We continue thinking about forgiveness and our role in it. We
begin this week 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 then later on 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 had 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 sold you into slavery to another
country? 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 an 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 even as 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, and free
our own self-imprisoned hearts.
*inwardly digest ~ this two-word phrase appears in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer on
page 236 in the opening of the Collect for Proper 28, the Sunday closest to
November 16 and says: Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be
written for our learning: Grant us so the hear them, read, mark, learn, and
inwardly digest them… [emphasis added] It was a Collect written
by the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, who wrote it in 1549 during the
reign of King Edward VI, successor to King Henry VIII. It lasted until 1553
when Queen Mary Tudor restored Roman Catholic worship. After Mary’s death, Queen
Elizabeth I restored the Book of Common Prayer in 1559 and the Collect continues on in
our own 1979 US Book of Common Prayer.
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:
We
are each 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
We are each 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
We are each 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
We are each 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
We
are each 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
We
are each 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, and to walk consciously 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.
