 | Full Text Sermon | Alternate Sermon Ideas | Prayers & Readings | Note: After Trinity Sunday, the Revised Common Lectionary readings are determined not by the number of Sundays after Pentecost but by date. For instance, "Proper 6" is always the set of readings for any Sunday between June 12 and June 18. Sunday June 14, 1998 ~ Second Sunday After Pentecost ~ Luke 7:36 - 8:3 "Maximum Forgiveness... Maximum Love" Have you ever stopped in the middle of the Lord's Prayer and said to yourself. "I can't do it!" The hurt that was inflicted upon you was so deep and so painful that there was no way you could see yourself forgiving the wrong. When you came to the words, "...forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," you thought, "There's no way I can forgive this!" Maybe you have never had a hurt inflicted that went this deep. But, you can more than likely sympathize with a father who was part of a group called, "Parents of Murdered Children." During one meeting when the subject of forgiveness came up he said, "If going to heaven depends on my forgiving the man who killed my daughter, I won't get there!" His daughter had been stabbed 47 times by a man who had been released from prison after serving 8 years for rape and manslaughter. Whether it happens to you or to the grieving father, there are times when the old saying may prove all too true, "To err is human, but to forgive is darned near impossible!" Can you relate? Now, in the midst of the cloud of unforgiveness that descends upon our spirits, the words of Jesus from Mark 11:25 drop like a rock, "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." Or from Luke 6:37,"...Forgive, and you will be forgiven..." This my brothers and sisters is the proverbial, "... between a rock and a hard place." If you can't forgive, you can't be forgiven. Yet the wrong you experienced is so hurtful, there seems to be no way to let it go. We might say that forgiveness is hard to give especially when it's really needed! *** There is a strange and wonderful tension in the gospel lesson today which is woven by varying threads of perspective on forgiveness. * It is about people who
need forgiveness and know it. And all of this takes place at a dinner party at Simon the Pharisee's house! The guest list does not include the one person who takes the story to the heart of what forgiveness truly means. 1. The Invitation - Tension Guaranteed (v. 36) Here's an invitation that must have raised some eyebrows with Jesus' followers. The Pharisees were certainly not known as great supporters of Jesus. As a matter of fact, the gospel of Mark tells us that the Pharisees had a contract out on Jesus. There is a critical point here -- an instructive point. Jesus will go anywhere to bring the message of God's Kingdom. A consistent theme in the New Testament has to do with people questioning Jesus' willingness to go wherever a need exists. Whether it be a Samaritan woman at the well, a Roman centurion whose child is critically ill or a Pharisee who comes to visit at night -- Jesus is available wherever there is a need. Be warned... to fully understand Jesus means that somewhere, somehow, we will be uncomfortable with his willingness to associate with someone we would rather avoid. In other words, he is likely to be present wherever there is a need for forgiveness. There seems to be a built in aspect of humanity that wants to divide people into opposing camps. I call this the "skins 'n shirts" syndrome. We're all affected by it -- even Jesus' followers. When the Samaritan (the "bad guys") wouldn't receive Jesus, James and John suggested a napalm strike. ("Lord do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?") Simon's invitation to Jesus was tainted. He did not offer the traditional amenities (footwashing, a kiss and anointing of the head) when Jesus arrived for the dinner party. Jesus is not with the "in" crowd. They are the "in-group" he is "out". They are the "acceptable", Jesus is "unacceptable" and needs to be exposed. Tension is a guarantee and sparks begin to fly the moment Jesus reclines at the table. II. People Who Need Forgiveness and Know It (vv. 37-38) The sudden appearance of a "questionable" woman at this dinner party would be highly irregular if it should happen to one of us, but not unusual for the time. Well to do people would have their meals out of doors in the courtyard and when a teacher or rabbi was a guest, all kinds of people would drop by to hear the latest wisdom. It is not the presence, but the action of the woman that heightens the drama. With a sentence, Luke plunges the gathering into action. The woman is a well known prostitute. No respectful woman would come up behind a man (Jesus would have been reclining at table with his feet behind him), interrupt his meal, and touch his feet, much less have her hair unbound so as to dry his feet. But, something incredibly important got to her and compelled her action. Was it the care in his voice? Had she heard him speak of God's absolute love and forgiveness? Perhaps she had heard his words just prior to the gathering at Simon's house, ".... the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'" Whatever the specifics of her regeneration of hope, it is clear that the amazing love of God came crashing through her hopelessness and promised a freedom she had never dreamed could happen for her. No one had to "preach" this woman of ill repute into a change of lifestyle. No words of condemnation were needed. When she became aware of the possibility of forgiveness and love, her heart was transformed. She needed forgiveness and she knew it. Is there a strong message here or what? What is it that gets people close to God? It is the love of God which opens up the heart to spiritual need and love that enables the authentic experience of forgiveness. Unfortunately, however, there are: III. People Who Need Forgiveness and Don't Know It (vv.39-49) Jesus tells a parable, then points out how a woman who is a total social reject has discovered the meaning of forgiveness and love. Having discovered the depth of God's forgiving love, she is closer to the heart of God than the religious "pros" gathered at Simon's table. Simon is unaware of his need for forgiveness. He is the true definition of "self righteous". Since he is not aware of a need for forgiveness, his love is "little". The woman's love, however, is "great". Here's the clincher. Mark it down. Who is closer to fulfilling the greatest commandment of all? "...you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." Mark 12:30 Do you see the really important thing here? The woman's actions are a response of love for the the depth of forgiveness she has received as a gift from God. The Pharisees actions are intended to "deserve" the favor of God as something earned for "good living". The woman's spiritual experience is based on grace and gratitude. Simon's spiritual experience is based on his own perceived goodness and gain. Self sufficiency is a mark of distance from God. The less our awareness of a need for forgiveness, the greater that distance. St. Paul called himself the "chief of sinners"; St. Francis of Assisi said, "Nowhere is there a more wretched and miserable sinner than I"; Mother Theresa said, "The more I serve God, the more I am aware of how far I fall short." People who need forgiveness, but are unaware of their need, have their eyes focused on others. They highlight the shortcomings of their fellows, but looking outward and not inward, they do not see their own. People who are aware of their need have their eyes focused on God. They do not see the shortcomings of their fellows, but looking inward and not outward, they see how far they fall short of all God wants for them. IV. Religious People Who Absolutely, Totally Miss the Point (vv. 39 & 49) Simon the Pharisee looks at the woman who crashed their dinner party and sees one who is unacceptable -- literally "untouchable". In their religious piety, those who see themselves as true worshipers and servants of God, miss the point altogether. Here is one who rejoices in God's forgiveness and love and they recoil. The marks of their religion do not include, joy, passion, feeling and "great" love. // Have you heard the story about the man who could find one redeeming quality in persons no matter how unacceptable they might be? It seems he boarded a bus one day and took a seat by himself near the rear of the bus. At the next stop a man got on who was highly intoxicated. He staggered and belched his way down the aisle, brown bag in hand, looking for a seat. People looked out the window, stretched out and in various ways tried to ignore the man hoping he would not sit by them. Finally he reached our gentleman and sat down beside him. He smelled terrible. Leaning over to our fellow, he said,"Hey buddy... wouldja likea drink?" He held the dirty bag out. The fellow looked at the pitiful inebriated passenger and replied, "Sir, I see that you are a very generous person!" // Finally the whole table is filled with conversation about the audacity of the teacher from Nazareth who pronounces "forgiveness of sins." Nowhere in the lives of Simon and his guests is there a single word of concern or even interest in the woman who has found love, acceptance and forgiveness. This story is one more example of how Christianity is more about a relationship with God than it is a religion about God! The addendum in our scripture reading, while seeming to begin a new theme is really an exclamation mark on the lesson. Jesus takes the Good News of the kingdom of God to the surrounding territory. Who accompanies him on this critical journey? Fishermen, tax-collectors, demoniacs and an assortment of women who help finance the young carpenter's mission. None of them will likely ever be invited to Simon's house again! [Apply It] 1. Try to imagine yourself at Simon's dinner party. What would be your reaction to the woman's interruption? 2. This may be a tough exercise, but on a scale of one to ten with one being easy and ten being difficult; how are you at giving forgiveness to others? 3. Once again... on a scale of one to ten with one being almost never and ten being much of the time; how much do you need forgiveness? 4. Think about how 2 and 3 may be connected in your life. When have you been most in touch with your need for the love, acceptance and forgiveness of God? This will be the central clue in your search for a fulfilling relationship with God and an ability to let go of the hurts and wrongs that have come your way. Two Ways To Get To Heaven ~ Galatians 2:15-21 This passage from Galatians provides a great opportunity to teach once again on the relationship between law and grace. It is likely necessary to do this with a degree of regularity since most Christian folk are extremely vulnerable to falling back into the "law" mode. Unconditional love and free grace are difficult concepts for the human spirit. Tell how it is that the text basically deals with two ways to get to heaven. They are: 1. Matthew 5: 48 "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." This will do it! If you are perfect, you will definitely get to heaven! + Paul begins by stating the essential premise that no one can put themselves in a right relationship by keeping the law. (This needs explanation for contemporary, "law abiding" folk.) Jewish law keeping meant keeping the whole religious law without fail. Luther may come closest to the meaning of "keeping the law" when he said, "If every a man could be saved by monkery, that man was I." + We moderns are used to "grading on a curve" -- people tend to think of being "good enough" for heaven. Use the illustration of all kinds of swimmers standing on the coast of California all beginning a swim to Hawaii. Poor swimmers will only get yards of the coast before drowning. Excellent swimmers might make it miles. But, no one will make it to Hawaii. So also human beings might come in "good", "better" and "best" when compared to each other... but none is so perfect as to "deserve" heaven. 2. Ephesians 2:8 " For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- " When we realize we can not attain perfection by our own efforts, we "surrender" to [put our faith or trust in] the perfection which is given by Christ "Who gave himself for me." Conclusion: You can choose the first way -- the way of perfection -- if you can see yourself standing before the Almighty and saying, "I want what's coming to me!" If you are not comfortable with that, you had better choose the second way -- the way of grace! Unison Prayer of Invocation (Based on Psalm 32) Our hearts are blessed as we gather before You today O Lord, for you have given us freedom from all our transgressions and joy in exchange for heavy hearts. You are the refuge we seek when we are troubled and the courage we need when we venture into our days. Bless us today with Your steadfast love as we declare our trust in You. Amen. A Prayer of Dedication Thank You O our God for; sin forgiven, burdens lifted, joy restored and courage given. Yet, of all the gifts You shower upon us, our lives are blessed beyond measure that You should use our gifts to bring the world to You! Amen!
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