Those of you readers from my St. Paul's years know that I was inclined to digress from the lectionary during January and even into February for sermon series on various topics. This allowed me to address the Sermon on the Mount or the Lord's Prayer over a number of weeks rather than touch down for one week and then move on. One year I let the congregation choose the sermon topics based on a survey of key issues which had emerged in the previous year. I did series on hospitality and prayer as well. It was good for me because I want to stay engaged and fresh, and I hope it was good for the congregation.
This year I will take more than two and less than five Sundays (I haven't got it nailed down yet!) to ponder forgiveness. While I have done a couple of study series on forgiveness, I haven't preached a succession of sermons. But I have preached a lot on the topic! I found nine or ten sermons from the past and was pleasantly surprised by my evolving theology of forgiveness. While I won't preach any of those sermons verbatim, I will plagiarize myself because I think I had things to say worth repeating.
I do know that forgiveness sermons have elicited the greatest response over time, most often in relation to family issues. It's probably because family members just don't go away. Even when we claim that we have divorced a partner or are done with a rogue sibling or distanced ourselves from a demanding parent they haunt us. Forgiveness may be a bigger deal for Christians because we feel guilty when we just can't or won't do it. Righteous anger often burns brightly and persistently and our un-forgiveness stays in the closet.
One elderly and wise study group member once observed that I should do doctoral studies in the field of forgiveness because it obviously intrigued me deeply. I have thought about a number of other subjects, but what could be more important? In his book Unconditional Brian Zahnd affirms that forgiveness is at the heart of Christianity and I certainly agree.
Do you struggle with forgiveness? From God? For others? Have you achieved forgiveness or do you still have the training wheels on?I figure I will always be a wobbly beginner. Are you ready for some forgiveness sermons or will you be washing your hair those Sundays?
5 comments:
Would be nice if you could post your sermon audio on-line!
We had a family movie outing the other day to see Saving Mr Banks. Although my youngest, now 10, dedicated 2 years of her early life to watching Mary Poppins, this current movie that tells the story of how the author and Walt Disney collaborated to create the timeless musical, is really a movie for adults. I tell this because, Emma Thompson, who plays the prim, set in her ways, author Mrs P.L. Travers holds onto a painful past which has limited her living greatly, and at risk of spoiling the plot I will share what I found such
a profound single word that began her personal
healing:...... "enough"...The simple word so clearly
reminded me that we hurt ourselves most in our
inability to forgive.
Rarely get to movies, but this holiday also saw
Philomena and couldn't help but notice both had
brilliant leading ladies, both were ultimately about
forgiveness but one the tale of an unhappy woman
who struggled deeply with forgiveness and the other
of a beautiful soul who chose forgiveness quite freely
even towards those who robbed her of so much.
I do find forgiveness both thought provoking and
personally challenging. Our approach to this act, I
think affects our whole life and being.
Forgiveness - probably the most important topic in Christian theology - I wash my hair every Sunday, David, but I never miss worship unless I am sick or out of town on vacation, or visiting family and friends... I shall be there!
David, I have enjoyed your sermons on forgiveness and as it is a topic close to everyone's heart I am sure your sermons were well received. A weighty topic for sure and one that I did struggle with for years. I have found peace in forgiveness/acceptance of what will be and what I can or can not change. I truly believe that self forgiveness is the key and once we can forgive and love ourselves the road is so much easier for us. Why carry that heavy burden, forgive and move on and lighten the load, we don't need to hold on to that baggage, put it down and you will be surprised how much easier and fulfilling the journey is. Our perception is our reality, we do not always know what the other person is going through and what causes reactions, we need to act before reacting and if we act with kindness and understanding and put ourselves in their place we will be in a much better place for it.
I think I'm getting better with forgiveness, but definitely have room for improvement. I guess the connotation of forgiveness(for me) is letting someone "off the hook" for their misdeeds, or somehow saying it was okay.
Ultimately, I remind myself that forgiveness is my way of letting things go so I can be happy. Whether that is really forgiveness or perhaps just putting my head in the sand is debatable.
I echo Geo's comment. David, I enjoyed your discussions on forgiveness at St. Paul's, and it would be great if were able to access your sermon on line.
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