Get Forgiven

June 12 2016 “Get Forgiven” – Galatians 2.15-21, *Luke 7.36-8.3 Pastor Jacqueline Hines

The story from Luke about forgiveness must be important because it is told in all four of the gospels. Like all gospel stories, there is some life-giving lesson in the story for each of us. Now let us ask ourselves, “When was the last time I sat at the feet of Jesus, shedding tears, tenderly touching him in order to wipe my tears away because I felt my tears were an imposition? When was the last time I heard people whispering unflattering things about me, but the word of God came to my defense, and I felt loved and protected? [slide # 1 soldier holding baby]

Certainly we have all cried at the feet of Jesus. [slide # 2 tears at the feet of Jesus] We have cried tears of sadness as well as joy. We have shed tears of genuine repentance and we have cried out of shear relief and excitement for the many blessings that come with simply being in the loving presence of the Lord our God. [slide # 3 tears of joy-Tiger Woods]

If we mean business for the Lord, we have definitely seen the tears of Jesus when we have turned our back on him or each other. [slide # 4 Jesus weeping]

Jesus and the disciples had gathered for a nice dinner. Then a sinner walked in. Everyone knew where she lived. She lived in a crowded city where sin was easily hidden behind closed doors. Everyone knew the rumors about the unspeakable things she had done. In their filthy minds, they wondered how Jesus could stand to let this dirt bag touch him.  

This ancient Middle Eastern culture is very much like all cultures through the ages. Touching is an important message.

When I visited Israel, what was very noticeable to me was the fact that fathers were very, very, very physical with their children. Fathers held their children closely and kissed them repeatedly and were alone with them in the streets, no mother to be found. [slide # 5 Jewish father and son] Fathers nurtured their children with physical affection and contact in ways that are not so obvious or comfortable in other communities.

Every culture has their own excellent way of being close. What is close and comfortable for one can be considered abusive or offensive for another. Wars can be ignited with the wrong tap on the shoulder, pat on the back or kiss on the cheek.

Luke tells us that this city, sinner woman was touching the feet of Jesus and wiping her tears with her hair, but apparently there was no surprise in that as it would be for our culture. Her touching his feet may have been as normal in that culture as the Geisha Girl we see in the movies. Geisha girls survive by bowing toward the ground of those they serve. [ slide # 6 Geisha girls]  They are wrapped, seemingly uncomfortably, tight from head to toe; their feet have traditionally been wrapped so tight that they become crippled and no one cares.

Luke does not point to the shame of her bowing and scraping as if she had no self-esteem. Luke wants us to understand that she stood out because she had been involved in a big mess and that as soon as others saw her, they turned their nose up as if whatever she did was stinkier than whatever everyone else had done.

Every culture has its picks. Every family has its scapegoat. [slide # 7 scapegoat] Every community has its favorite sins to remember and review, while other sins and sinners are put under the rug to be quickly forgotten and ignored.

If we make it our business to turn our nose up at somebody else’s sin, we are sure to miss smelling our own burning pots. [slide # 8 burning pots] On the other hand if we are seeking the Lord diligently and serving God faithfully, we are more likely to have just enough time left to give thanks every hour and repent every day. [slide #9 woman praising God]There will be little time left to mind somebody else’s business until it becomes our business.

The more time you spend in the light of God’s presence, in God’s word and loving God’s people you are guaranteed to have revealed to you more insight into how greatly you are loved and how great is your need for God’s mercy and forgiveness.[slide # 10 hands in heart over moon]

So to those who paid this sinner woman too much attention, [slide # 11 sinner woman at Jesus’ feet] Jesus tells the story of a man who owed 500 denarii. One denarii was worth a day’s pay. 500 denarii was over a year’s pay. [slide # 12 stack of money]  That’s a pretty large debt. That debt was forgiven. [slide # 13 paid in full]

Another man owed a mere 50 denarii and his debt was forgiven also. Jesus asked which of them will love his creditor more. The answer, of course, is the one with the bigger debt.

In telling the story, Jesus is reminding us that we are hard-wired to give back. [slide # 14 gift in hand] If we take a little, we are very happy to give a little. If we take a lot, we are very happy to give a lot. Giving is part of our nature. When we take of the supernatural nature of the Holy Spirit, however, we give when we owe, but we also give when God directs us to give. [slide # 15 toddler praying]

There is no way to live in this world without debt because living in this world is all about the giving and the taking. Romans 13.8 tells us to owe no one anything – except to love them. As long as I pay on time, I don’t owe.

According to statistics, Americans have an average credit card debt of about $7,000. The top ten states in this country where individuals have the most credit card debt are Alaska, New Jersey, Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut, California, New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts,

States with the least credit card debt are Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Kentucky, Iowa, Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Indiana.

When we add debts for cars, education and home mortgages, the average household indebtedness can reach the tens of thousands. Struggling to keep debt at a minimum is no joke for at least 40 percent of Americans. There are those who have mastered great stewardship and they do well. Others have been blessed with an abundance and have fewer worries. Many have learned to wait and save up, refusing to live off of credit cards. That is to be admired. Sadly, some people ignore their debts and refuse to pay them.

One year I got a late payment fee for a bill for which the payment was only one day late. I prayed, grumbling to the Lord that the company was wrong and I should not have to pay a $35 late fee and I was going to argue my case with the hopes that God was on my side and they would forgive my debt. It occurred to me in a still small voice that I was the one that was wrong, that I needed to be forgiven for not living up to my responsibility and for neglecting the conditions of the contract. That I needed to apologize at least to God for being late and I needed to work on being an even better steward of God’s grace and mercy.

There are times to argue and bargain for grace and the best deal we can get, and there are times that we owe and we need to pay the price and make things right. Bethel is very, very good at this. Our couples who have been married for decades show us how to remain united and harmonious, just like in Noah’s Ark, even when we are constantly bumping into one another and stepping on one another’s toes.

Whether we are sticking a feather in each other’s caps or a feather is poking us in the nose, we have learned to keep the covenant and stay united in love and peace inasmuch as we are able; inasmuch as we have let the Holy Spirit take control of our lives.

There are times that others owe us and we need to forgive them. Joyce Meyers [slide # 16 Joyce Meyers] tells the story that she was feeling much discomfort when she was pregnant. She was not only carrying her unborn child, but she was carrying around a negative attitude toward a lady who owed her an apology. As soon as she confessed her bad attitude to God and talked things out with the other person, that discomfort immediately went away. Forgiving takes a heavy load away from our hearts and souls.

While we are to be the best stewards of God’s resources as we can be, our debt of love is never paid completely, nor do we really want it to be. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are wired to give all the love we have to give. Just as God’s love flows constantly into our lives, we ought to let our love go and let God send it into the lives of others.

I Corinthians 13 tells us exactly what love looks like. Paul says, “If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails… 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

So when we praise God every hour and repent every day, we are sure to realize how greatly we are loved and how great is our need for mercy and forgiveness. Then we will find that God has more than enough to meet our greatest need. Then we will find ourselves at the feet of Jesus, weeping for joy and crying tears of relief. What a God we serve! What a God we serve! Amen. [slide # 17  God s great]