Musings for Pentecost 13

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Musings by Deb Johnson

INTRODUCTION

In today's second reading Paul questions why we judge one another, since we all stand before the judgment of God. Yet we do sin against one another, and Jesus' challenge that we forgive seventy-seven times reveals God's boundless mercy. When we hear the words of forgiveness in worship and sign ourselves with the cross, we are renewed in baptism to be signs of reconciliation in the world.

Prayer of the Day

O Lord God, merciful judge, you are the inexhaustible fountain of forgiveness. Replace our hearts of stone with hearts that love and adore you, that we may delight in doing your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen

First Reading: Genesis 50:15–21

After Jacob's death, the brothers of Joseph begged for forgiveness for the crime they had done against him. You intended to do me harm, Joseph said, but God used this as an opportunity to do good and save many lives.

¹⁵Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers said, "What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?" ¹⁶So they approached Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this instruction before he died, ¹⁷'Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.' Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, "We are here as your slaves." ¹⁹But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? ²⁰Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. ²¹So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones." In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Psalm 103:[1–7] 8–13

¹Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and all that is within me, bless God's holy name.

²Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all God's benefits—

³who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases;

⁴who redeems your life from the grave

and crowns you with steadfast love and mercy;

⁵who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like an eagle's.

⁶O LORD, you provide vindication

and justice for all who are oppressed.

⁷You made known your ways to Moses

and your works to the children of Israel.]

⁸LORD, you are full of compassion and mercy,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love;

⁹you will not always accuse us,

nor will you keep your anger forever.

¹⁰You have not dealt with us according to our sins,

nor repaid us according to our iniquities.

¹¹For as the heavens are high above the earth,

so great is your steadfast love for those who fear you.

¹²As far as the east is from the west,

so far have you removed our transgressions from us.

¹³As a father has compassion for his children,

so you have compassion for those who fear you, O LORD.

Second Reading

Romans 14:1–12

This Christian community has significant struggles with diversity. Here Paul helps us understand that despite different practices in worship and personal piety, we do not judge one another. All Christians belong to the Lord Jesus Christ who died for all of us and will judge each of us.

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. ²Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. ³Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. ⁴Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

⁵Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. ⁶Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.

⁷We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. ⁸If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. ⁹For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. ¹¹For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God." ¹²So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Gospel

Matthew 18:21–35

When Peter asks about the limits of forgiveness, Jesus responds with a parable that suggests human forgiveness should mirror the unlimited mercy of God.

²¹Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" ²²Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

²³For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; ²⁵and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. ²⁶So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' ²⁷And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, 'Pay what you owe.' ²⁹Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' ³⁰But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. ³¹When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. ³²Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' ³⁴And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. ³⁵So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

MUSINGS

This is an amazing set of scriptures for this day, the 10^th anniversary of the terror event that shock the world. Scriptures that call us to not judge, to forgive, and to know that today is the Lord’s day.

These three scriptures together can be summarized quite simply: “Judgment is not for us to do, it is for God.” “Forgiveness must be give, over and over and over again.” These are tough. Too often we are quick to judge, others, ourselves, people we know and people we don’t even know. And forgiveness, that too is hard … forgiving others, forgiving ourselves, forgiving people we know and people we don’t know. Imagine the heaviness of judgment and the carrying of anger. They weigh us down and get in the way of caring for God’s world. Think about the model of Jesus showing forgiveness. In Luke it is recorded “Jesus said, ‘Father forgive them”. In the late 1960s I visited Coventry Cathedral in England. There stood the ruins from bombing during WWII. Carved on the altar are the words, “Father forgive” Every Friday there is a service of reconciliation. That is much more than seven times seventy. May God give me strength to forgive and to steer clear of judging.

The third message I take away: Every day is the Lord’s Day. Thanks be to God!

LET US PRAY

For forgiveness of our sins.

For healing of relationships.

For peace in our homes, our communities, the nation and the world.

For children that they may know moments of peace, laughter, reconciliation, and hope

For those who are seeking a caring community.

THE COVENTRY LITANY OF RECONCILIATION
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class, Father forgive.
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own, Father forgive.
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth, Father forgive.
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others, Father forgive.
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee, Father forgive.
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children, Father forgive.
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God, Father forgive.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.