For Sunday, November
3, 2019 ~ 21st Sunday after Pentecost, Year C, Readings:
Isaiah 1:10-18, Psalm 32:1-8,
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4,11-12; Luke
19:1-10
...cease
to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the
orphan, plead for the widow. [Isaiah 1:16b-17]
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me
from trouble, you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. [Psalm 32:7]
We must always give thanks to God for you...because
your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one
another is increasing. [2 Thessalonians 1:3b]
Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation
has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came
to seek out and to save the lost." [Luke 19:9-10]
As we explore the collection of
readings this week I find a theme of forgiveness. And we begin with quite a lambasting of those in Sodom and Gomorrah. Again. God is quite explicit
through Isaiah as to what they are NOT to do. For example, those burnt and
blood “sacrifices” are not on God’s happy list, but then follows quite clear instructions on what they are to do to be in God’s forgiving graces.
The Psalmist reminds us that we are happiest
when we are forgiven, and calms us by telling us that in time of trouble we are delivered. As we read Paul’s
great accolades to the church in Thessalonica, we are given yet more ways to understand
what it is we are to do in this life through love by and for others and by steadfastness
of faith, especially through difficult times.
How easy it is to let go of the reminder in The
Lord’s Prayer when we ask God very clearly to forgive us AS we
forgive others? Perhaps the words are so familiar and routine the impact of
what we are saying is lost. It is time to pay more attention.
Forgiveness is for those who have lost their way toward God whether they
are aware of being lost or not. Forgiveness is what we hope for when we know that we have sinned and feel unworthy. We are called to forgive others more quickly than we hope for
God to forgive us. That is, for me, the lesson in Zacchaeus. Did Zacchaeus
think he was lost as he climbed the tree?
When
I read the story of Zacchaeus, I admit that I usually wonder: what was Mrs.
Zacchaeus thinking? Did she give him that look - you know the
one: seriously, THIS guy for dinner, and he invited himself? I'm
sure she already knew what the neighbors were thinking being less than the
popular couple on the block because of her husband's job. Yet here is Jesus
calling Zacchaeus out of the tree - to the grumbling chorus of nay-sayers and
finger-pointers - and telling him Salvation has come to this
house...the Son of Man came to seek out to save the lost. How about
those grumblers, did they think they were lost? Did those in Sodom and Gomorrah thing they were off the edge again? It's much easier for me to point
to another as lost, wrong, sinful, etc., without accepting when I am. Yet in those
lost moments, I want some kind of magic fix-it, right away!
And then again I read the words of the
Psalmist saying that God is a hiding place who will preserve me
from trouble. For some reason it calls to mind a plaque in my great-grandmother’s hushed Victorian-styled
parlor visible through the oak pocket doors: Christ is the Unseen Guest, the Silent
Listener to every conversation and it is no longer remembered as a
scary shadow from childhood, but that Christ, is my Companion in every moment of the
highs, the lows, and the ordinary moments of life. If I continue to remember
that, then I will be more able to be that better person I want to be, less
likely to point fingers, and instinctively work on behalf of others before
myself. If I remember, I will have fewer conversations I wouldn't want Jesus to
hear. If I remember, I might realize that I can work to grow my own faith
through seeing Christ in others first, and to love even the unlovable - including my sometimes sense of myself - remember that part of the Great Commandment to love your neighbor AS [if they were] yourself? I must remember to ask for help in forgiving others
in the way I ask for myself.
When we judge another and don’t forgive
we also build resentment within ourselves, especially if someone like that Zacchaeus
is somehow, we grumble, exalted above us. Nelson Mandela said: Resentment is
like drinking poison hoping it will kill your enemies.
God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are
within us all, always. We need only to remember to reach out in prayer not merely in times
of trouble but through all we do in each breath-moment of life. In forgiving others we
rid ourselves of the poison of resentment, we free ourselves and another, allowing more love to flow through us to all we meet. NOT so easy, but with one breath at a time all improvement is possible. In prayer, Jesus may be Unseen, but
he's always there, silently listening, ready to save us whenever we are lost, even
when we're up a tree.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE,
PRAY
Leader: ~ LORD
of Hope and Promise, as You know us better than we know ourselves, guide us to
seek and recognize You in others, to find You living deep within us, and to
learn to rescue, defend, and plead with more fervor for others than for
ourselves.
Forgiving God
RESPONSE:
Preserve us
from trouble
~ LORD of Hope and Promise,
renew us each day to persevere in prayer as we take action
to kindle morality in the Leaders of all governments across Your Creation.
Instruct us all in the ways of Christ’s peace, that together we may find the
path where peace will grow and spread beyond all barriers and borders. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
Forgiving God
Preserve
us from trouble
~ LORD
of Hope and Promise, lay Your healing hand upon those weary of pain or anguish
in this life, and hold fast to those who offer caring help. We now join our
voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions
Forgiving God
Preserve
us from trouble
~ LORD of Hope and
Promise, lighten the darkness for the grieving, as our loved ones return
Home to the eternal splendor and glory of new life in Christ. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
Forgiving God
Preserve
us from trouble
~ LORD of Hope and
Promise, we pause in this moment to offer You our other
heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently… add your own
petitions
Forgiving God
Preserve
us from trouble
~ LORD of Hope and
Promise, refresh the courage and confidence of those anointed to call us to
Your Holy Table, that our worship may be true, faithful, and pleasing to You.
We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Forgiving God
Preserve
us from trouble
The Celebrant
adds: Lord of Creation, Salvation, and Wisdom, grow our faith
abundantly and increase our ability to love one another as we are loved by
You. Grant us the grace to embody Your Presence and to serve the world
together in Your name. We ask through Jesus our Redeemer Christ; and the Holy
Spirit, our Wisdom Guide; who together with You are One God, now and
forever. Amen.
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