2021.06.06 Losing The Guilt
Notes
Transcript
Losing The Guilt
Losing The Guilt
What do they need to know? Forgiveness is waiting, but you must be prepared to receive
Why do they need to know it? Resisting God’s grace is harmful
What do they need to do? Prepare to receive forgiveness
Why do they need to do it? For their good and the good of all God’s people
How can I help them remember?
Me
What do you say when someone apologizes to you?
At some point in the Gadlage house, we made a fairly big parenting change, and it still hasn’t fully stuck. We used to teach our kids to apologize for things, and the expected response was, “That’s okay.”
It was that way so long, Hannah still instinctively says that whenever someone apologizes to her. We’ve learned, though, that this is NOT a good way to respond when someone apologizes. This response denies that harm was actually done.
So, we’ve changed the expected response to include some form of the phrase, “Thank you for apologizing.”
We
This may sound strange, but: I think that we in the Church are sometimes too quick to forgive.
Did you hear that right?
I am certainly NOT encouraging or approving holding grudges. What I am saying is that quick and easy forgiveness disavows that harm was done by whatever the infraction.
When we apologize, two things need to be affirmed:
… that what we did was truly wrong! (That needs to be acknowledged by the one we’re apologizing to … for our sake!) It also reinforces that the other person is important and we know we harmed them in some way.
… that forgiveness is granted. “Apology accepted” is a lower level than, “I forgive you!” Even if I don’t believe I was harmed by the other person’s actions, I can say, “I don’t think I was harmed by what you did … but I forgive you anyway.” This releases the other person from guilt.
Pastor and Teacher Leonard Sweet – New Testament has three main points:
I love you
I forgive you
Let’s eat
Imagine that without the “I forgive you”
I love you … let’s eat.
That sounds like this … “Oh, it wasn’t any big deal! Don’t worry about it. Think nothing of it. No harm done. Let’s move on as if nothing ever happened.”
But we can’t … because SOMETHING DID HAPPEN, and it needs to be acknowledged so that it can be FORGIVEN!
God
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord, For to You I cry all day long.
4 Make glad the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Losing The Guilt
Losing The Guilt
Scripture speaks of God’s willingness and readiness to forgive His people.
But are we asking for his forgiveness?
Sometimes we are.
So, when God speaks forgiveness, do we believe Him?
Sometimes what we’ve done seems so grievous to us that we don’t believe God could ever forgive us. So, how do we get over ourselves and prepare to receive that forgiveness?
You
I’ve shared this story before, but it bears repeating.
Facebook is great. I’ve reconnected with a bunch of my high school friends. However, connecting with those people also reminds me of the person I used to be, and that’s not always a pleasant memory.
It reminds me of a sort of ‘sting’ operation I ran on a former friend in High School. Mike really liked a girl named Jude. I was part of a group that put together a plan to have Jude sort of lead him on and then drop him. No reason but to cause him pain.
Through my Facebook connections, I realized I had never really dealt with this sin. I repeatedly asked God to help me work through it. He repeatedly told me through other people and in my prayer time that I was forgiven, but I couldn’t bring myself to receive his forgiveness. It was unresolved.
An accountability partner of mine gave me some sage advice about it. “Maybe you need to do something to prepare yourself to receive that forgiveness.” So, I used Facebook to try to contact Mike. I found him and sent him a note that acknowledged how terrible my actions were. I sincerely apologized and asked for his forgiveness. I found his email address and sent a similar email when I didn’t get a response on Facebook. I never got a response from Mike, but something happened in my making the attempt. Taking this action humbled me, and in a state of humility I was ready to receive God’s forgiveness.
This is the original concept of the Catholic practice of penance. Penance was not intended as a punishment or payment for the sin committed. It was intended as an act of sorrow in response to the sin. “Penance” comes from an old Latin word that means “contrition” or “a desire to be forgiven”.
I am convinced that Mike saw both of my notes to him. I cannot control his response, but I’ve made the effort to make it right with him … which prepared me to receive the authoritative declaration from my friend that God forgives me!
Most of us likely know the statement from the book of James that: “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. (Jam 5:16b NAU)”. But do we know that’s the SECOND PART of Jame’s statement in that verse?
Here’s the entire verse:
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
Losing The Guilt
Losing The Guilt
We
So, are you carrying guilt?
Maybe you know (intellectually) that God has already forgiven you, but you’re still have trouble accepting/believing that he REALLY forgives you.
This may sound strange coming from a Protestant pastor, but maybe you’re hung up because you haven’t confessed it out loud to another human being. Maybe you need to do something as an act of penance to prepare yourself to receive God’s grace and forgiveness … not that His grace and forgiveness are contingent on your behavior … but that your receptiveness sometimes is! Maybe you need to hear someone declare your forgiveness with authority.
Before we begin our Communion ritual, let’s take a few moments to each consider our sins.
[PAUSE]
LITURGY SLIDES
Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him,
who earnestly repent of their sin
and seek to live in peace with one another.
Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another.
Merciful God,
we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have failed to be an obedient church.
We have not done your will,
we have broken your law,
we have rebelled against your love,
we have not loved our neighbors,
and we have not heard the cry of the needy.
Forgive us, we pray.
Free us for joyful obedience,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Leader to people:
Hear the good news:
Christ died for us while we were yet sinners;
that proves God's love toward us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
People to leader:
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Leader and people:
Glory to God. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed a right thing to give You praise, Lord,
and it brings us joy to worship You, Father of all creation.
You created us and then made us alive.
We turned away, and You pursued us.
We were held captive to our sin,
and You became our covenant God.
You spoke through the prophets and called to us
through John in the desert.
And so,
with your people on earth
and all the company of heaven
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.
You sent him to preach good news, release and healing.
Through Jesus’ mighty works, you save your people.
While in human form,
Jesus performed many signs and wonders,
but the most remarkable miracle is
new birth you make available to us all
through his sacrificial death and resurrection.
Through our baptism,
we participate in his suffering, death and resurrection
as your Church,
delivered from slavery to sin and death, into your glorious life.
Through your son, you cut a new covenant
by water and the Spirit.
The night before his sacrifice,
he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread,
gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
Baruch atah Adonai Elohaynu melech ha-olam ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.
Blessed are You Lord God King of the Universe who brings forth food from the earth. Amen.
After the bread, he took the cup,
gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Drink from this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me."
Baruch atah Adonai Elohaynu melech ha-olam, boray peri ha-gafen.
Blessed are You Lord God, King of the Universe creator of the fruit of the vine. Amen.
And so,
in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice,
in union with Christ's offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died;
Christ is risen;
Christ will come again.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
and on these gifts of bread and juice.
Make them the body and blood of Christ for us.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
one with each other,
and one in ministry to the world,
until we celebrate with him in heaven.
Through your Son Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church,
all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father,
now and forever.
Amen.