What
if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full…Joseph wept
when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept… [Genesis 50:15, 17b-18a]
The Lord
is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. He will
not always accuse us, nor will he keep his anger forever. [Psalm 103:8-9]
Welcome those who are weak in
faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions...Who are you to
pass judgment on...[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. [Romans 14:1, 4]
Peter came and said to Jesus,
"...how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said
to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times...'[The
lord of the slave said] Should you not have mercy of your fellow slave, as I
had mercy on you?'...So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if
you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart." [Matthew 18:21-22, 33, 35]
We’re
in our 4th week of thinking about our roles in Forgiveness. We
begin with one of the epic Hebrew Testament stories, in which, to call this “sibling
rivalry” is quite an extraordinary understatement. As is always a good
practice, look beyond the basic chapter and verses of the current readings and
take a look at Genesis 37, especially verses 3-4 and then 12-36. Joseph’s time
before and later in Egypt is not unlike his dream interpretations of feast and
famine to Pharoah. But if you want to know Joseph’s full story, read from Chapters
39-50 to refresh your full memory of all that he went through and all that he
became. Today’s reading opens with the fear of Joseph’s older brothers that
Joseph may bear a grudge given what they had done to him years before. They
felt safer, perhaps, until the death of their father whom they didn’t want to upset.
Now they were worried. How would you feel if your siblings tried to kill you
and then decided to sell you into slavery? Are they truly repentant or are they
using their dead father as a means to save themselves from Joseph ~ and, does
it matter? Joseph’s behavior toward them gives one answer. The psalm also seems
to be an answer for these questions, especially in verse 9, as the psalmist
tells us that God will not always accuse us. But for me, the most relief-giving
statement of all time is the second half of verse 9: nor will he keep his
anger forever. The human in us may have great difficulty unbinding our
anger but God gets over it!
Romans 14:1-12 gives a stark lesson in our
individual accountability. If this passage isn’t perfectly relevant to our current
time, nothing is. Why do you pass judgment on your brother or your
sister? …For we will all stand before the judgment seat of
God. Read these 12 verses again, re-read, read yet again and, as we
say, “inwardly digest.” It is quite a prelude to this week’s Gospel.
Jesus tells Peter that seventy-seven times we are to forgive,
or, as in an older perhaps more familiar translation to some, seventy
times seven. Sometimes forgiving once feels
beyond my capacity but I sure can snap to judgment in a nano-second. I do
know that my instant judgment of another sometimes has to do with a projection
of what I don't like about myself, specifically the uncomfortable awareness of
my own transgressions. When I push myself to move beyond denial and engage in
thoughtful, prayerful reflection of how I react, I remember a saying, but not
where I heard it, If God forgives you, who are you not to forgive
yourself?! Of course, in these tumultuous times, anger and judgment
seem to permeate the very air that we breathe. Forgiving is a challenge when
the stakes feel so highly charged. Plus, when I dig deeper, I discover that
forgiveness received and given isn't a mere slap-dash-high-five-good-to-go. It
requires a significant, deliberate, conscious change in me without requiring the same of others.
When I feel forgiven, it is easier to extend forgiveness, understanding,
and compassion to others. When judgment and cynicism wane and I feel forgiving,
the work of faith, hope, and love becomes more instinctual though not less
difficult. It is a continuous process filled with detours, back-tracking, failure,
and persistence in that starting over thing. Paul reminds us that we are
each accountable to God. Perhaps a sticky note that
says accountable, on the dashboard of my car or on my computer
screen when I log into social media will help me to remember. I also need
frequent reminders that it is my own responsibility
to consciously live as a disciple of Christ.
Jesus is uncomfortably clear that God will forgive us AS, in
the way that, we forgive others. How simply difficult it is. Yet there
are a couple of other quotes that help me remember to awaken my consciousness. One
has been attributed to so many people including The Buddha, Nelson Mandela, and
Carrie Fisher. Regardless, it speaks volumes to the physical and emotional self-destructive
properties of clinging to anger. Essentially the message is: Anger is
like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. The other is by
the late theologian Lewis B. Smedes who said: To forgive is to set a
prisoner free and discover the prisoner is yourself. Let us work constantly
to forgive even those unforgiveable in our sight, including ourselves, so that
we may un-imprison our own hearts.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Lord of Compassion and Kindness, liberate
us from the slavery of judgment and anger, keep us mindful of our
accountability to You, and always aware that You forgive us as sincerely and
grace-fully as we forgive all others.
Most Merciful Lord
RESPONSE:
I am accountable to You
~ Lord of Compassion and Kindness, in these
perilous times, energize us to press for the urgency of informed
decision-making and rational response to crises not only for ourselves but
especially for the leaders of our Planet, our Nation, and our Local Community. We
pray especially for: add your own petitions
Most Merciful Lord
I am
accountable to You
~ Lord of Compassion and Kindness, calm the
waves of illness, pain, and despair for all whose hope is sinking; and lift the
spirits of those who provide support. We now join our hearts together to
pray for those in need… add your own petitions
Most Merciful Lord
I am
accountable to You
~ Lord of Compassion and Kindness, our
souls are comforted by the heavenly embrace and infinite peace of our loved
ones who now live again in You. We pray especially for… add your own
petitions
Most Merciful Lord
I am
accountable to You
~ Lord of Compassion and Kindness, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials… add your own
petitions
Most Merciful Lord
I am
accountable to You
~ Lord of Compassion and Kindness, bestow
an unlimited capacity for energy and spiritual joy to all who are anointed and entrusted
to guide us by Your Word and Wisdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Most Merciful Lord
I am
accountable to You
The Celebrant adds: Most
High God, quicken our faith in Your constant Presence, and impose the character
and courage to forgive as we are forgiven upon our hearts and souls,. Guide us
to seek Your Ways, not our own, to walk through each moment of Your precious gift
of our human living. We ask through the blessings of Your Son Jesus, our Redeemer
Christ; and Your most Holy Spirit, our Counselor; who are, together with You,
One God, now and forever. Amen.
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