How Can I Forgive? - Genesis 45:3-15

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

A well-intentioned, but either naïve or simply foolish, individual coined the popular phrase, “Forgive and forget.” I submit that this phrase has been used to the detriment of many Christian consciences by laying a terrible burden upon them. Now, it’s relatively easy to forgive and forget someone who took your lunch out of the fridge at the office, or who didn’t return your favorite pen in 4^th period English. It’s no big deal to forgive your spouse who stole the covers the other evening, or your brother who left the toilet paper on the counter instead of reloading the toilet paper holder. We forgive and forget those little things, those little offenses, those little inconveniences all the time. On the “sin spectrum,” if I may use such an image, they are way down on the small-time sins. We forgive, and we soon forget these sin-misdemeanors.

But what about the big stuff? How do you forgive the drunk driver who ran into your car, or forget the fact that he killed your husband and left you in the hospital by yourself for three weeks? How do you forgive and forget that your spouse who was hooking up with your neighbor while you were out of town on business trips? How do you forgive your alcoholic parents who spent more time with Jim Beam and Captain Morgan then with you at a ballgame or a band concert? How do you forgive your best friend, the one you told all your secrets to, only to find out they have been spreading your story all across Instagram and Snapchat and Facebook so that everyone, it seems, at school knows and laughs and points at you while walking down the hall? How do you forgive and forget that someone once looked you right in the face and said, “I think it was a mistake that the church called you as pastor…”

“Pastor, how am I supposed to forgive him for what he did?” “She hurt me so deeply, how can I ever forgive her?” These questions that weigh heavily on the Christian conscience. After all, we know we are to forgive. We know God’s command, repeated over and over in Scripture, to forgive. We pray it in the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our trespasses,” but the next phrase drives a cold dagger of fear into our hearts, “…as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  

Perhaps we should pause for a moment and consider the word forgiveness.  When we speak of forgiveness, it may be helpful to think of this in the terms of surrender. When you forgive your neighbor, you are surrendering the right to get even, to take justice into your own hands, to exact revenge. Forgiveness isn’t saying “forget about it,” or to pretend it didn’t happen. Forgiveness can fully acknowledge there is hurt and pain and suffering and loss at the hands of another person – in fact, that might be necessary so the other person can repent and confess what they have done. But forgiveness surrenders the right to even the score.

So what does forgiveness look like. If there was ever a Man who should have held a grudge, who should have gotten even, this Man was it. He was betrayed by his brothers. They were jealous for the attention their Brother was getting; they were envious of the looks, the gifts, the love bestowed upon Him. They had to do something to prevent the Brother from getting it all – from their losing their place in the household! – so they conspired against Him and sold the Brother out. The Brother was tied up and hauled away, to be forgotten and discarded. When asked about their Brother, the brothers lied. Meanwhile, the Brother was sold for a slave’s price. His Sonship stripped from Him, He was made a servant. He didn’t grumble or complain; He didn’t lash out at those who held Him. Then, as a faithful Servant, He was lied against. Sinless, He was condemned and locked up for someone else’s sin. He was abandoned, forgotten, and alone, buried away to die. Yet, He forgives even these brothers.

How could He forgive what His brothers had done? How could He surrender His right for justice, for revenge, when those brothers cost Him so much – His place at the Father’s table, His rightful inheritance, His home, His innocence, His very life? How could this Brother forgive those who had sinned against Him?

Let’s go back to that word, forgiveness, for a second. There’s another synonym for forgiveness that might be helpful. That word is redeem. Forgiveness – redemption - isn’t easy; it’s not cheap; it’s not free.  Forgiveness – redemption - costs the forgiveness-giver a terribly high price. Forgiveness is a bloody event. It takes a life to forgive. It takes Jesus, who purchased and won us from all sins and from death and the devil, not with gold or silver, but with his own precious blood.  In a real sense, to forgive is to say that the sin-debt owed to you is already paid.

So, let’s go back to the Bible story for a second. How could the brother forgive, redeem, his brothers? Oh…wait…you thought I was talking about Joseph, didn’t you and how he forgave the brothers who sold him down the river? No…I’m not talking about Joseph. I’m talking about Jesus. He was betrayed by His fellow Israelites. The Jewish leaders, the Pharisees and Saducees and priests were jealous of Him. They conspired against Jesus, going so far as to purchase His life with 30 pieces of silver – the price of a common slave – hiring one of Jesus’ own disciples to be a traitor. Jesus, who left His Father’s side in Heaven, descended to earth and took on human form to be among us, to live as a servant. When He was arrested and put on a mock trial, He didn’t grumble or complain. He didn’t lash out at any of His captors, prosecutors or persecutors – even when they lied about Him and against Him. He was condemned, stripped, beaten, humiliated, nailed to the cross, and then suspended between heaven and earth, rejected by both God and man. He suffered the sinner’s death in the worst way that sinners have ever devised --- not only physically, with the crucifixion, but spiritually as well, being abandoned by His own Father.

How could Jesus utter those words, “Father, forgive them…”? Because everything Jesus did was done to redeem, to buy back the sinner and to pay for each and every sin committed. For the coworker who stole your lunch, for the classmate who stole your favorite pen; for your spouse who stole your covers, for your brother whose actions frustrated you. For the drunk driver, for the murderer, for the adulterer, for the alcoholic, for gossip, for the vindictive, for each of those people who sinned against you, out of His great love for mankind, while we were still sinners, Jesus died to redeem them in the eyes of God.

But it’s not just them – those who sinned against you – for whom Jesus died. He also died for your sins. The time you knowingly walked out of the grocery store with the extra cash that was accidentally handed you; the time you ogled the youthful beautiful bodies at the beach while your spouse snoozed next to you under the umbrella; the time you lied about your teacher or gossiped about your boss; the time you swore at your child and the time you cursed at your parents. Jesus didn’t just die for “those” wicked and awful sinners out there…He died for the wicked and awful sinners in here, and for the wicked and awful sinner in your mirror. And, with His blood as the redemption price, with His life traded for your life, God sees all of your sins covered in the blood of Jesus. When Jesus speaks to His Father on your behalf, He doesn’t say “forget about it,” He says, “forgive it…I died for him; I died for her.” And, in repentance, we surrender our sins to Christ; and in mercy and compassion, Christ floods us with forgiveness.

So, how does a Christian forgive? In a real sense of the word, you don’t. It’s not your forgiveness to give. When you say you forgive, what you are doing is relaying, sharing, the forgiveness that has been given to you by Christ. When you forgive the one who has sinned against you, you are saying – in effect – that Christ has died for you and forgiven you and He has died for me and forgiven me. What right do I have to hold against you what Christ has forgiven? You aren’t redeeming – the redemption has been done – but you are surrendering…you surrender your will to Christ’s. Instead of holding onto your neighbor’s sins and your seeming right to judge and hold it against them, you surrender to Christ’s willingness to forgive your neighbor.

Too often, though, our forgiveness is frequently conditional: “I’ll forgive, but…” It comes pre-loaded with grief: “I’ll forgive him when he’s good and sorry…” It comes with strings attached: “I’ll forgive her when she understands the pain she caused me.” Repent. Repent of your sin of prideful arrogance that someone owes you an equal pain or loss. Repent of your self-justification of being judge and jury against a fellow sinner, as if their penance will earn your forgiveness. Forgiveness is surrender, remember? Surrender your pride and ask for forgiveness for yourself. Surrender your judgement and instead, be a deliverer of  forgiveness.

Now, obviously, there are a million scenarios where giving and receiving forgiveness is involved, and I can’t touch them all in a sermon. If this is you, if you are struggling with how to forgive, or with your own burdens that need to be forgiven, I would count it an honor and privilege to visit with you in the name of Christ.

So, how do you forgive? Every day. Every day, just as you ask God’s forgiveness and mercy for yourself, every day you share the same forgiveness to others. But what about the BIG sins, the ones that hurt so badly…how do you forgive that? Begin in prayer, asking God to soften your heart. Confessing your weakness, that you are unable to forgive as much as you want to. And, note: there’s a difference between I want to, but can’t forgive because the hurt is too deep and I won’t forgive because I want to get even. The former is confessed and surrendered to Christ; the latter is held in contempt and arrogance. And, here’s something that I found helps: pray for the one who has sinned against you. Not about that person, complaining to God how bad he or she is, but put yourself in his or her shoes and pray for them…for their work, their marriage, their children, their fears, their needs. When you do that, something amazing happens: the Holy Spirit softens your own heart and you start to see that individual as a brother or sister in Christ, again, and less and less your enemy. That doesn’t mean forgiveness will be easy – if we could ask Joseph, I am sure he had moments where the memories of his brothers selling him would flare to mind. There are moments from my past that I have trouble forgiving, still. Repent, pray, and forgive again.

And, look forward to the day when all sins will be crushed and destroyed, where they will be nothing but a forgotten part of our previous lives. On the day of the resurrection of all flesh all of this will be eliminated. Instead of having to forgive, you will simply live in the fulness of God’s mercy, grace, and forgiveness in Christ.

"Yes - I believe in the resurrection!" - 1 Cor. 15:1-20

Grace to you and peace from God our Father And from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The text is the Epistle from 1 Cor. 15 read a few moments ago.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall laugh,” St. Luke wrote. Last Saturday, I didn’t feel much like laughing. The extended Meyer family was gathered at Desert Foothills Lutheran Church in Scottsadale, AZ. We were there to lay the remains of my Uncle Bill to rest. Uncle Bill was the oldest of Dad’s brothers. At the age of 78 years, nine months, and fifteen days, Uncle Bill joined my dad, Uncle Fred, and Aunt Loraine, resting from their labors and asleep in Jesus. Of the remaining family, one of dad’s brothers was there with his wife and two adult children; one of dad’s sisters was there with her husband; another sister was there without her husband; one of my cousins was also there. My mom and I rounded out the immediate family. Two sisters and a brother and his wife were unable to make it. We had all arrived in Arizona to join my aunt and her three daughters with husbands and children to place Uncle Bill’s ashes in the crematorium located in the church memorial garden.

As we stood there in the courtyard, my Uncle Tom, one of the brothers-in-law, led the private service of commendation for the Reverend Doctor William F. Meyer. We prayed, we sang “Beautiful Savior,” and we listened to the Scriptures read. Uncle Tom gave a brief devotion. We sang “Abide With Me.” Then Uncle Tom said these words: “We now commend Bill’s remains to this resting place. May God the Father who created Bill’s body; may God the Son who redeemed Bill’s body with His own precious blood; may God the Holy Spirit, who sanctified Bill’s body in the waters of Holy Baptism, keep these remains until the day of the resurrection of all flesh.” And, with a final sign of the cross and the benediction spoken over the family, we left the sacred ground behind.

There are many things I do not understand. I don’t understand how airplanes fly. If you ask a physicist, they would tell you curved wing plus thrust equals lift, but to me, it remains magic how those big birds fly. Yet, I trusted Southwest to get me from Austin to Phoenix and back because physics says it will work. I don’t understand math that is higher than middle-school pre-algebra. I joke that the reason I became a pastor is so I could never be elected a church treasurer. Our daughter in college does math problems with more letters than the Post Office. I don’t understand how one dog can make such a mess in the back yard. But, truly, I don’t understand how a person can live through the death of a loved one without the promise and the certainty of the resurrection of the body because of Christ.

But, what if…what if there was no resurrection? What if there was no resurrection? If that were true, then the last breath and the final heartbeat would be it; the grave would be the final destination, and the closing of the casket would be the terrible “THE END” of life. And, if there was no resurrection, then there would be no resurrection for Jesus, either. The Easter victory would be an erstwhile joke. Without Christ’s resurrection, there is no resurrection for those who believe in Jesus, either. The church would be filled with fools and, of all people, Christians would be the most miserable, pitied chumps ever seen. If there was no resurrection, everything the church taught, everything preached by Paul, and Peter, and Luther, and all of the pastors who have stood in Zion’s pulpits over the years, everything that Christians have died for, what has been confessed by all of you and your parents and my Uncle Bill, and everything I have preached and taught, would all be, at best, a sad punchline; at worst, an out-and-out lie. And, an even greater folly would be that God Himself would be a liar for it would be His promise that His people believed, from Old Testament thru New Testament to today, that would be exposed as the terrible untruth. And, if there was no resurrection, if there was no resurrection of Christ, then there would be no reason to believe in forgiveness of sins, or eternity with God, or peace being restored. No…if there was no resurrection, then, as Paul said, there would be only death. The curse of Eden would have blossomed from the tree of knowledge of good and evil into the blackest flower of death.

And, if that were true, what would we be left with? A quasi-hope, a pseudo-hope, a faux hope of the life we have this side of the grave…well, that’s not much hope, is it? Hope without certainty, hope without joy, hope without “Amen!” is no hope at all. If that were true, what a hope-less way to live. If that were true, what a hope-less way to die. It’s pitiful.

If Christ had not been raised from death, our faith would be in vain
Our preaching but a waste of breath, our sin and guilt remain.
But now the Lord is ris’n indeed; He rules in hearth and heaven:
His Gospel meets a world of need – in Christ, we are forgiven. (LSB 486.1)

Did you hear that little word Paul, and the hymnwriter, included? But! Paul has  been making an argument from the negative to prove the positive. If this were true, then that would be true. Then, he shifts: He’s moving from the realm of “what if” to the world of certainty. “But, in fact…”  It’s as if he’s using a rhetorical statement, “If all of that were true, that there was no resurrection, then it would be bad news. But it’s not true, is it? In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead!”

God’s promises are, in fact, fulfilled with resurrection. From the “he will crush your head” of Genesis 3 to Jesus declaration, “Destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days,” to “He is not here – He is risen as He said,” the resurrection is not a “what if” moment. It’s a “this is most certainly true!” moment. There is Easter; there is resurrection; there is eternal life. 

Need evidence? Want to be sure this is not another “what if?” Don’t just take my word for it. Look to Jesus. He’s the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Firstfruits: firstfruits are the initial crop; it implies that more will follow. It’s the beginning with a promise of more to come. It’s the initial harvest; more will be brought into the larder. Because of Christ’s resurrection, those who believe in Him will likewise be raised. Because of Christ’s resurrection, those who have been baptized into Him will be raised. Because of Christ’s resurrection, those who have fallen asleep in Him will be raised. Because of Christ’s resurrection, because He has conquered sin, death and hell in His resurrection, because of Christ, the faithful will be resurrected as well.

Because of Christ. What a difference those three words make when facing the harsh reality of death, the ridged coldness of the casket, and the dark depth of the grave. Because of Christ, death of the body is now a rest, a peaceful “soul-sleep” if you will. Because of Christ, the casket is the place where the body waits. The grave is temporary. Remember: Christ is the firstfruit. He’s gone through death and the grave first. And, in His resurrection He has conquered death and has blown open the grave.

If Christ still lay within the tomb, then death would be the end,
And we would face our final doom with neither guide nor friend.
But now the Savior is raised up, so when a Christian dies
We mourn, yet look to God in hope – in Christ, the saints arise. (LSB 486.2)

Last Saturday, when we left the church, we went to my cousin’s house where we gathered for several hours of visiting, enjoying each other’s company, and swapping stories. And we did laugh. But that laughter was just a foreshadowing, a foretaste, of the laughter that will take place on the great day of resurrection when Christ returns. You’ll meet my Uncle Bill and I’ll meet your Aunt Myrtle; our fathers and mothers will stand side by side and, if there are recipes in the resurrection, they’ll be swapping ‘em. Can you begin to imagine the joyous laughter that will ring through each and every cemetery and crematorium and church yard, a great harvest of the faithful who follow after Christ, the firstfuits? Oh, blessed will be those who have mourned, for they will be laughing and laughing and laughing with eternal joy.

If Christ had not been truly raised, His Church would live a lie;
His name should nevermore be praised, His words deserve to die.
But now our great Redeemer lives; through Him we are restored;
His Word endures, His Church revives, in Christ, our risen Lord. (LSB 486.3)

Cleaning up the Contact List

Every now and then, I scroll through my contacts and clean up the list. I save numbers, sometimes, for short-term need, and don't always remember to dump them later. Sometimes, needs change - we move to different doctors, for example, and don't need those older numbers any longer. And, I also thin out numbers from where we used to live. I usually keep a lean contact list.

The other evening I was doing that, planning to delete our old dentist's number. As I scrolled through, I came across two names whose numbers are no longer needed. At first I was going to delete them, but when I tapped their names, and their information came up, I just couldnt do it.

The first name was my friend and old boss, Raymond. He died last fall. His memorial service was the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I had spoken with him a few weeks prior to his death and it was still in my "history" under his name: when I had called, how long the call lasted, his home number and his cell number. He had used his cell phone. We talked 54 minutes and 34 seconds.

The second name was my Uncle Bill. He passed last week after a very prolonged illness. When I was at Seminary in St. Louis, he and Aunt Sharon provided a home away from home for my wife and I, as well as a voice (and ear) of wisdom and encouragement in church work struggles. His contact information was woefully outdated - he and Aunt Sharon had recently moved; I still had his St. Louis number in my phone. But, I also had his email and we corresponded that way a couple times last fall. That was in the "history" - four emails, two outbound, two received, with the subject heading.

And, when push came to shove, or more accurately, delete or not delete: that is the question, I couldn't do it. I know it seems ridiculous. They were just electronic bits of data, and that phone number and that email would never be used again. There were no voice mails, or even pictures of these two men. But they stood for something:  I wouldn't hear a Raymond story, or get Uncle Bill nuggets of wisdom again. Those two contacts - those two history reminders - are there. And, even though they'll never be used again, they will remain. They are taking up an iota of Google's seemingly infinite, vast domain. But in my heart, and in my memory, they are large...larger than 54 minutes and four emails. They are part of me and for what these two men gave me, I'll be grateful.

An Extraordinary, Ordinary Day - Luke 4:31-37

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Do you notice how ordinary most days are? Get up, make the coffee, make lunches; shower, shampoo and shave; get dressed, go to work, do your thing; come home, make dinner, eat dinner, do the chores, do the homework, and go to bed. Lather, rinse, repeat. Most days are pretty routine and ordinary.

It was just an ordinary day for Jesus. A little travel, a little teaching, a little preaching, a little visiting. Oh, yes – He does all of these things with authority and it amazes those who are around and listening, but even that is a somewhat ordinary reaction when Jesus is there.

Ordinary is, well, ordinary…until it isn’t.

Our ordinary days get interrupted by lots of things. As I am was writing this sermon, my life was interrupted by news that my uncle passed away. My dad’s family of dad plus four brothers and five sisters is now four sisters and two brothers. The generation is slowly passing from this life of waiting to being asleep in Jesus. Your ordinary days get interrupted by all sorts of things, as well – flowers from your spouse, sick kids, an unexpected buy-one-get-one-free deal, you forgot today is the algebra test, a speeding ticket, recognition for a job well done. Some interruptions are pleasant; some aren’t so much.

Jesus’ ordinary day is interrupted by the devil. The devil arrives, in the form of this demon-possessed man. It’s loud, obnoxious, and when he starts hollering, yelling, and carrying on, everyone notices. He’s an attention getter, that devil. Maybe I should say he’s an attention magnet – he wants to pull everyone’s attention away from Jesus.

You know this, don’t you? The devil comes at us, trying to get out attention. He does it a little less flamboyantly, though, than he did in the Capernaum synagogue. He knows that if he were to show up as, say, a man in a red suit with a pitchfork you would be savvy enough to tell him to get behind you and begone. So, he doesn’t do that. Instead, he practices being subversive…he sneaks in on the periphery, in our low moments, when we cease listening to the Word of the Lord and instead are listening to the siren songs that wail around us. Sometimes he does it through very worldly ways.

·       It’s getting close to tax time. You know, he whispers, the government has no business using your tax dollars to fund abortions. Why, cheating on your taxes…that’s practically a Christian thing to do!

·       Sometimes the lies are in the form of dignity – or righteous indignation, whichever the case might be. He says, it’s your right to make those choices, it’s your personality, it’s your freedom to show someone how good you are…yeah, at his or her expense.

Sometimes, he tries to argue that God’s out to get you…wants to destroy you, like he says in this morning’s text.

·       He comes to tell you that with your particular sins, there’s no way God can forgive you. Surely, a Christian – a baptized child of God – wouldn’t have done such a thing as what you are trying to hide.

·       He tries to convince you that his persuasive powers are more powerful than the word of the Lord – that somehow God is lying but he, the devil, is telling you the truth.

·       Sometimes he assures you that, yes, you are forgiven of your past sins, but because you remain stuck in those sins and keep repeating them over and over – and over – your future forgiveness is in doubt.

·       Or, a slight variation on that one is since you can’t seem to beat ‘em, you may as well join ‘em, because – after all – you are baptized, so God has to forgive you, right?

Jesus has several ways of responding. Sometimes, He rebukes satan. He calls him out with the very Word of God. Satan tries to use that Word against us, so Jesus does the same to him. You’ll see this in a few weeks when Jesus, Himself, is tempted by Satan. But in today’s text, Jesus gives the devil the silent treatment. That is to say, He silences the devil’s voice with just a word: Silence! Jesus doesn’t need a satanic voice to be his mouthpiece, telling the crowd that He is the Holy One of God. No…Jesus will use others for that purpose of witness and proclamation. The devil doesn’t get that privilege. Jesus shuts him up and out.

On vicarage, my internship year, I had a teenager tell me in Bible class that she thought the devil was just a figment of the church’s collective imagination, something made up to keep kids in line. A sadistic Santa Claus, if you will. This is wrong thinking; this is dangerous thinking. Do not misunderstand me. The devil is real. He is our enemy. We ignore the devil at great peril.

But, while we must respect him you should never be terrified of him. Don’t ever think you are hopeless, helpless, and impotent if he draws near to you. Never forget this: the devil has been defeated. He has been placed under the authority of our Lord. Jesus has put satan in his place, under His authority - His authority of Who He is and Whose He is: He is the Word of God, the author of life, the Word  that created life, that spoke all things into existence and who brings life back from the grave that satan thought belonged to him.

Christ’s authority rests on this: He is God. His authority rests in what He has done to rescue us from satan’s power. His authority was demonstrated when Jesus took sin and satan, death and the grave on their own terms. He has died. He has risen. Christ is the conquerer. Therefore, sin and satan, death and the grave have no authority over Jesus.

And because you are baptized into Christ, because you are baptized into Christ’s death and Christ’s resurrection, you are covered in the authority of Christ and satan...well, he has no authority over you, either.

Isn’t it interesting – the Jesus who silenced the demons with one word, allowed Himself to be pushed, pushed, pushed, seemingly powerless to stop the devil. But, finally, He drew the line through the cross and stopped at the tomb. He let Himself be pushed into the tomb because that is where were – held captive, kidnapped by satan. Jesus took the battle to the depths of hell to proclaim His victory, satan’s defeat, and your rescue.

So, today is a routine day. We gather for Bible study and for worship. We’ll go eat and we’ll go grocery shop. We’ll visit someone who’s sick and we’ll call someone who is lonely. We’ll speak a word of comfort and a word of hope, offer a prayer for strength and a prayer for healing. And, through you, as in Capernaum, the Word of the Lord continues to be spread. We walk along side those to whom the devil is whispering all those lies we mentioned earlier and we’ll not whisper, but proclaim. Through you and I, the Word continues to be delivered in our homes and in our community; the Word that tells of the devil’s defeat and Christ’s conquering; the certainty of sins forgiven and eternity won, seen through the mouth of the empty tomb of Jesus.

We speak and breath the word of life into a world of death. The authority of Jesus stands behind us. The authority of Jesus rests in us, in the Word we speak. Do not let satanic deception distract us. Don’t underestimate him, or his subtlety, but don’t forget who won the battle and the war or where our Lord, under His authority, has sent His enemies.

The devil was not allowed to repeat it, but you can, you may, you will say it: Jesus is the Master, the One who has conquered all. He is the Messiah, the Holy One of God.