgiveness is hard, but without forgiveness our lives remain fragmented to a much larger degree than need be. And when this is the case… we lose ourselves and the power we have as a child of God. Forgiveness is never about the other person… but about us.

I saw this posted on FB from motovationgrid.com… “when you choose to forgive those who hurt you, you take away their power.

Who is taking away your power? What issue between you and another person is robbing you of your life? 

Again David Lose says, “ We believe God cares – really cares – about how we treat each other and are treated in turn. God loves us enough to help us better love each other. And God wants to redeem us enough to embody the forgiveness God invites us to in the form of God’s only Son, Jesus, as he lay upon the cross.

Who and or what in your life today needs forgiving?

What pathway are you walking?

No matter how difficult forgiving can be… Jesus provides the pathway to forgiveness and grace.