January 5 2014 Jeremiah 3.7-14, *Ephesians 1.3-14, Fresh
Start- Forgiveness Pastor Jacqueline Hines
Our celebration of the Lord’s Supper is a Holy Communion. It is a celebration
of the Eucharist – from the Greek word that means “thanksgiving.” We come today
to give thanks that our God is a forgiving God. What a great way to
begin a new year –gathered together as God’s children who know what it is to
forgive and to be forgiven! Forgiveness is one of the spiritual blessings
that Paul blesses God for in verse 7. He calls it the forgiveness that
we have according to the riches of God’s grace that is lavished upon us.
We all like to be forgiven, even a little bit. Have you ever been
forgiven of a small debt? A commuter
drove up to a toll booth to pay, only to discover that the car that had gone before
had already paid the toll. The debt that was owed was forgiven. A team from
Bethel, delivering meals-on-wheels took a break after their run to have coffee
and a sandwich at Coventry Café down on 724. When they prepared to leave and pay
the bill, the cashier informed them that the bill had been paid in full by
someone who wanted to bless them with an act of kindness. Their debt had been
forgiven.
Being in even a little debt can be unpleasant and worrisome. On
the other hand, having a zero balance is exhilarating. Getting a break from what we owe brings us
joy. There are days when some who are overwhelmed by life’s challenges cry out,
“If I did not have bad luck, I would have no luck at all. Somebody, give
me a break!” Sometimes we need a break. We deserve a break, and when a break
comes, we are very, very happy.
Part of being a family of God means we will get few if
any breaks from being in debt to others. We will have few breaks from making
mistakes. We will make little mistakes that are hardly noticed, and we
will make big mistakes that will be quite costly and time-consuming to undo. As
children of the king, even we
may hurt someone’s feelings, betray a trust, disappoint or forget something when
others are counting on us to remember. As humans every day we are subject to
the challenges of being less than perfect.
We need others to do what Jesus does for us, to look beyond
our faults and see our needs. Jesus urges us to follow his example to
love each other at all cost while expecting only the best and greatest things
from each other. This is how we build one another up and become the awesome
church we can be. Our need to forgive
and be forgiven is urgent and constant. Each one of us needs a
break from that struggle from time to time. [ slide :
“forgiveness” written on a stone ]
Each one of us suffers a little bit or a lot from the
mistakes and shortcomings of strangers, family, and friends. The pain can make our head spin and take our
breath away. Worst of all, the pain can even drive us to hate, and hate can
grow stronger than our love for God and for one another. Each one of us causes
someone to suffer to one degree or another.
The Holy Spirit’s power, comfort, and guidance helps us give
each other the break we need. We can
forgive someone’s debt they owe for hurting us. We can pay a price that will bring joy and make someone happy.
It is so nice to be forgiven. There is nothing to it but to
receive the awesome gift. On the other hand, to forgive those who cause us
pain, can be an uphill struggle, even with the help of the Holy Spirit. Today
is as good a time as any to make a fresh start and strengthen our ability to
forgive and forget rather than revenge
and regret. It is a great
moment to give up our right to hurt others because they hurt us. [slide: man in anguish with hand in head “how can I forgive
when it hurts so much” ] We
can forgive in spite of how badly we may be hurting.
The Holy Spirit will help us if we want help [slide – stop hating]. The
Holy Spirit will give us tender hearts for one another [puppy touching nose of another puppy/dog.]
*The story is told of a group who gathered across the ocean for
a convention. They had been out for an evening having had a late dinner and
entertainment. When they came in, of all things, the elevator was out of
order. Their room assignment was on the 51st floor. They decided to make the
best of it tell each other stories to make the climb bearable. They would walk
the first 17 floors and tell each other funny stories. For the next 17 stories,
they would tell scary stories. Then, for the final 17 stories, they would tell
sad stories.
It worked. For 17 stories, they laughed and laughed as they
told funny story after funny story, taking their minds off of their arduous
climb. Then, for the next 17 stories there were the scary tales and that helped
because it seemed to energize them. Then as they began the last trek up the
steps of the last 17 stories they began to tell sad story after sad
story. When they got to the 50th floor, they had run out of stories seemingly.
No one spoke up. Then it happened. One fellow broke the silence, "Fellows,
here is the saddest story of all. I forgot the key down at the reception
desk."
It is an uphill struggle to forgive, to love like we have
never been hurt before. The key is forgiveness, a precious gift that comes from
God. Let this be the year we never forget it.If we take God’s hand, God will
surely lead us all the way. [slide: hand filled
with light, beckoning us forward] Amen.
*Sermons.com
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