Lent 2 - Forgiveness March 12, 2006 Luke23:32-34

sermon - Lent 2 Forgiveness March 12, 2006 Luke23:32-34

A story or a fable---the Spanish fighter and patriot, Narvaez looked astonished and aid, "Father, I have not enemies, I have shot them all.

What is The defining moment in Jesus ministry
Birth/age 12 in temple/announcing his ministry/wedding at cana/teaching and miracles/last supper/cross/death/resurrection
This moment on the cross screams to be considered for the prize

Not said in a pontificating manner...not offering peace to a love lost world...not like the rio de janero statue...He is on the cross

Forgiveness is pretty important to Jesus...from the sermon on the mount. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your father will not forgive your sins. Matthew6:14-16
Mark11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. [maybe this goes to you yourself]

Forgiveness is unbelievable-what God can do in a person who is willing
When Allied troops liberated the Ravensbruck concentration camp in 1945, they stumbled onto the indescribable horror of the Nazi Moloch-machine in which 92,000 women and children had died. But they also came across signs of unquenchable faith. The following words were found written on a piece of wrapping paper near the body of a dead child:

O Lord, Remember not only the men and women of goodwill, but alsothose of ill will.
But do not only emember the suffering they have inflicted on us,
Remember the fruits we brought thanks to this suffering,
Our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, the courage, he generosity,
the greatness of heart which has grown our of all this
And when they come to judgement, Let all the fruits that we have borne
Be their forgineness, Amen, Amen, Amen

Forgiveness is point in time...you can decide
It is like pulling on the rope that rings the bell
Even after you let go, the bell rings for a while
It takes a while for the hurt to stop...but it will
It begins with a choice
when the pain goes deep the pard to forgiveness is long

Disclaimer...you don't have to have them to your dinner table. But Jesus does

Forgiveness is more than just a point in time
Forgineness as an ongoing state not a buy and sell transaction
Not thrown away after too many 7 X 70

Matthew18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times

22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but until seventy times seven.

Are we applying this in our marriage? Not that there isn't a time to give up, but too many people are throwing each other away for little of nothing.

Nobel prize winner tells the story of a marriage that disintegrates over a bar of soap. It was the wif's job to keep house in order, including the towels, toilet papaer and soap in the bathroom. One day she forgot to replace the soap. He husband exaggerated the oversight: "I've been bathing for almost a week without any soap." She vigorously denied forgetting to replace the soap. Although she had indeed forgotten, her pride was at stake, and she wouldn't back down. For the next seven months, they slept in separate rooms and ate in silence. Their marraige had suffered a heart attack. "Even when they were old and placid, they were very careful about bringing it up, for the barely healed wounds could begin to bleed again as if they'd been inflicted ony yesterday." How can a bar of soap ruin a marriage? the answe is actually simple. Because neither partner would say, Fogive me.

The one who loves little is forgiven little and reveals through self-righteousness the shallowness of grace is in one's life.

To forgive a partner may be hard, but to forgive a partnes is Holy

Christians are called to Break the cycles of revenge
Vengeance is mine sayd the Lord. I will repay
Judgement and condemnation are over...they are replaced by love
But you can break the cycle of revenge if you are willing to forgive

Forgiveness is costly
I must die to my delf...to my importance...my ideas, my pridcde...I make another important I make a mean person important...I give up my place for them. This is love. this story sounds familiar. Isn't that what Jesus did

True forgiveness is hard to extend because it demands that people let go of something they value - not a piece of jewelry, but pride, as sense of justice, or desire for revenge.
Or the desire to hurt back

forgiveness takes plave when the person who was offended and justly angered by the offender bears his own anger, and lets the other go free. Either the injured and justifiably angry person vents his feelings on the other retaliation (That is an attempt at achieiving justice as accuser, judgem and hangman all in one) or the injured person may choose to accept his angry feelings, bear the burden of them personally, find release through confession and prayer and set the other person free. This is forgiveness.

Desmond TuTu tells the following story...A [man] had a particular besetting sin, and he used to confess it and God would forgive him. But no sooner had he been absolved than he would trip up and sin again. One day this happened, and he rushed back to God and said, "I'm sorry, I
ve done it again." And God asked, What have you done again?

There is the old story of a priest in the Phillippines, much-loved man of God who carried the burden os a secret sin he had committed many years before. He had repented but still had no pease, no sense of God's forgiveness. In his parish was a women who deeply loved God and who claimed to have visions in which she spoke with Christ and he with her. The priest, however, was skeptical. To test her he said, "the next time you speak with Christ, I want you to ask him what sin your priest committed while he was in seminary." The women agreed. A few days later the priest asked. "Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?"
"Yes, he did," she replied. "And did you ask him what sin I committed in seminary?" "Yes"
"Well, what did he say?" He said "I don't remember."