Sermon - 2013-03-20

The Lord’s Prayer is one of those all encompassing prayers that you can pray whenever you need to.  The prayer was taught to the disciples within the Garden of Gethsemane. However, the prayer is one that embraces Jewish teaching from many of the Old Testament books.  With Jesus giving this prayer to the disciples, we bear witness to full knowledge that Jesus holds of the teaching from God. Even the unique relationship that we have with God now, that he is present among us.  Within this great prayer, there is one line that I would like to focus on for this season.  “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

First, we should probably talk about the word trespasses.  We often think of it in the verb form: Enter the owner's land or property without permission.  Yet it is also a noun: A voluntary wrongful act against the person or property of another, especially. unlawful entry to a person's land or property without their permission. I know, this is not English class. It is important for us to know because it is something that we have done, an action.   While we are doing it, it may seem like the right thing to do. Yet it is not until afterwards, when we get to see the bigger picture and understand the results of our actions.  Then we see that we have done harm against someone else.  “But I didn’t mean to”, while that may be the case, the deed was still done.

For many of us, there are times we wish we could have a do over.  Some point that we could go back to and do things differently.  For many of us, we are our own worst critics and enemies.  We hold things over ourselves more so than those around us do.  Yet there are other times, people do not let us forget what we have done. However, forgiveness is something that we do, not only for the person receiving forgiveness but for ourselves. It is for that reason that we ask God to forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Luther helps us to understand this as: We ask in this prayer that our Father in heaven would not hold our sins against us and because of them refuse to hear our prayer.  We pray that he would give us everything by grace, for we sin every day and deserve nothing but punishment.  So, we on our part will heartily forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.

Jesus actually tells a parable to help us better understand this.  When the rich man forgives a servant a debt, but the servant holds his fellow servant accountable for the debt that is owed to him.  The rich man causes the servant to repay in full.  The servant could not understand forgiveness had been given to him, and was not willing to share that with others. So what has our modern world taught us about the benefits of forgiving ourselves and others?  With all our scientific understanding, is there a good reason to forgive?  

There are actually several good reasons to do just that. I was reading an article produced by the Mayo Clinic and they listed these as benefits of forgiving others and yourself:

• Healthier relationships
• Greater spiritual and psychological well-being
• Less anxiety, stress and hostility
• Lower blood pressure
• Fewer symptoms of depression
• Lower risk of alcohol and substance abuse

How does it make for a healthier relationships?  When you forgive someone you are not condoning what they are doing, but you are working with them in helping them become a better person within the community.  You are allowing that person to acknowledge the wrong, they are doing, and giving them space to actually be different. How do you expect the person to change if you do not treat them differently?  It also helps your relationship with God.  By forgiving others around you, you are caring for the people that God has created.   It even helps you understand who you are as a child of God within the family of God.  We begin to witness and understand the love God has for us, along with the work that God is calling us to do.  We begin to see the cross in a new light.  The work that is done there is done for you.  Here on the cross you bear witness to the fact that God is willing to forgive you.

By understanding and being a part of this greater structure, you begin to worry less and realize that the people around you are not there to work against you. They are suppose to be supporting you in improving as a beloved Child of God.  So your blood pressure is better. You have fewer symptoms of depression and lower risk of substance abuse.  These are some of the major things that actually afflict our society.  We, as God’s people, can welcome others into the understanding that forgiveness is part of the very foundation of this world.  By allowing others to be forgiven and allow them to be made new.  This is the work that God has done for them through forgiveness.  Thanks be to God that we have a loving and forgiving God who will welcome us home. Amen.