What Would Jesus UNDo - Spiritual Indifference

Let’s see a show of hands, how many of you had a WWJD bracelet back in the 1990’s?  How many of you still have that bracelet?  How many of you have no idea what I’m talking about?  For those who are in the dark here, back in the 1990’s there was a craze that swept the nation where people wore a simple bracelet with the letters WWJD on it.  The letters were to remind people that in any situation they found themselves they should ask, What Would Jesus Do?  That phrase came from the book In His Steps, written by Charles Sheldon in 1896.  In the book there is a pastor, Rev. Henry Maxwell, who encourages people to follow in the steps of Jesus by asking in every situation what would Jesus do.  The book follows a few people who do this and how their lives, and their world, turned upside down.  That simple question does help us think about what it means to follow Jesus and it can give us direction and guidance in all things.

But the life of Jesus isn’t just about doing things, Jesus also came to undo some things.  Last week we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus and the resurrection is all about Jesus undoing death and the power of death.  All through Lent we talked about forgiveness and how the forgiveness of Jesus undoes our sin and releases us from the guilt and shame of sin.  So Jesus didn’t just come to show us what to do, he also came to undo some things in our lives, and so for the next few weeks we want to ask What Would Jesus UNDo?

The first thing that Jesus wants to undo in our lives is spiritual indifference because our indifference literally makes God sick.  In the book of Revelation we find 7 letters that Jesus wrote to the churches of the world and in his last letter Jesus says, Rev. 3:15-16.

Laodicea was located in a region known for hot springs, and hot springs serve a purpose.  Hot water soothes muscles and mineral springs are known for their healing powers.  So hot water is good and has a purpose, and cold water has a purpose, it refreshes, and it can rinse us clean.  So hot and cold water are good, they serve a purpose, but lukewarm water is good for nothing.  And as the hot water from the Laodicea springs was sent into the city, it got lukewarm and this lukewarm water would often make people sick. 

The illustration Jesus gives us is clear, if we are hot or cold, we serve a purpose, we are useful to God, but when we are lukewarm, when we are indifferent, when we just don’t care, we make God sick.  The literal translation of the word spit is actually to spew or to vomit.   Being lukewarm about our faith, spiritual indifference, makes God sick.  He can’t stand having us part of his life. 

So if there is one thing that Jesus wants to undo in all our lives it is spiritual indifference and in too many ways, spiritual indifference has slowly crept into our lives.  That’s the problem with indifference, it doesn’t come upon us at once, it slowly creeps in as we make decisions that pull us away from God.  Some people have said that we are living in a “meh” generation.  Not a “me” generation where the focus is on us, but a “meh” generation where we just don’t care.  Unless the issue is politics or the latest viral video making the rounds on social media, many people just don’t care, and that includes not caring about our faith. 
Do you want to go to worship?  Meh.  
Do you want to join a small group?  Meh.  
Do you want to go on mission trip this year?  Meh.  
Do you want to read the Bible this year?  Meh.  

In so many ways spiritual indifference has invaded our lives and we haven’t even noticed.  We have lost our passion and there are two main reasons why.  The first is the Illusion of Self Sufficiency.  Let’s go back to Rev. 3:17.

We think we have everything we need so we have stopped relying upon God.  Which means we have stopped looking to God.  While we pray, give us this day our daily bread, we stopped looking to God to give us bread a long time ago because our cupboards are full.  Let’s face it, our houses are full.  Our garages are full.  Our storage units are full.  Our lives are full.  We are so full that we don’t think we need anything.  We don’t even need God, and when we think we don’t need God, we have become spiritually indifferent.  Whether we have God as part of our lives or not doesn’t really make any difference. 

We think we are rich but the reality is that in the things that matter most in life, we are poor, wretched, pitiful, blind, and naked.  We think we have everything but in reality we have nothing.  Our indifference comes because we have told ourselves over time we just don’t need God day to day.   We are just fine on our own. 

The 2nd cause for spiritual indifference is Worldly Distractions.  Jesus told a parable about our lives of faith where he compares our faith to a seed that tries to grow in different soils.  He said, Some seed is sown among the thorns, these are the ones who hear the word but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for others things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing.  The cares of the world and the desire for other things –worldly distractions – leads to spiritual indifference. 

Sometimes the indifference comes from the distractions that just come with the everyday routines of life.  We have our jobs to focus on and our families to care for.  We have bills to pay, kids to get run around, houses to clean, grass to cut, flowers to plant, vacations to plan, investments to check on, emails to answer, Facebook to update, Instragram to check out, and we have to update all our posts so people know we are still living the dream.  The distractions of life in this world can cause us to be indifferent to the things of God, and if we have a little bit of Jesus mixed in with all that we have going on, we have that bases covered, so we are good.  Thing might be good, but we are not living with spiritual passion. 

Because spiritual indifference slowly creeps into our lives, we may not even see how indifferent we have become, so let me ask us all some questions to see if we are living spiritually indifferent lives.

1. Are we more concerned with impressing people or living for God?  We live in a selfie / social media culture where we often look to share our lives in an effort to impress others instead of thinking about how we can live more faithfully for God.  Are we looking for likes and shares on social media, or are we looking for God’s direction and God’s blessing on our lives? 

2. Are we more obsessed with life on earth or eternity in heaven?  Jesus told a parable about a rich man who was more focused on his life here and in many ways this parable reflects our lives today.  Luke 12:16-21.  Too often we only focus on the things of this world and we forget about the things that have eternal significance.  The treasure of heaven is our faith and how we live that faith out day to day in service to God and others. 

3. Do we rationalize our sin?  When we start telling ourselves that our sin is not that bad, we have stopped being passionate about God.  God never says, well don’t worry, it’s not that bad.  Sin is bad.  It was so bad that the only way it could be overcome was for Jesus to die.  While we shouldn’t live in fear and guilt and shame, we also can’t rationalize our sin and just allow it to linger in our lives, if we do, it will lead to spiritual indifference. 

4. Do we believe in Jesus but then aren’t willing to share Jesus?  Many times we don’t share our faith because we don’t think it is our place to share Jesus with others, or we don’t think it really matters.  Either way, if we give up sharing Jesus, it means we have given up the #1 purpose Jesus gave his followers after his resurrection.  Jesus said to his disciples, Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.  There is no way that not sharing Jesus can be part of a passion filled life of faith.  If we have gotten comfortable not sharing Jesus, than we have grown lukewarm and spiritually indifferent. 


5.  Do we only turn to God when we need God?  If we only call on God, or pray, when we are in need, we have become indifferent to what God wants in our lives.  God wants to speak to us every day.  God wants to give direction to us every day.  God wants to help us and fill us and challenge us every day and while God loves it when we call on him, he wants that call to be part of an ongoing vital daily relationship. 

Let’s face it, these 5 questions are challenging.  This week I have realize how easily I have become lukewarm.  I grieve our political divide more than I grieve the reality that more and more people are leaving a life of faith in Jesus Christ behind.  I want more time to read the next novel but don’t think about more time to read God’s word.  I get all worked up about what I see in our culture but fail to be moved by true injustice, poverty, and hunger in the world.  I don’t need a bracelet to tell me that what Jesus wants to undo in my life is spiritual indifference.  But what do I do?  Where do I start? 

When we slowly see how much in our lives needs to change, it becomes easy to get overwhelmed and change nothing, so let me offer this suggestion: every day do one thing that requires faith. 

Every morning we need to ask God to show us one thing that we need to do that we simply cannot do on our own.  We need to find one thing to do that requires us to have faith and trust in God to do it.  It can be anything from speaking up for someone at work, standing with someone at school, or helping someone in need when we don’t think we have the time or ability to do it and then stepping out to do it. 

Maybe we need to pray out loud in Sunday school or our Small group, maybe we need to start attending a Sunday school class or small group even though we don’t think we have the time or ability to do it.  Maybe we need to commit to serving in the community, or giving something away that will really cause us to think or feel some pain.  If our tithes and offerings don’t really require faith to give, then maybe we aren’t giving enough. 

If every day we push ourselves to do one thing that we simply couldn’t do without faith, and then we do it every day, and every week, and then by the end of the year we will no longer be lukewarm.  Pushing ourselves to do that which we cannot do in our own strength, slowly turns the temperature up on our faith and sets our hearts and lives on fire.  If there is one thing God wants to undo in our lives, it is to untie this knot of spiritual indifference. 


Next Steps

Read Jesus letter to the church in Laodicea – Revelation 3:14-22.

Commit to working on 1 of these 3 relationships this week:

Relationship with God
In what ways has your relationship with God grown lukewarm?  Why?

What 1 thing can you do this week to strengthen your relationship with God that will require you to give more time and energy than you think you have to give? 


Relationship with the Church
In what ways has your involvement and connection with the church grown lukewarm?  Why?

What 1 thing can you do this week to connect with others in the life of the church will require you to get out of your comfort zone?


Relationship with the World
In what ways has your passion for the world seeing and becoming the kingdom of God grown lukewarm?  Why? 

What 1 thing can you do this week to engage the world for God that will require you to pray and ask for God’s help?

The Forgiveness of Jesus - A Forgiveness That Sets Us Free

During this season of lent, we have been talking about the forgiveness of Jesus, and all the different ways that forgiveness transforms our lives.  Forgiveness brings hope to relationships, it can bring real healing to our lives, it opens our eyes, and the eyes of our hearts, and it gives us all a second chance.  Today we will see that it is the forgiveness of Jesus that can set us free.

Several years ago we talked about how sin, and a spirit of un-forgiveness, can literally weigh us down.  Think about sin as a stone.  Each time someone hurts us, or sins against us, and we don’t forgive them, a stone is thrown into the bag.  Each time we sin against someone, and don’t ask for forgiveness, a stone is thrown into the bag.  Each time we sin against God, and aren’t willing to seek forgiveness, a stone is thrown into the bag, and each time we sin against God, and don’t accept the forgiveness God offers, a stone is thrown into the bag.

Now multiply this by 365 days a year.  Now multiply it by 18 years.  That would be 23,360 stones.  If we were to carry this bag in here with us today, we would be bent over.  We would be struggling.  This is a picture of how sin weighs us down, and how without forgiveness, it will cripple us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  This is what Jesus saw when he was in worship one day.  Luke 13:10-11.

While this woman was physically bent over in pain, it also says she was crippled by a spirit, so there may have been some spiritual or emotional pain that was weighing her down.  Maybe that pain came from unresolved and unforgiven sin in her life.  She entered the synagogue on the Sabbath to worship God, but she was completely bent over, burdened, without hope, and with her face to the ground.

How often is this a picture of us?  We enter worship bent over by the pain of those who have hurt us, burdened by our sin, without much hope, and with our faces looking at the ground.  We come to God but aren’t expecting anything to change.  Too often this is how we come to worship.  Too often this is how we go through life. 

When Jesus saw this woman, he set her free.  Luke 13:12-13

The word that Jesus used here for being set free wasn’t a word that described healing as much as it described forgiveness, or the payment of a debt.  This same word was used at the trial of Jesus when Pilate agreed to set free either Jesus or Barabbas.  Both men were criminals commended to die, but Pilate was willing to release one of them, in essence, Pilate was willing to forgive one of them.  He released Barabbas, and when he did he forgave his debt and set him free.  When Jesus said, woman you are set free, he is saying, you are forgiven.

Jesus forgives.  He laid his hands upon her and her back was straightened, her head was lifted, her eyes met Jesus, and her spirit was lifted up in thanks and praise to God.  And this is what happens with forgiveness, it sets free, our burden is taken from us, our heads are lifted up, our eyes look to Jesus, and our hearts look to God with thanks and praise because the burden we were carrying is gone. 

When this woman was set free, three important things happened.
She was set free to work.  
She was set free to worship.
She was set free to wonder.

When this woman was set free, she was set free to work, and this wasn’t a burden, it was a blessing.  Think about it, she could work to care for her family.  She could help provide for her children or parents.  She could work and add value to her community.  She could work and help those around her.  She could be a blessing instead of always feeling like a burden.  When we are forgiven and feel the burden of sin lifted, we are also set free to work and be a blessing.

Forgiveness at home allows us to work and care for our family with more love.  Forgiveness at our jobs adds more meaning and value to what we do.  We have a greater sense of purpose. We are free to explore more and engage more with confidence in our ability.

Forgiveness lifts our lives and spirits in such a way that we want to serve in our community and give back in ways that help fill our lives.  Being set free to work is not a burden but a blessing, because we all want our lives to be of value and we all want to know that we have something to contribute and give to help others.

When we are forgiven, we are also set free to worship.  The reality of sin is that it separates us from God.  Whether it is our failure to live for God, or our failure in the relationships we have with one another, or simply not living the way we want to live, our sin keeps us from experiencing the fullness of God’s love.  Our sin creates a barrier with God, but forgiveness tears that barrier down, and sets us free from the burden so we can lift our eyes to Jesus and our hands to God in praise.

When I was a pastor in Lewisburg, we had many college students attend worship and they often shared with me how hard it was to attend worship some weeks because of their sin.  One young man told me that sometimes his guilt was simply too much to bear, and if that is all we experience in our relationship with God, it is too much to bear.  But with Jesus there is forgiveness and that forgiveness can set us free to truly worship God in spirit and truth, to feel connected to God, and to feel God’s love and power alive within us.

The forgiveness of Jesus also sets us free to wonder.  Not to wander as in being lost, and not to wonder as in being filled with questions or doubt, as in “I wonder what is going on”.  Forgiveness sets us free to experience true wonder.  I love this definition of wonder from Merriam Webster: rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one's experience.

When a woman who has been crippled for 18 years is suddenly set free from that burden, there is astonishment and amazement at her new experience.  All of life for her is now new.  It is filled with new opportunities, new experiences, and new relationships.  It is filled with wonder.
When we experience the forgiveness of Jesus, the door is opened for us to live a life filled with wonder.  Guilt is gone.  Shame is gone.  We can look at our lives differently.  We begin to see the value we have, and the value that we can bring to others.  We also see the value we have in the eyes of God.  We feel loved and are able to love.  Forgiveness changes everything and fills us with wonder – a new experience – a new life.

The forgiveness of Jesus released this woman and set her free to work, to worship, and to experience all the wonder in life.  The forgiveness of Jesus can also release us and set us free to work – to find joy in being part of a family and community.  It can set us free to worship God in new and powerful ways, and it can set us free to experience deep wonder and astonished amazement in the life God has for us.  There simply is nothing better – which is why Jesus forgave this woman and set her free immediately.

Did you notice in the story that Jesus did not wait for the woman to ask for any kind of healing, or forgiveness, and Jesus did not wait for a more appropriate time to offer forgiveness?  He saw her burden and set her free, but he did it on the Sabbath which upset the religious leaders.  Luke 13:14-17.

The religious leaders thought Jesus should have waited for the next day to set this woman free.  Since healing was seen as work, and work was not permitted on the Sabbath, the leaders thought Jesus should have waited.  Jesus didn’t wait, however, he couldn’t wait, his love and compassion compelled him to forgive and set this woman free right then and there.

For Jesus, the Sabbath wasn’t a day to follow rules, it was a day to celebrate the freedom God gives us.  Think of it this way, the Sabbath was to be a day of rest, but for this women there was no rest.  As long as she was carrying around this burden, she was suffering, her life was hard work not any kind of blessed work.  Jesus sets her free on the Sabbath because that is what the Sabbath was all about – freedom and rest.  Jesus couldn’t wait and he didn’t wait.  He healed her immediately, which told the people then, and tells us today, that there is never a better day to be forgiven than today. 

There is never a better day to celebrate freedom and experience forgiveness than today.  There is no reason why we need to wait to be set free.  There is no reason to carry around this burden one more day.  Today is the day we can experience freedom from sin, and from the guilt and shame that comes with sin.  Today is the day we can forgive ourselves and feel the wonder of new life.

Today is also the Sabbath, which isn’t a day to follow rules but a day to be set free so we can worship God fully.  If you are here today but feeling like you don’t deserve to be here, please don’t leave with the guilt or sin and shame you came in with.  Let the forgiveness of Jesus touch your heart and life so you can be set free.  Hear that God loves you.  Hear that God forgives you, not because we have asked for it or done anything to deserve it, but because more than 2000 years ago there was someone willing to pay the price for our sin.  Jesus took our sin and shame and guilt to the cross so that we could experience the forgiveness that only God can offer.

Today is also a great day to be forgiven because it is Palm Sunday.  Today is the day we remember how Jesus entered Jerusalem with crowds waving palm branches and shouting Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.  Now Hosanna means save us now, so when Jesus entered the city that he day he was agreeing to come and save them, not from the politics of their day, but from sin and death.  When Jesus entered Jerusalem he was agreeing to forgive the people and set them free.

This point is driven home further when we understand that the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem was also known as Lamb Selection Day.  This was the day all the Jewish people went out and chose the lamb they would need to celebrate the Passover.  By entering the city on that day, Jesus was offering himself as the Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.  Jesus was coming to be the one who would sacrifice himself for our sin.  The one willing to die so that we might live.  The crowds shout save us and Jesus says, OK, I will.  He entered the city, laid his life down on the cross, died our death, and then three days later defeated sin and death when he rose from the grave.  He forgave.

So this is the perfect day to allow the forgiveness of Jesus, the Lamb of God, to touch our hearts and lives and set us free because it is the day Jesus entered into Jerusalem saying, I forgive you.

There is no better day and there needs to be no other day.  This is the day that you can experience the forgiveness of Jesus and have your work, your worship and your world filled with the wonder of God’s power and love.  We shout Hosanna.  And Jesus says, here I am and you are forgiven.


 
Next Steps
A forgiveness that sets us free.

Connect with God

• What unforgiven sins and broken relationships weigh you down?  Offer these to God in prayer.
• Jesus forgives us through his death and resurrection.  Read this story in Matthew 26-28.
• Jesus sets us free to worship.  Feel the hands of God lift your head, your heart, and your hands in worship.
• Take time to worship with the church during Holy Week.  Additional opportunities include:  
• The Easter Cantata (this afternoon at 4:00 PM).
• Maundy Thursday Worship (7:00 PM).  
• Good Friday Worship (7:00 PM). 
• Easter Sunrise Worship (6:30 AM).

Connect with the Church

• Jesus sets us free to work.  What work can you contribute to the life of the church?  
• Build relationships with others, and serve those in need, by signing up to help with Serving Our Seniors, April 27.  Sign up in the lobby or online at www.bellefontefaith.com/sos/.  

Connect with the World

• Who do you know that might be feeling burdened by life, or sin, and needs the love of God?  Invite them to worship with you on Easter.  
• Invite a person, or family, to join you for a meal over the Easter holiday.  

The Forgiveness of Jesus - A Forgiveness that brings a Second Chance

1986 was my year of failure.  I graduated from college with a degree in Telecommunications / TV production (that wasn’t the failure) but I had no work experience and no contacts, which meant I had no job.  After a few months of being unemployed, I went to work with some friends at a summer camp, which closed early because the owners decided they didn’t want to run a Christian camp, they would rather sell their land and make a lot of money.

So I traveled across country with the plan of landing in LA and finding a job in the TV industry.  I have shared that disaster story a few times.  I was truly a fish out of water, and couldn’t figure out what to do in LA, so finally asked my parents to send me some money so I could return home, which I did.  I still couldn’t find a job, so a few months later I moved to South Bend IN, and lived with my sister and her family because there was a large Christian TV station in the area and I thought that I might be able to get a job there.  I applied and I was turned down.  I applied for several other jobs in business and was turned down.  I finally landed a job in the TV industry.  I sold cable TV subscriptions door to door.

Yes, for several months I was a door to door salesman.  Not only did I not like the job, but I wasn’t very good at it.  I had a 3 month probation and about 2 months in I started looking for another job because I wasn’t happy.  When I found a new job I went to my boss and gave my two weeks’ notice.  He said, oh I’m so glad to hear that because we were going to tell you that we just didn't think this was the right job for you.  In other words, I was going to be fired.

It was not a good year for me.  I failed in jobs, and in finding jobs.  I failed in picking good places to live and making good choices for my future, but here is what I learned.  My failures were not final.  My poor choices didn’t determine my future.  I was given a second chance, a third chance, another chance, and that is what we see so clearly in the forgiveness of Jesus – it always gives us a second chance.


It was the forgiveness of Jesus that gave Peter a second chance, actually, it was a third or fourth chance actually, so maybe we need to say that the forgiveness of Jesus gave Peter another chance.  In the hours leading up to Jesus’ arrest, trail, and crucifixion, Peter boldly said that no matter what, he would be faithful and stand with Jesus.  Mark 14:27-31.  No matter what happens Jesus, I am with you.  That was Peter’s promise, his commitment, but it wasn’t long before he failed, not once, not twice, but three times.

First Jesus led his disciples into the garden of Gethsemane where he asked them to pray with him.  He specifically took Peter, James, and John with him and asked them to stay awake and pray with him.  But they didn’t, they fell asleep.  Peter fell asleep.  Failure #1.

Then Judas arrived in the garden and with a kiss he pointed Jesus out as the one the religious leaders were looking to arrest.  Jesus was arrested and when he was, Peter didn’t stay with him, and he didn’t demand to go along, in fact it says that he, along with the rest of the disciples, deserted Jesus.  They ran away.  Failure #2.

But we need to give Peter some credit because he decided to follow along in the shadows to see what was going on, and he soon settled into a courtyard where he could listen to Jesus being questioned by the religious leaders.  While there, Peter was identified and asked if he was one of Jesus followers, and not once, or twice, but three times Peter emphatically denied it.  Failure #3.
Mark 14:66-71.

3 times Peter failed Jesus, and the third time he failed Jesus 3 times, and if this was the end of the story, the message would be that our failures are final, and we are finished.  But this is not the end of the story.  Fast forward a few days and Jesus rose from the grave and appeared to his disciples.  By coming to them, Jesus was offering them forgiveness, and a second chance to follow him, but then Jesus went out of his way to forgive Peter, and the way Jesus offered forgiveness makes clear that forgiveness brings us all another chance.

So let’s look at that story.  After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his followers at different times and in different places.  One of those places was along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and the time was when the disciples had decided to go fishing.  They were out in the boat and had not caught anything when Jesus appeared.  He told them to cast their nets off the other side of the boat, which they did, and it was then that they hauled in a huge catch of fish.  This miracle told them it was Jesus on the shore, so Peter jumped into the water to get to Jesus as quickly as possible.  When he arrived, Jesus had made them breakfast by cooking some fish over a fire, and it was after breakfast, sitting by the fire, that Jesus asked Peter some questions.  John 21:15-17.

3 times Peter had been questioned by a fire and asked if he knew Jesus, and 3 times he said no.  Three times he had failed.  Now, 3 times by a fire, Peter is asked if he loves Jesus, truly loves him, and 3 times he says yes, and then Jesus invites Peter to once again be part of God’s work in the world.  Feed my lambs.  Care for my sheep.  3 times Peter failed, and 3 times Peter was forgiven, and the forgiveness of Jesus opened the door for Peter to once again be a follower of Jesus, and a leader in the movement of Jesus.

The forgiveness of Jesus not only wipes away the failure of our past, it restores our relationship with God, which opens the door to our future.  The forgiveness of Jesus gives us a second chance.  This is a beautiful story, but it is not unique.  In fact, this is the ongoing story of God’s relationship with the world.  Adam and Eve failed, but God gave them a second chance.  There were consequences to their disobedience, but God didn’t toss them aside forever, he continued to care for them.

Abraham failed God several times, and yet God forgave him and gave him another chance.  Moses failed God, and yet God gave him a second chance, a third chance, and a fourth chance.  David failed God, and yet God didn’t depose him as king but worked with him as he moved forward.  Jonah was asked by God to be a prophet and he said no and ran away.  God then forgave him and gave him a second chance.  Peter failed and was given a second chance.

The apostle Paul was given a second chance.  Paul began his life persecuting the followers of Jesus until the day Jesus appeared to him and called him to change his ways.  Paul accepted that forgiveness, and Jesus gave him a second chance at being faithful to God, and being a leader among God’s people.   

Giving second chances has always been the story of God.  God loves us enough to forgive us and with that forgiveness comes reconciliation, restoration and a second chance.  God loves us enough to always forgive us and always want us to start over again.  It’s not one and done with God.  It’s not even three strikes and you’re out, with God, our failures, our sin, is never final, because the forgiveness of Jesus always brings with it another chance at life, another chance at faith, and another chance at a future with God.

Being given a second chance by God means that we also need to give serious and faithful thought to giving a second chance to others.  I want to be clear and say here that we are not Jesus, so there will be some situations where we have been offended so violently, or the person who has failed us is so dysfunctional, that walking away is the best course of action.  Forgiveness can mean simply walking away from a toxic situation.  But for most situations in our lives, forgiveness means giving people another chance.

It was actually Peter who asked Jesus how many times we should forgive someone.  He asked Jesus if we should forgive someone 7 times, because that would have been seen as being very generous.  To give someone 7 chances to get it right should be enough, and then we can stop forgiving, right?   Wrong.  Jesus said, not 7 times, but 70 x 70 times.  Jesus didn’t mean 4,900 times, but all the time.  We should always be willing to give people another chance. 


While this is the standard and the example Christ has set for us, we live in a very broken and complex world.  There are times when it is best to forgive and walk away, and in these situations, forgiveness means letting go of the offense and not looking for revenge or restitution.  Forgiveness doesn’t mean we have to give others another chance to hurt us, but it does call for us to think deeply and pray about what God wants for us, and from us, and for the other person.  As much as it is possible, and safe, and healthy, we need to consider extending to everyone another chance.

Today we once again share in communion.  When Jesus first gathered with his disciples at this table, he knew they were going to fail him, desert him, and deny him, and yet, Jesus welcomed them, so at the table he was giving them another chance.

After his resurrection, Jesus shared several more meals with his disciples, and at each meal he took food, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to those gathered there, and each time Jesus did this it was a reminder of this meal, and Jesus was saying once again, I forgive you.  I give you another chance.

Each time we come to the table, we come as sinners who have failed to love God with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength.  Each time we come to the table we come as sinners who have failed to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Each time we come to the table, the forgiveness of Jesus gives us another chance to love God fully and love others faithfully.  The forgiveness of Jesus meets us here again today, and in the bread, and in the cup, we are forgiven, and given a second chance.  And a third chance.  In the bread and in the cup, in the forgiveness of Jesus, we are given another chance.


Next Steps
Forgiveness brings a second chance.

Connect with God
• Peter failed Jesus three times, and the third time he failed three times. Read his story in Matthew 26:36-75.
• In what ways have you failed to stay with Jesus and stand with Jesus?
• Confess to God these and other failures.
• In silence, sit with God. Thank Him for another chance.
• Identify one way you can make Jesus the center of your life this week.

Connect with the Church
• Pray for the church to be a community that offers people a second chance.
• How can you help make this happen?
• Continue to pray for someone you can invite to our Holy Week worship services.
• Set aside time to worship with the church during Holy Week.  (Special times include the Easter Cantata, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunrise.)

Connect with the World
• Offer your time to a mission in our community that offers a second chance.
• What neighbor, coworker, friend, or family member is looking for you to give them a second chance?
• Pray for the ability to forgive them.
• Find one way to bless our community between now and Easter.
• Give your time and energy to Serving our Seniors.  (Sign up in the lobby or online)