Tomorrow's Class: "Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors...

Yikes! Did I really just pray that? Yes, yes you did.
Each and every Sunday we pray all together that God would forgive our sins in proportion to the forgiveness we extend others. It is right there in black and white - "forgive us our debts" = asking God to forgive us "as we have forgiven our debtors" = connecting what God does to the forgiveness we have shown others. Are we comfortable with that?

Perhaps the finest illustration of this comes from a story that Jesus told that is often entitled "The Wicked Slave." You can read the story in Matthew 18.

Jesus is asked how many times someone should be forgiven by one of his disciples. Seven times? That sounds reasonable - right? Nope, Jesus completely destroys any sense that there might be a "last call" for forgiveness saying rather than someone should be forgiven seventy times seven times (aka. forever) for it is the case that the day that we stop forgiving others is the day that we stop being forgiven ourselves. What Jesus illustrates here is the the true nature of seeking forgiveness from God - it all comes with a price. Forgiveness and Grace, the two cornerstones of our life in Christ, do not come cheap and they are not just handed out like beads at Mardi Gras. The cost of forgiveness for God was Jesus Christ and the cost of forgiveness for us is living out a Christ-like life. In other words, in order to be forgiven we also must die and experience a rebirth in the new life we have in living according to Christ's example. Forgiveness is costly because sin is so expensive.

But what is sin? I mean, honestly I am not a bad person...maybe a little immature at times but I don't think of myself as a sinner. That is so extreme. What I do isn't that bad...is it?

This is a common response to the conversation of sin. Sin is immaturity. Sin is a sickness. The reality is that when we look at Sin as immaturity or a sickness we totally eliminate our own responsibility from the conversation and thus it is understandable while the idea of being forgiven is such a downer. Many churches, in a move to appeal to a larger audience, have done away with the Prayer of Confession and the Assurance of Pardon, saying that it is depressing. But the reality is as Daily Bread is nourishment for the physical, confession and forgiveness is nourishment for the soul. To do without forgiveness is to neglect our created selves.

In closing, let me say something about wisdom and experience. The interconnection between forgiving and being forgiven is something that we talk about each and every Sunday during the Passing of the Peace but the fact is the concept is something that takes a lifetime to live out. This is a prime example of how head-knowledge does not always translate to real living. We must come at this relationship between how much we forgive and how much God forgives us not as a sprinter trying to get to the finish line as quick as humanly possible but rather as a runner who runs until she gets tired. There is no final chapter in understanding the love of God as we experience it in forgiveness. We are on this journey of understanding and wisdom and there is never a finish line. The longer we run the further we get.

Hope to see you there tomorrow!
Peace, Brett