Sept. 6, 2020 14th of Pentecost

 

 

Matthew 18: 15-18  (The Message)

15 "If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him - work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. 16 If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. 17 If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love. 18 "Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this.

We are not to be piously judging and condemning; we are to be accountable to each other and not be indifferent about that which causes disharmony in our lives and relationships.  And we are to strive for forgiveness, not giving up until it can happen.

Forgiveness is not an option in God’s Kingdom.  It is a must!  And we are to keep at it until it happens.

I just visited with a friend who took this advice literally. He lives in a small town in Kansas and goes to a small church there.  A conflict with a neighbor, an older man, lead to some harsh words from his lips.  He was troubled about this and went to his Pastor to ask if he could have a moment in the church service to ask the older man for forgiveness.

The Pastor said yes and he did just that.  In front of the congregation, to the surprise of 

the old man and probably everyone else in the service, he asked him by name for forgiveness.  There were tears in the eyes of the old man as he hugged my friend and accepted his forgiveness.  About three weeks later the older man died suddenly of a heart attack.

With peace in his heart and soul!  What we say to one another can indeed be eternal!

"To err is human;  

to forgive is divine."         

 Alexander Pope,                                              

18th c. English poet                                    

Prayer thought for the week: “Lord help me to remember to seek forgiveness when I say hurtful words or do hurtful deeds.  Or when someone has done hurtful things to me.  It brings peace to our hearts and gives us a glimpse of the joy which is eternal.”