1 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:05,720 Now I want to transition to our sermon for this morning. 2 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:09,520 We are continuing in our One Another series, looking at God's 3 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:12,720 invitation to community and what it means to be a people marked 4 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,680 by love. Our scripture reading today is 5 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:22,440 from Colossians 312 to 14. Therefore, as God's chosen 6 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:27,080 people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, 7 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,400 kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 8 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:33,200 Bear with each other and forgive one another. 9 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:36,720 If any of you has a grievance against someone, forgive as the 10 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,480 Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put 11 00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:43,880 on love which binds them all together in perfect unity. 12 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:45,960 This is the word of the Lord all. 13 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:53,000 Right. Good morning. 14 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,000 How's everyone doing? Morning. 15 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,930 Good morning. So many exciting summer tables. 16 00:00:58,930 --> 00:01:02,010 Vera did a great job. Yeah, you guys should come and 17 00:01:02,010 --> 00:01:03,890 have lunch with us after the service that that wasn't already 18 00:01:03,890 --> 00:01:04,970 your plan. It'll be super fun. 19 00:01:05,610 --> 00:01:09,410 I'm sure there will be some very inspiring and helpful questions 20 00:01:09,450 --> 00:01:11,810 to help you. Too deep to dive right into 21 00:01:11,810 --> 00:01:14,690 friendship. If you haven't met already, My 22 00:01:14,690 --> 00:01:16,890 name is Mandy. I'm on staff here at Reality 23 00:01:16,890 --> 00:01:20,210 Church Boston, and today I'm going to be continuing our 24 00:01:20,210 --> 00:01:22,490 sermon series on the One Another Commands. 25 00:01:22,810 --> 00:01:25,250 That we see in the New Testament, and together these 26 00:01:25,250 --> 00:01:28,250 commands show us what it looks like to love one another, which 27 00:01:28,250 --> 00:01:30,930 is the overarching theme of our sermon theories. 28 00:01:31,210 --> 00:01:34,530 So, so far this summer, we've talked about what it means to 29 00:01:34,770 --> 00:01:39,450 belong, to serve, to encourage, to care for, and to humble 30 00:01:39,450 --> 00:01:42,690 ourselves before one another. And so I really appreciate how 31 00:01:42,770 --> 00:01:45,930 each of these topics kind of gives us a different angle and 32 00:01:45,930 --> 00:01:49,730 perspective on what love is, because we don't want our 33 00:01:49,730 --> 00:01:52,430 concept of love. To accidentally become 34 00:01:52,470 --> 00:01:55,310 one-dimensional or to be based solely on what's? 35 00:01:55,310 --> 00:01:59,230 Comfortable or convenient for us because love is God's very 36 00:01:59,230 --> 00:02:02,470 nature and character. So to grow in love is actually 37 00:02:02,470 --> 00:02:06,310 to grow in our knowledge of God. And by pressing into these one 38 00:02:06,310 --> 00:02:10,550 another commands, we are slowly but surely being shaped into a 39 00:02:10,550 --> 00:02:13,350 people who reflect God's transformative love. 40 00:02:14,150 --> 00:02:19,110 So today, as Vera read, we have not one, but actually 2/1 and 41 00:02:19,110 --> 00:02:21,350 other statements that are just packed in the same verse. 42 00:02:21,630 --> 00:02:26,190 So Colossians 313 calls us to both bear with one another and 43 00:02:26,190 --> 00:02:29,190 to forgive one another. And so the good news is that 44 00:02:29,190 --> 00:02:32,350 they're both incredibly challenging and WAVY topics. 45 00:02:32,870 --> 00:02:35,510 So here's the thing, here's the thing about the topic I signed 46 00:02:35,510 --> 00:02:39,390 myself up for. Patience and forgiveness are so 47 00:02:39,390 --> 00:02:41,810 important. That we could do an entire 48 00:02:41,810 --> 00:02:44,850 sermon series just on these. So I know that my 30 minute 49 00:02:44,850 --> 00:02:48,650 message here is not going to be exhausted by any stretch of the 50 00:02:48,650 --> 00:02:51,090 imagination. So really we're just going to 51 00:02:51,090 --> 00:02:53,570 ask you this to meet us where we are right here, right now with 52 00:02:53,570 --> 00:02:55,930 these topics. And even if we only manage to 53 00:02:55,930 --> 00:03:00,490 kind of dip our toes into the waters today, it's still worth 54 00:03:00,490 --> 00:03:03,770 it because patience and forgiveness are two of the most 55 00:03:03,770 --> 00:03:06,170 powerful expressions of God's love. 56 00:03:06,170 --> 00:03:08,570 They are integral. To the life of Jesus. 57 00:03:08,610 --> 00:03:11,690 And they have the power to bring real healing and change into our 58 00:03:11,690 --> 00:03:14,290 lives, into the lives of those around us. 59 00:03:14,810 --> 00:03:18,010 But to respond to this call, we are definitely going to need 60 00:03:18,090 --> 00:03:21,490 some supernatural assistance. So let me first open us with a 61 00:03:21,490 --> 00:03:25,570 word of prayer and we will just ask God to meet us in our time 62 00:03:25,570 --> 00:03:28,690 of need and my time of need this morning let me pray for us. 63 00:03:32,890 --> 00:03:36,010 Lord, we thank you that your very character, your very 64 00:03:36,010 --> 00:03:40,640 nature. Is forgiveness, is patience. 65 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:46,040 You even call yourself that a God as a God who is slow to 66 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,480 anger, but you are full of mercy and long-suffering and 67 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,280 compassion and God. We just pray that we would have 68 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:56,560 an encounter with you this morning, that we would see more 69 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:59,800 clearly the beauty of who. You are Lord, we know that there 70 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:03,040 are so many things that each of us carries into a moment like 71 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,600 this, into a Sunday morning, things from far in our past. 72 00:04:07,090 --> 00:04:08,770 Things, maybe even from the last week. 73 00:04:09,090 --> 00:04:12,250 Things that we've wrestled with that we've brought before. 74 00:04:12,250 --> 00:04:15,890 Mentors and and elders and therapists and people who we've 75 00:04:15,890 --> 00:04:18,130 just poured our hearts out out to and Lord. 76 00:04:18,130 --> 00:04:20,410 There might also be things that we haven't even begun to 77 00:04:20,410 --> 00:04:22,250 address. Things that are in our hearts. 78 00:04:22,250 --> 00:04:25,690 Unforgiveness and in pain and in difficulty that we haven't even 79 00:04:25,690 --> 00:04:28,010 brought before you yet, Lord. And so we recognize that we 80 00:04:28,010 --> 00:04:29,890 might be there in very different places here today. 81 00:04:29,890 --> 00:04:33,730 We just ask that you are Good Shepherd would meet us. 82 00:04:34,900 --> 00:04:37,860 That you would show that you care for the healing of our 83 00:04:37,860 --> 00:04:41,660 hearts, for the restoration of our souls, that you desire to 84 00:04:41,660 --> 00:04:44,420 draw us near to yourself. God, we believe that you are 85 00:04:44,420 --> 00:04:47,340 present here today. We believe that you want to meet 86 00:04:47,340 --> 00:04:50,020 with us, so we just pray that you would speak your word 87 00:04:50,020 --> 00:04:51,540 directly. To each of us today. 88 00:04:51,740 --> 00:04:53,980 And that again that you would show us that you desire for your 89 00:04:53,980 --> 00:04:57,220 people to come near to you, and that we can trust that you are 90 00:04:57,220 --> 00:05:00,260 the Good Shepherd of our souls. So please meet with us today, 91 00:05:00,300 --> 00:05:02,060 Jesus. We pray all these things in your 92 00:05:02,060 --> 00:05:03,380 name. Amen. 93 00:05:04,250 --> 00:05:06,890 I'm going to move this up just a little bit, if I can. 94 00:05:06,890 --> 00:05:11,570 It's kind of squeaky. All right. 95 00:05:12,050 --> 00:05:16,770 So as we read our passage today is from the book of Colossians. 96 00:05:17,250 --> 00:05:20,330 So now the church at Colossi was started by this man named 97 00:05:20,370 --> 00:05:22,930 Epiphris, who was a friend of Paul the Apostle. 98 00:05:23,130 --> 00:05:26,490 And Epiphris writes a letter to Paul, kind of updating him on 99 00:05:26,490 --> 00:05:28,770 all the great things that are happening within this church, 100 00:05:29,010 --> 00:05:31,290 but also the struggles and temptations that they were 101 00:05:31,290 --> 00:05:33,810 facing, presumably to ask Paul's advice. 102 00:05:34,190 --> 00:05:36,870 So Paul's response is this letter that we have, that we 103 00:05:36,870 --> 00:05:39,510 call Colossians. And so the Colossians, this 104 00:05:39,510 --> 00:05:42,390 church was experiencing these pressures, these external 105 00:05:42,390 --> 00:05:46,190 pressures to turn away from Jesus and to turn toward these 106 00:05:46,190 --> 00:05:50,150 alternate philosophies and these kind of competing ideologies 107 00:05:50,150 --> 00:05:53,670 were critiquing the way that the Christians were pursuing God. 108 00:05:53,670 --> 00:05:56,510 The message that they were hearing was that faith in Jesus 109 00:05:56,870 --> 00:05:59,070 and their Christian way of life was not enough. 110 00:05:59,660 --> 00:06:02,660 They needed to do more, like observe certain festivals and 111 00:06:02,660 --> 00:06:06,460 religious days, or avoid certain foods, or worship angels, or 112 00:06:06,460 --> 00:06:10,580 have supernatural visions. So in response, Paul basically 113 00:06:10,580 --> 00:06:15,500 cautions this church not to be taken captive by these hollow 114 00:06:15,500 --> 00:06:19,300 and deceptive philosophies which may have an appearance of 115 00:06:19,300 --> 00:06:23,940 wisdom, but in reality they lack any value because your faith. 116 00:06:24,490 --> 00:06:27,250 Paul reminds them it's not merely about checking off the 117 00:06:27,250 --> 00:06:30,650 right religious boxes, or about like transcending the world with 118 00:06:30,650 --> 00:06:35,530 these mystical experiences. Our phase is rooted in Christ. 119 00:06:35,810 --> 00:06:39,250 He is the one who created and who sustains all things. 120 00:06:39,610 --> 00:06:41,090 He brought us from darkness into light. 121 00:06:41,090 --> 00:06:43,250 He gave us redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 122 00:06:43,410 --> 00:06:47,330 So Christ has done it all and nothing is lacking in him. 123 00:06:47,930 --> 00:06:51,530 So Paul's basically calling the Clausians to fix their eyes upon 124 00:06:51,610 --> 00:06:54,130 Jesus to look to his goodness and power. 125 00:06:54,510 --> 00:06:58,190 Christ has given them new life, and renewed people live in 126 00:06:58,190 --> 00:07:00,150 renewed ways. So don't turn back to your old 127 00:07:00,150 --> 00:07:02,630 behavior. He's saying walk in the ways of 128 00:07:02,710 --> 00:07:05,110 Jesus. So to clarify what this looks 129 00:07:05,110 --> 00:07:09,190 like, Paul emphasizes certain Christ like virtues and invites 130 00:07:09,190 --> 00:07:13,470 the Colossians to pursue them. So he says clothe yourselves 131 00:07:13,830 --> 00:07:18,830 with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and 132 00:07:18,830 --> 00:07:21,750 patience. Bear with one another and 133 00:07:21,750 --> 00:07:24,510 forgive one another. If any of you has a grievance 134 00:07:24,510 --> 00:07:28,470 against someone, forgive as the Lord forgave you, and then over 135 00:07:28,470 --> 00:07:31,870 all these virtues put on love which binds them together in 136 00:07:31,870 --> 00:07:35,430 perfect unity. So the call to bear with each 137 00:07:35,430 --> 00:07:38,190 other and to forgive one another is what it looks. 138 00:07:38,190 --> 00:07:40,630 Like to put these virtues into practice? 139 00:07:40,830 --> 00:07:44,110 Compassion, Kindness, Humility, gentleness, patience. 140 00:07:44,150 --> 00:07:46,710 And it's not a beautiful list. I mean, it sounds it sounds 141 00:07:46,750 --> 00:07:49,070 appealing to me. A life in the community that are 142 00:07:49,070 --> 00:07:51,590 centered on these things would be awesome. 143 00:07:52,150 --> 00:07:54,710 But the question is how do we get there? 144 00:07:55,190 --> 00:07:58,310 Even if we buy into this and we want to become patient and 145 00:07:58,310 --> 00:08:00,670 forgiving people, how do we do this? 146 00:08:01,590 --> 00:08:05,310 So I was starting to kind of get, you know, like analysis 147 00:08:05,310 --> 00:08:09,630 paralysis I suppose, just trying to decide how to even enter into 148 00:08:09,830 --> 00:08:12,990 these really weighty topics until I basically realized that 149 00:08:12,990 --> 00:08:16,990 we can start with the call of Jesus and the message that he 150 00:08:16,990 --> 00:08:21,510 preached, very Simply put, was repent and believe. 151 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:25,600 So I'm going to gently steal that framework today, and we 152 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,880 will look at forgiveness and patience through these two 153 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:32,520 lenses. A call to repent, so to come to 154 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:36,720 Jesus and to receive his transformative forgiveness, and 155 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:40,880 a call to believe, to trust in the power and the promises of 156 00:08:40,919 --> 00:08:43,760 Jesus. So these two items. 157 00:08:44,059 --> 00:08:46,100 Just by themselves are a lot to cover. 158 00:08:46,260 --> 00:08:49,020 And I actually considered not spending quite as much time on 159 00:08:49,020 --> 00:08:52,620 repentance, partly because it's an intimidating word and just to 160 00:08:52,620 --> 00:08:54,940 kind of hone in on patience and forgiveness. 161 00:08:55,140 --> 00:08:59,420 But then I realized that we really can't have a well-rounded 162 00:08:59,420 --> 00:09:01,780 conversation about one without the other. 163 00:09:02,220 --> 00:09:06,580 Forgiveness is not a natural, instinctive reaction, becoming a 164 00:09:06,580 --> 00:09:09,860 forgiving person. It's often the fruit of having 165 00:09:09,860 --> 00:09:13,660 received forgiveness, becoming a patient person. 166 00:09:14,030 --> 00:09:16,950 Is often the byproduct of having witnessed the beauty of a 167 00:09:16,950 --> 00:09:20,030 patient, humble, compassionate spirit. 168 00:09:20,590 --> 00:09:23,790 And repentance is a pathway to both of those things. 169 00:09:24,590 --> 00:09:26,150 So this is where we need Jesus so badly. 170 00:09:27,190 --> 00:09:29,990 Jesus is the embodiment of forgiveness and patience. 171 00:09:29,990 --> 00:09:32,430 And we can see what this looks like by reading through the 172 00:09:32,430 --> 00:09:35,950 Gospels, these biblical stories, accounts of Jesus's life. 173 00:09:36,270 --> 00:09:39,150 And so I want to point us to one story in particular that can 174 00:09:39,150 --> 00:09:42,270 help us see how Jesus forgiveness has the power to 175 00:09:42,270 --> 00:09:45,380 transform us. To this story is from the gospel 176 00:09:45,380 --> 00:09:48,140 of Luke and at this point in the narrative we're pretty far in. 177 00:09:48,140 --> 00:09:50,020 So Jesus has been in ministry for years. 178 00:09:50,260 --> 00:09:52,780 We're in kind of the final stretch before he's going to go 179 00:09:52,780 --> 00:09:55,500 to Jerusalem and walk that hard road to the cross. 180 00:09:55,740 --> 00:09:59,900 So in Luke 19 we meet a man who has heard about Jesus, how Jesus 181 00:09:59,900 --> 00:10:02,700 has traveled all over the country, healing the sick, 182 00:10:02,940 --> 00:10:07,340 touching lepers, forgiving sins, and welcoming in the despised in 183 00:10:07,340 --> 00:10:11,260 society. So this man is desperate to see 184 00:10:11,260 --> 00:10:15,020 Jesus because he knows that he. Is in need of forgiveness 185 00:10:15,340 --> 00:10:19,100 because he is a tax collector, which to the Jewish community, 186 00:10:19,100 --> 00:10:21,900 to the community, made him the chief of sinners. 187 00:10:22,180 --> 00:10:24,660 Tax collectors were traitors. They worked for the Roman 188 00:10:24,660 --> 00:10:26,700 government, the oppressors of the common people. 189 00:10:26,900 --> 00:10:28,780 They abused their power to make themselves rich, and they 190 00:10:28,780 --> 00:10:31,340 extracted money from people who had less so. 191 00:10:31,340 --> 00:10:34,780 Nobody likes this guy, but he has heard that Jesus has a 192 00:10:34,780 --> 00:10:39,900 reputation for being a holy man, a healer, a prophet who shares 193 00:10:39,900 --> 00:10:43,060 his dinner table with tax collectors and with sinners. 194 00:10:43,700 --> 00:10:46,660 So when he learns that Jesus has come to town, he is so eager to 195 00:10:46,660 --> 00:10:49,580 see him that when he can't get through the crowd, he climbs a 196 00:10:49,580 --> 00:10:51,820 tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus. 197 00:10:52,140 --> 00:10:57,060 So Jesus sees him, and he calls out Zakiyas, come and hurry 198 00:10:57,060 --> 00:10:59,340 down, for I must stay at your house today. 199 00:11:00,020 --> 00:11:03,820 So this man, Zakiyas, is overjoyed to be welcomed by 200 00:11:03,940 --> 00:11:08,140 Jesus, but others who overhear the invitation start to grumble. 201 00:11:08,870 --> 00:11:12,430 This man isn't worthy to have this great teacher and healer 202 00:11:12,630 --> 00:11:16,790 under his roof, but Zakia seems to understand the weight of 203 00:11:16,790 --> 00:11:21,830 having Jesus as a houseguest. He isn't worthy, he he knows 204 00:11:21,830 --> 00:11:23,590 that. So he does something to make it 205 00:11:23,590 --> 00:11:26,630 clear that he understands the honor that is being bestowed 206 00:11:26,630 --> 00:11:28,830 upon him, and he doesn't intend to take it lightly. 207 00:11:29,110 --> 00:11:32,350 Zakia's promises then and there to give half his fortune to the 208 00:11:32,350 --> 00:11:36,310 poor, and if he has defrauded anyone, he will repay them four 209 00:11:36,310 --> 00:11:40,550 times as much. So Jesus responds to Zakhya's 210 00:11:40,710 --> 00:11:43,630 repentant heart. Today's salvation has come to 211 00:11:43,630 --> 00:11:46,110 this house. So two things are important 212 00:11:46,110 --> 00:11:49,830 here. First, when Zakhya sees Jesus, 213 00:11:50,190 --> 00:11:53,510 he knows who he's looking at. He sees that somebody who has 214 00:11:53,510 --> 00:11:56,670 the ability to change his identity, to cleanse him from 215 00:11:56,670 --> 00:12:00,830 the past, that he's ashamed of. Repentance is not just about 216 00:12:00,830 --> 00:12:04,150 fear of being punished or wanting to escape consequences. 217 00:12:04,430 --> 00:12:06,350 It's about recognizing that we are broken. 218 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:11,240 And wanting to be made new. And secondly, Jesus or Zachius's 219 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:15,200 repentant heart is evidence at how he jumps at the chance for 220 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:17,600 forgiveness. His desire to be worthy of 221 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:20,600 Jesus's presence, to be able to enter into that community, that 222 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:23,240 that relationship with him, causes him to behave like a 223 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:26,760 completely different person, to no longer be the traitor who 224 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:29,000 takes advantage of others for his own gain. 225 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:33,400 Instead, he puts on new clothing the clothes of justice and 226 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:36,320 generosity. Because he sees in Jesus a God 227 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:41,720 who forgives and restores so this invitation to bear with one 228 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:44,000 another and to forgive one another. 229 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:47,480 It begins with receiving those things from Jesus. 230 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:52,320 Jesus, the Son of God, came to serve a human race that rejected 231 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:57,840 him, despised him, betrayed him, abandoned him, and crucified 232 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:01,120 him. But even as he hung from the 233 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:04,200 cross and the people watching him die. 234 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:09,320 Scoffed at him. His response was Father, forgive 235 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:11,640 them, for they do not know what they do. 236 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:19,920 What kind of love is that? He's presently dying unjustly, 237 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:24,080 accused of these fabricated crimes, and he's praying to God 238 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:27,080 the Father on behalf of his murderers right now. 239 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:30,040 They are not repentant, but it says that Jesus were saying. 240 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,740 If only they were. If only they would turn away 241 00:13:33,940 --> 00:13:38,140 from the darkness inside them, they would be healed. 242 00:13:38,700 --> 00:13:41,460 They would be able to receive what I'm offering them. 243 00:13:41,860 --> 00:13:44,220 They would be made new. What kind of? 244 00:13:44,300 --> 00:13:50,860 Radical love is this. This invitation to be restored 245 00:13:51,260 --> 00:13:53,460 is at the heart of the call to repentance. 246 00:13:54,220 --> 00:13:57,300 Jesus offers us transformative forgiveness. 247 00:13:57,660 --> 00:14:01,150 He compares himself. To a doctor of the soul in Mark 248 00:14:01,150 --> 00:14:04,390 chapter 2, when the religious leaders are criticizing him for 249 00:14:04,390 --> 00:14:08,030 having meals with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus's response is 250 00:14:08,470 --> 00:14:12,190 those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are 251 00:14:12,190 --> 00:14:15,070 sick. I came not to call the righteous 252 00:14:15,470 --> 00:14:19,150 but sinners. So Jesus invitation to repent is 253 00:14:19,150 --> 00:14:21,950 like him saying your soul is sick. 254 00:14:22,830 --> 00:14:25,070 Come to me. Let me heal you. 255 00:14:26,730 --> 00:14:29,250 There's a pastor who I follow an Instagram. 256 00:14:29,250 --> 00:14:32,450 His name is Ian Simpkins, and he recently shared this post where 257 00:14:32,610 --> 00:14:35,970 he references the Greek word for repentance, metanoia, which 258 00:14:35,970 --> 00:14:38,290 means a change of mind or direction. 259 00:14:38,810 --> 00:14:41,410 So for example, if you were going South on a freeway and 260 00:14:41,410 --> 00:14:43,130 suddenly you realize you're supposed to be going north, what 261 00:14:43,130 --> 00:14:44,850 would you do? You would look for an off ramp. 262 00:14:44,850 --> 00:14:48,210 You would turn around. So he goes on to say that 263 00:14:48,210 --> 00:14:51,770 Metanoia carries the idea not only of a different trajectory, 264 00:14:52,090 --> 00:14:56,380 but also of transformation. A new mind, a new heart, a new 265 00:14:56,380 --> 00:14:57,940 will. And this is key. 266 00:14:58,060 --> 00:15:00,980 Metanoia is a forward-looking word. 267 00:15:01,580 --> 00:15:05,620 It looks toward the promises of God, toward a future where Jesus 268 00:15:05,620 --> 00:15:09,500 offers fresh hope. And so, as Simkin says, Jesus 269 00:15:09,500 --> 00:15:13,700 isn't merely inviting us to turn from brokenness, but also to 270 00:15:13,700 --> 00:15:18,140 turn toward wholeness, not merely away from sickness, but 271 00:15:18,140 --> 00:15:21,260 toward healing. Because the gospel isn't just 272 00:15:21,260 --> 00:15:24,490 freedom from something. It's freedom for something. 273 00:15:25,210 --> 00:15:28,290 So he's saying that Jesus is inviting us to renewal. 274 00:15:28,810 --> 00:15:31,650 So we have, because we have these kind of defective coping 275 00:15:31,650 --> 00:15:34,450 mechanisms to try to protect ourselves from a broken world, 276 00:15:34,450 --> 00:15:38,210 to give us a sense of self worth to battle against the anxiety of 277 00:15:38,210 --> 00:15:42,010 not really being in control. And maybe we cling to these 278 00:15:42,010 --> 00:15:45,170 patterns because they're all we know and we fear how vulnerable 279 00:15:45,170 --> 00:15:47,610 we might become if we don't have those things to fall back on. 280 00:15:47,850 --> 00:15:50,690 But Jesus says let go, come to me. 281 00:15:51,130 --> 00:15:53,610 Receive my transformative forgiveness. 282 00:15:54,610 --> 00:15:59,290 So this call to repent is followed by a call to believe, 283 00:15:59,770 --> 00:16:03,410 to trust in the power and the promises of Jesus. 284 00:16:04,410 --> 00:16:07,530 So it's one thing to realize that we need to turn away from 285 00:16:07,530 --> 00:16:10,210 our patterns of brokenness, and it's another to actually walk in 286 00:16:10,210 --> 00:16:12,570 Jesus footsteps and learn to do what he would have done. 287 00:16:13,150 --> 00:16:15,550 So this past week, the more that I studied and reflected on 288 00:16:15,550 --> 00:16:18,910 patience and forgiveness, the more convicted I felt about how 289 00:16:18,910 --> 00:16:23,230 wobbly I am in practicing both. I see the healing work of Jesus 290 00:16:23,510 --> 00:16:25,710 and I'm captivated by it. It's so beautiful. 291 00:16:25,710 --> 00:16:28,230 I want to live into that, to become like him. 292 00:16:28,590 --> 00:16:32,150 But then I think, if I can't even exercise patience and 293 00:16:32,150 --> 00:16:36,350 forgiveness in Boston traffic, how am I supposed to do it in 294 00:16:36,350 --> 00:16:39,070 other situations? Do you know what I mean? 295 00:16:39,070 --> 00:16:41,510 I know some of you definitely in this room drive, right? 296 00:16:41,510 --> 00:16:44,130 If not, you have. You know, there are people doing 297 00:16:44,130 --> 00:16:49,130 it, It's just I can't. Tell you how many times someone 298 00:16:49,130 --> 00:16:52,890 has honked at me, and a quick survey of our circumstances made 299 00:16:52,890 --> 00:16:56,170 it clear to me that they were honking because they wanted me 300 00:16:56,250 --> 00:16:59,690 to break a traffic law and they were angry that I was not doing 301 00:16:59,690 --> 00:17:03,640 so. And I'm just like, what kind of 302 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:07,200 lawless? Rage Field movie from the Fast 303 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:09,319 and Furious franchise. Are we living in SO? 304 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:15,040 I get I get frustrated and it's just easy to sometimes even find 305 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:18,119 myself wishing ill towards people who cut me off or 306 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:21,640 actively endanger my life. And as I'm wishing them ill, 307 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:24,880 I've of course developed complete amnesia about the times 308 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:27,880 that I've made very questionable decisions while driving to save 309 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,470 time. So I'm obviously trying to pick 310 00:17:30,470 --> 00:17:33,670 what is is potentially A relatable example. 311 00:17:33,670 --> 00:17:37,790 But at the heart of it, and this is true for all sorts of 312 00:17:37,790 --> 00:17:42,590 offenses that we experience, the way that we respond can reveal a 313 00:17:42,590 --> 00:17:46,990 lot about what's in our hearts. When I start angrily fantasizing 314 00:17:46,990 --> 00:17:49,830 that the person who zoomed around me to save 5 seconds will 315 00:17:49,830 --> 00:17:52,150 find themselves stuck in a traffic jam, they'll make them 316 00:17:52,150 --> 00:17:56,870 30 minutes late. Realistically, the seed that I'm 317 00:17:56,870 --> 00:17:59,710 nurturing in my heart. Is vengeance. 318 00:18:00,870 --> 00:18:03,630 And because it's a common situation, and because someone 319 00:18:03,630 --> 00:18:07,030 may have actually broken the law and done something dangerous, 320 00:18:07,310 --> 00:18:11,390 it's so easy to 1st justify my anger, but then to justify my 321 00:18:11,390 --> 00:18:15,430 vengeful thoughts and ultimately to justify my bitterness and 322 00:18:15,430 --> 00:18:18,630 myself righteousness that I'm using to cope with with a 323 00:18:18,630 --> 00:18:21,910 lawbreaking world. So whether it's kind of an 324 00:18:22,030 --> 00:18:25,390 everyday frustration like Boston traffic or it's the 325 00:18:25,390 --> 00:18:28,450 relationships where. People we wanted to trust cause 326 00:18:28,450 --> 00:18:33,290 us harm, take advantage of us, neglect us, maybe abuse us. 327 00:18:34,210 --> 00:18:38,450 Forgiveness is not instinctive, and I think we have to start by 328 00:18:38,450 --> 00:18:43,410 acknowledging that what Jesus is asking us to do by forgiving is 329 00:18:43,410 --> 00:18:46,850 an immense act of faith. It is a trust fall from a 330 00:18:46,850 --> 00:18:49,770 dizzying height. Jesus is asking just to do 331 00:18:49,770 --> 00:18:53,650 something radical because he intends to work through us to 332 00:18:53,650 --> 00:18:57,020 bring about. Radical change in this world, 333 00:18:57,380 --> 00:18:59,740 and this is incredibly important, so I'm going to say 334 00:18:59,740 --> 00:19:03,660 it again. Jesus is asking us to practice 335 00:19:04,220 --> 00:19:09,300 radical forgiveness and patience because he intends to use that 336 00:19:09,500 --> 00:19:13,100 to bring about radical change in our world. 337 00:19:13,500 --> 00:19:17,340 The game plan of Christianity, of Jesus's way of life, is to 338 00:19:17,340 --> 00:19:21,460 reconcile literal enemies to the point where they view one 339 00:19:21,460 --> 00:19:25,060 another as brothers and sisters. This is radical. 340 00:19:25,220 --> 00:19:29,420 So forgiveness is really an act of trust in God's plan, and that 341 00:19:29,420 --> 00:19:34,900 includes trusting that God cares deeply about both justice and 342 00:19:34,940 --> 00:19:37,020 compassion. And this, I think, can be a 343 00:19:37,020 --> 00:19:40,020 major blocker in our journey of forgiveness, the fact that we do 344 00:19:40,020 --> 00:19:42,820 have to live with the reality of injustice. 345 00:19:43,620 --> 00:19:46,020 So I was thinking about the phenomenon of cancel culture. 346 00:19:46,020 --> 00:19:47,980 It's quite hard to go too many sermons, whether you're 347 00:19:47,980 --> 00:19:50,620 listening to them online or in person, without talking about 348 00:19:50,620 --> 00:19:53,190 things like cancel culture. But you know, it's where we 349 00:19:53,350 --> 00:19:57,990 ostracize or boycott anyone who's rumored or has done 350 00:19:58,190 --> 00:19:59,790 something that we consider unacceptable. 351 00:20:00,390 --> 00:20:04,870 And so as I was thinking about it, I kind of imagine that one 352 00:20:04,870 --> 00:20:08,750 of the main motivators behind cancel culture is the sentiment 353 00:20:08,870 --> 00:20:12,710 that nobody's going to hold wrongdoers accountable for their 354 00:20:12,710 --> 00:20:15,470 sins. They will have free reign in 355 00:20:15,470 --> 00:20:18,430 this world unless we take back power from them. 356 00:20:19,510 --> 00:20:22,390 So even if we see the flaws that we see playing out in cancel 357 00:20:22,390 --> 00:20:27,230 culture, the relatable part here is a desire for justice, a 358 00:20:27,230 --> 00:20:30,590 desire to protect the vulnerable, even a desire not to 359 00:20:30,590 --> 00:20:35,510 allow sin to go unchecked. But in this case, what role does 360 00:20:35,510 --> 00:20:39,110 forgiveness play? Does it have a role if our end 361 00:20:39,110 --> 00:20:43,110 goal is a more just society? So this week I was reading 362 00:20:43,110 --> 00:20:46,640 through Tim Keller's book titled Forgive Very Appropriate Title, 363 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:49,840 and I found this quote from a conversation between the author 364 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:52,640 and professor, bell hooks and the poet and civil right 365 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:55,600 activist Maya Angelou. And I think it's bell hooks 366 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:56,960 who's speaking when they say this. 367 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:02,760 But it says for me, forgiveness and compassion are always 368 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:05,520 linked. How do we hold people 369 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:10,800 accountable for rounddoing and yet at the same time remain in 370 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:15,230 touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to 371 00:21:15,230 --> 00:21:18,390 be transformed? Isn't that the $1,000,000 372 00:21:18,390 --> 00:21:21,310 question? Can we pursue justice and 373 00:21:21,310 --> 00:21:25,750 forgiveness at the same time? I believe that the Bible says we 374 00:21:25,750 --> 00:21:29,190 have to because our call is to pursue God, to walk in the way 375 00:21:29,190 --> 00:21:31,630 of Jesus and Jesus embodies both. 376 00:21:31,870 --> 00:21:35,270 The cross is about the intersection between forgiveness 377 00:21:35,310 --> 00:21:38,230 and justice. In Jesus, we encounter a God who 378 00:21:38,230 --> 00:21:42,070 intends to deal with every sin and who offers the path of 379 00:21:42,070 --> 00:21:46,030 restoration and mercy for those who are willing to take it. 380 00:21:46,710 --> 00:21:50,030 I think when we set justice and forgiveness in opposition, 381 00:21:50,230 --> 00:21:53,110 perhaps sometimes it's because so far our understanding of 382 00:21:53,110 --> 00:21:55,230 forgiveness, what we've learned from the people around us, from 383 00:21:55,230 --> 00:21:57,950 the culture, it just has remained too shallow. 384 00:21:58,430 --> 00:22:03,190 Because the call to forgive is not just another way of saying 385 00:22:03,190 --> 00:22:07,830 get over it and move on. It's not a call to only have 386 00:22:07,830 --> 00:22:10,190 positive feelings towards an offender from this moment 387 00:22:10,190 --> 00:22:13,480 forward. I think that the call to forgive 388 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:17,640 can be better understood as a decision to walk a path. 389 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:21,720 It's about resisting the temptation to walk the path of 390 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:25,720 revenge and bitterness, or just letting a desire to reclaim 391 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:29,080 power and protect yourself harden you against others. 392 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:32,040 And I think This is why I appreciate the term the phrase 393 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:36,840 bear with one another because it sounds like an ongoing process. 394 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:40,600 It sounds like this burden that you carry, but it is a burden 395 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:44,520 that Jesus carries with us. We see that in his life and he 396 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:48,160 is telling us that he has the ability to make it lighter. 397 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:53,160 Walking the path of forgiveness is choosing to believe in the 398 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:59,120 hope that Jesus is offering, and that hope is this, that God can 399 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:05,320 make all things new. If God cannot or is not in the 400 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:08,800 business of making all things new, maybe cancel culture is our 401 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:10,900 best option. Nobody's going to hold 402 00:23:10,900 --> 00:23:13,220 wrongdoers accountable. We have to take back control. 403 00:23:14,180 --> 00:23:17,180 But if Jesus is a God who paid for all of our sins, if 404 00:23:17,180 --> 00:23:20,180 offenders like this, Achias can be transformed into these 405 00:23:20,420 --> 00:23:24,420 emblems of grace, if God is enacting a plan of renewal for 406 00:23:24,420 --> 00:23:27,580 humanity even as we speak, then we are living in a different 407 00:23:27,580 --> 00:23:31,380 kind of story. If we believe that God can make 408 00:23:31,500 --> 00:23:34,380 all things new, no one is beyond hope. 409 00:23:35,170 --> 00:23:37,210 If we believe that God can make all things new. 410 00:23:37,410 --> 00:23:40,490 We can be courageous when the Spirit leads us in steps of 411 00:23:40,490 --> 00:23:45,170 reconciliation, and also if we recognize that God is the healer 412 00:23:45,370 --> 00:23:49,490 and transformation is His work, we may not be necessary to every 413 00:23:49,490 --> 00:23:52,770 stage of His plan. Maybe we are called in a certain 414 00:23:52,770 --> 00:23:55,370 season to engage with someone who wronged us. 415 00:23:55,890 --> 00:23:59,130 Or maybe it's not safe and the why is this action is to create 416 00:23:59,130 --> 00:24:03,090 space and to trust God to keep working no matter what the path 417 00:24:03,090 --> 00:24:05,930 looks like. On that day-to-day basis, we can 418 00:24:05,930 --> 00:24:09,050 choose the trajectory of forgiveness to come to God's 419 00:24:09,050 --> 00:24:12,210 journey with him and to trust that he could heal and restore. 420 00:24:12,210 --> 00:24:15,290 To ask him to do those things and to believe that he can 421 00:24:15,290 --> 00:24:19,050 strengthen our desire for renewal to the point where, like 422 00:24:19,170 --> 00:24:23,010 Jesus, we want renewal even in the lives of those who willfully 423 00:24:23,050 --> 00:24:26,690 act as our enemies. And This is why we're framing 424 00:24:26,690 --> 00:24:30,210 forgiveness and patience within the context of trusting in the 425 00:24:30,210 --> 00:24:34,850 power and the promises of Jesus. To rock this path. 426 00:24:34,850 --> 00:24:39,090 We need more than willpower. We need the kind of forgiveness 427 00:24:39,330 --> 00:24:43,530 and patience that lives inside of Jesus to basically flow 428 00:24:43,530 --> 00:24:46,370 through us. We are actually counting on the 429 00:24:46,370 --> 00:24:50,250 power of God to meet us and to sustain us when we choose to do 430 00:24:50,250 --> 00:24:53,890 this as an act of love and as an act of worship to Jesus. 431 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:57,200 So you may be familiar with this, but if not, I'm going to 432 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:00,160 tell you her story on the story of Cory 10. 433 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:02,280 Boom. So her book, The Hiding Place, 434 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:06,160 The Hiding Place is phenomenal. And if you haven't read it, this 435 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:07,880 is just going to be my one book recommendation. 436 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:12,000 I could do more, but this one of the books I read in seminary, I 437 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:14,520 think if I had to pick only one that I said changed my life, I 438 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:15,520 would say it was the hiding place. 439 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:18,320 It is a phenomenal book and it's an autobiography. 440 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:22,540 So it's an account of her life in the Netherlands during World 441 00:25:22,540 --> 00:25:24,700 War 2. So Cory and her family were 442 00:25:24,700 --> 00:25:28,300 Christians, and they hid Jewish friends, neighbors, and 443 00:25:28,300 --> 00:25:31,060 ultimately actually even strangers in their home. 444 00:25:31,380 --> 00:25:35,180 And they were ultimately found out by the Nazis and sent to a 445 00:25:35,180 --> 00:25:38,980 concentration camp. And so during that time, Cory? 446 00:25:38,980 --> 00:25:43,820 Saw her father, her sister, obviously countless others die 447 00:25:44,260 --> 00:25:46,940 and suffered, as you probably can imagine. 448 00:25:47,260 --> 00:25:52,990 Just atrocities, pains, indignities, losses. 449 00:25:52,990 --> 00:25:57,230 At the same time, she writes about also experiencing 450 00:25:57,510 --> 00:26:02,190 incredible moments of grace and seeing God work forgiveness in 451 00:26:02,190 --> 00:26:05,110 her heart. And so many people, years after 452 00:26:05,110 --> 00:26:08,630 this happens, would want to hear Corey tell her story. 453 00:26:08,790 --> 00:26:11,310 And so on a particular, in a particular instance, she 454 00:26:11,310 --> 00:26:15,510 recounts this The war is over, Years have passed, and she has 455 00:26:15,510 --> 00:26:19,050 this unexpected encounter at a church service. 456 00:26:19,170 --> 00:26:20,810 So she had been invited to speak there. 457 00:26:21,010 --> 00:26:25,130 And part of her talk, as you might expect, centered on God's 458 00:26:25,130 --> 00:26:28,090 forgiveness and the need to forgive others. 459 00:26:28,730 --> 00:26:33,370 And so after the service, Corey recognizes in the crowd a former 460 00:26:33,450 --> 00:26:36,770 guard from a concentration camp, an s s man who had actually 461 00:26:36,770 --> 00:26:40,530 stood guard at the shower door at one of the processing centers 462 00:26:40,530 --> 00:26:44,010 she had gone through. So he was the first of her 463 00:26:44,010 --> 00:26:46,730 jailers that she had seen since that time. 464 00:26:47,850 --> 00:26:52,090 So this man comes up to Corey and as she puts it, he is 465 00:26:52,330 --> 00:26:56,650 beaming and bowing to her. And he keeps saying how grateful 466 00:26:56,650 --> 00:27:00,650 he is for the message that she had just given, That Jesus has 467 00:27:00,650 --> 00:27:06,890 washed away our sins and the man clearly wants to shake her hand. 468 00:27:07,490 --> 00:27:09,570 The Corey is struggling internally. 469 00:27:10,170 --> 00:27:13,730 These angry, vengeful thoughts start boiling in her memories of 470 00:27:13,730 --> 00:27:16,010 the mockery and the cruelty of the guards. 471 00:27:16,460 --> 00:27:18,820 But at the same time, she was acutely aware of the message 472 00:27:18,820 --> 00:27:21,260 that she had just shared. So in the midst of this 473 00:27:21,260 --> 00:27:24,140 incredible tension, she prays silently. 474 00:27:24,140 --> 00:27:26,820 She records the prayer that she prays to Jesus, and she just 475 00:27:26,820 --> 00:27:29,980 says, Jesus, I cannot forgive him. 476 00:27:30,780 --> 00:27:36,180 Give me your forgiveness. And then Corey writes this, she 477 00:27:36,180 --> 00:27:41,260 says as I took his hand. The most incredible thing 478 00:27:41,260 --> 00:27:46,690 happened from my shoulder, along my arm, and through my hand, a 479 00:27:46,690 --> 00:27:51,930 current seem to pass from me to him, Well into my heart sprang a 480 00:27:51,930 --> 00:27:55,850 love for the stranger that almost overwhelms me. 481 00:27:56,810 --> 00:28:01,970 And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more 482 00:28:01,970 --> 00:28:06,130 than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on 483 00:28:06,130 --> 00:28:09,250 his. When he tells us to love our 484 00:28:09,250 --> 00:28:14,050 enemies, he gives along with the command, the love itself. 485 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:18,920 And that line is so incredible it's almost breathtaking. 486 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:23,800 So I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness that the 487 00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:26,960 world's healing hinges, but on his on Jesus. 488 00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:30,560 When he tells us to love our enemies, he gives the love 489 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:35,920 itself. So again, I am so aware of the 490 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:39,240 need to not minimize the reality of the evils that happen in this 491 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:41,680 world, or to treat forgiveness like it's a simple thing. 492 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:44,480 But if there's anyone who had a reason to withhold forgiveness, 493 00:28:45,130 --> 00:28:47,370 I would probably give that immunity pin to someone like 494 00:28:47,370 --> 00:28:50,450 Corey. But her story shows that 495 00:28:50,450 --> 00:28:53,890 forgiveness is not like a like a social theory or an abstract 496 00:28:53,890 --> 00:28:57,250 philosophy. It is a power of God meeting us 497 00:28:57,490 --> 00:28:59,850 in our deepest pain. Jesus. 498 00:28:59,850 --> 00:29:02,210 Forgiveness is not a small or a timid thing. 499 00:29:02,250 --> 00:29:05,730 It is a rushing tidal wave that sweeps people off their feet and 500 00:29:05,730 --> 00:29:07,930 plants them somewhere completely new. 501 00:29:08,450 --> 00:29:12,050 It is a powerful force that cleanses everything it touches 502 00:29:12,250 --> 00:29:14,650 for everyone who will repent and receive it. 503 00:29:15,270 --> 00:29:19,110 Corey got to experience the immensity of God's provision as 504 00:29:19,110 --> 00:29:22,710 she chose to walk the seemingly impossible path and. 505 00:29:23,110 --> 00:29:27,390 What we see in her story, and we need to believe this, is that 506 00:29:27,390 --> 00:29:30,270 forgiveness is strength. It's freedom. 507 00:29:30,510 --> 00:29:33,950 It's healing. Corey's anger was righteous. 508 00:29:34,390 --> 00:29:40,070 Her pain was justified. But her decision to ask Jesus 509 00:29:40,070 --> 00:29:45,720 for his love is life changing. That is a faith that can move 510 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:48,760 mountains, that can change the way that other people like you 511 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:52,200 and me actually live our lives. And if she had clung to 512 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:54,640 bitterness, the story may not have been worth telling. 513 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,840 Instead, she lived out the message of forgiveness that she 514 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:01,280 preached, and the story that she tells shines like this, radiant 515 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:05,800 testimony to the power of God. And it may be true that the road 516 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:08,600 will be different, maybe it'll be longer and harder than what 517 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:10,320 we see in her example in some ways. 518 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:13,080 But we need to believe that the same power is available to us. 519 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:17,360 We need our faith to fuel our forgiveness and patience. 520 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:20,960 All right, so we are in the final stretch here. 521 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:24,520 But the last story, some of you have heard me teach before, so 522 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:27,280 you will not be surprised by this, but it's a personal one. 523 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:30,520 Sometimes when I pray to God as I'm preparing, I asked him to 524 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:32,080 exempt me from this, to Get Me Out of it. 525 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:34,560 He puts a very a story very clearly on my heart. 526 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,040 And so then I'm like, I think, I I think I have to, I think I 527 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:41,640 have to tell it anyway. So this story actually starts 528 00:30:42,260 --> 00:30:45,220 with what I would consider the first miracle that God ever 529 00:30:45,220 --> 00:30:50,700 worked in my life. So even if you do know me, I 530 00:30:50,700 --> 00:30:55,260 don't talk a lot about my relationship with my dad, I 531 00:30:55,260 --> 00:30:57,500 think because it feels complicated to explain. 532 00:30:57,980 --> 00:31:00,340 And sometimes when I've tried, I I feel like I'm just telling 533 00:31:00,340 --> 00:31:02,820 kind of the stereotypical story that you might see in the movies 534 00:31:03,180 --> 00:31:06,900 about a formerly absent or unreliable father who wants to 535 00:31:06,900 --> 00:31:08,500 change and reconnect with his kid. 536 00:31:09,300 --> 00:31:12,300 And maybe it is a common story, unfortunately for many of us. 537 00:31:12,380 --> 00:31:15,060 But it's part of my story. And my relationship with my 538 00:31:15,060 --> 00:31:18,300 father colored my childhood with a lot of hurt and a lot of 539 00:31:18,300 --> 00:31:21,140 sadness. And then as I became a teenager, 540 00:31:21,300 --> 00:31:24,340 the sadness turned into anger and I stopped wanting to have 541 00:31:24,340 --> 00:31:27,420 anything to do with him. I felt justified and holding his 542 00:31:27,460 --> 00:31:30,460 failures against him. I was trying to protect myself 543 00:31:30,860 --> 00:31:34,480 from getting hurt again, but during my high school years, he 544 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:37,640 really tried to reengage with me and my mom, even though they 545 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:41,240 were divorced, encouraged me to say yes to his invitations to 546 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:42,800 get ice cream or to go on a hike. 547 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:46,560 So I would say yes sometimes, but I still mostly felt 548 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:50,800 resentment in my heart. So when I was about 17, my dad 549 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:53,640 and I went on this hike and about 2/3 of the way up it 550 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:55,320 started to kind of drizzle to rain. 551 00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:57,760 And so we were kind of sheltering underneath a large 552 00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:00,750 tree. And nailed to this tree is this 553 00:32:00,750 --> 00:32:04,550 picture of a teenage girl about my age and kind of a description 554 00:32:04,550 --> 00:32:06,990 of her life story. And it's very clearly the way 555 00:32:06,990 --> 00:32:09,870 that it's written, a memoriam to someone who has passed. 556 00:32:10,110 --> 00:32:12,790 And my dad recognizes the name of the story of this woman, this 557 00:32:12,790 --> 00:32:16,510 girl, and he had seen her in the local papers and learned that 558 00:32:16,510 --> 00:32:18,270 she had recently taken her own life. 559 00:32:19,670 --> 00:32:23,990 So at that time, I hadn't really been confronted with mortality, 560 00:32:24,830 --> 00:32:27,510 especially while looking at a picture in the life story of 561 00:32:27,510 --> 00:32:30,370 someone my age. And it was like something spoke 562 00:32:30,370 --> 00:32:34,170 to me and kind of woke up, this part of my brain that had been 563 00:32:34,170 --> 00:32:39,090 muted by resentment and anger. And now I actually see this as 564 00:32:39,090 --> 00:32:42,370 God's gracious intervention. But at the time, it kind of just 565 00:32:42,370 --> 00:32:45,330 felt like this uncharacteristic thought, this like strong but 566 00:32:45,330 --> 00:32:49,130 sudden conviction that life is fragile and short. 567 00:32:49,410 --> 00:32:54,610 And I actually didn't know how many days I or anyone else had 568 00:32:54,610 --> 00:32:59,000 left. So I should I should try to 569 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:03,000 forgive my father. Surprisingly, that sentiment 570 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:06,240 actually stuck with me. In the years to come, I slowly, 571 00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:09,840 probably mostly painfully, moved towards forgiveness. 572 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:12,800 I would try to give my dad the benefit of the doubt more often 573 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:14,280 when he wanted to make up for things. 574 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:17,120 I would create more space to spend time together, maybe even 575 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:20,480 more than I was inclined to. And through that, we did form 576 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:23,460 new and better memories, even though certain things would 577 00:33:23,580 --> 00:33:26,420 definitely rekindle my anger. The more that I saw good in our 578 00:33:26,420 --> 00:33:28,500 current relationship, the more I was able to hope. 579 00:33:29,220 --> 00:33:31,300 And then many of you know the story. 580 00:33:31,300 --> 00:33:33,860 But when I was a sophomore in college, I began following 581 00:33:33,860 --> 00:33:37,540 Jesus, and his message of forgiveness changed my 582 00:33:37,540 --> 00:33:39,820 understanding. It showed me the ways that I had 583 00:33:39,820 --> 00:33:44,020 been cold or selfish, and it softened my heart more and more. 584 00:33:44,860 --> 00:33:48,660 And then when I was a junior, my dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 585 00:33:48,660 --> 00:33:52,210 cancer and he passed away before I finished the school year. 586 00:33:53,570 --> 00:33:55,930 Honestly, some of my last memories of him were not great 587 00:33:55,930 --> 00:33:59,530 ones. There are a lot of things I 588 00:33:59,570 --> 00:34:03,330 regret not doing and not saying there are things that he did or 589 00:34:03,330 --> 00:34:06,930 that he said that hurt me. And overall, it left me in a 590 00:34:07,210 --> 00:34:10,650 very strange place emotionally to have done, especially at that 591 00:34:10,650 --> 00:34:14,370 age, all this work to repair a relationship that was suddenly 592 00:34:14,370 --> 00:34:18,290 over. So probably four years later. 593 00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:21,639 This was my first year living in Boston, and I experienced what I 594 00:34:21,639 --> 00:34:24,480 would probably characterize now as a nudge from the Holy Spirit 595 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:27,040 He's just hanging out, intervening unexpectedly. 596 00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:30,600 But it was to do this very specific writing challenge that 597 00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:33,520 I'd come across, and it basically became this, like, 598 00:34:33,679 --> 00:34:36,880 literary healing journey where I tried to make sense of all the 599 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:40,040 complicated feelings I had about my relationship with my father. 600 00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:45,199 And God met me as I wrote about the pain and the healing and the 601 00:34:45,199 --> 00:34:47,280 strange kind of in between places. 602 00:34:47,679 --> 00:34:50,840 And through that I found myself journeying deeper and deeper 603 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:53,360 into this concept of understanding what forgiveness 604 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:55,679 looks like. And so I remember after 605 00:34:55,679 --> 00:34:58,320 finishing it, talking to one of my best friends. 606 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:00,480 She was someone I knew in college, and so she was actually 607 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:03,880 one of the people who consoled me after my father passed away. 608 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:07,120 And so I was telling her that the conclusion of the story I 609 00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:10,560 had written was basically me owning the fact that I could 610 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:14,080 feel hurt by my father and still acknowledge how much I loved him 611 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:17,380 at the same time. And she started to cry. 612 00:35:18,060 --> 00:35:20,940 Which startled me. But she's just explained that 613 00:35:20,940 --> 00:35:25,300 she was so overwhelmed to see how much healing God had done in 614 00:35:25,300 --> 00:35:26,940 my heart. And she said, Mandy, in the 615 00:35:26,940 --> 00:35:28,860 years that I've known you, I've never heard you say out loud 616 00:35:28,860 --> 00:35:31,500 that you love your father. This is a really big deal. 617 00:35:32,980 --> 00:35:34,740 And I hadn't realized that, but it was true. 618 00:35:34,740 --> 00:35:37,100 And in the wake of that conversation, I started to feel 619 00:35:37,100 --> 00:35:40,140 more and more peace reflecting on my story and just learning to 620 00:35:40,140 --> 00:35:43,570 hold that tension. And so a few years later, I was 621 00:35:43,570 --> 00:35:47,290 at a Sunday gathering at Reality in one of our old spaces, and it 622 00:35:47,290 --> 00:35:51,210 was Father's Day, which was usually an emotionally complex 623 00:35:51,210 --> 00:35:53,610 day for me. I mean, sometimes I felt numb, 624 00:35:53,810 --> 00:35:56,450 sometimes I felt brief all over again. 625 00:35:57,050 --> 00:36:00,130 That day I was overcome with kind of strange and unexpected 626 00:36:00,130 --> 00:36:02,090 emotion. And so I went up to two of our 627 00:36:02,090 --> 00:36:05,530 elders at the time, both of whom were fathers, and asked them for 628 00:36:05,530 --> 00:36:08,390 prayer. And it wasn't until I, like, 629 00:36:08,390 --> 00:36:10,350 wasn't really sure what I was feeling until I just, the words 630 00:36:10,350 --> 00:36:12,310 were coming out of my mouth and I was asking, giving them my 631 00:36:12,310 --> 00:36:14,510 prayer request. And I found myself just saying 632 00:36:15,510 --> 00:36:19,510 that this was the first Father's Day I could remember where all I 633 00:36:19,510 --> 00:36:23,590 felt was that I missed my dad. I didn't feel anger. 634 00:36:24,110 --> 00:36:26,710 I didn't feel pain. I didn't feel numbness. 635 00:36:27,390 --> 00:36:31,550 I just missed him. And I hadn't realized until then 636 00:36:31,790 --> 00:36:37,120 just how far God had brought me. Now, I mean, of course you may 637 00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:39,240 be able to predict and understand that. 638 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:41,360 I wouldn't say that. That means that my journey is 639 00:36:41,360 --> 00:36:44,680 over, because the reality is that dealing with pain from a 640 00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:47,520 close relationship, like a parent, is something that you 641 00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:50,160 might work through for an entire lifetime. 642 00:36:51,040 --> 00:36:55,080 But it is true that the level of freedom and heart change that I 643 00:36:55,080 --> 00:36:59,800 experienced just step by step as God led me forward, showed me 644 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,320 that forgiveness had won in my heart. 645 00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:07,040 It had taken root and it was flourishing, and I recognized 646 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:11,080 other stories may have a different timeline, a different 647 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:15,800 landscape, but in Christ, I have to believe that the trajectory 648 00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:19,360 is the same. God moves us toward wholeness 649 00:37:19,920 --> 00:37:23,720 because restoration is his desire for his children. 650 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:27,480 There's this metaphor that Jesus uses and one of his parables, 651 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:30,840 and it's about a good tree. A tree that is fundamentally 652 00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:34,580 healthy and vibrant, he says will produce good fruit, and I 653 00:37:34,580 --> 00:37:36,580 think a similar metaphor works here. 654 00:37:37,180 --> 00:37:39,740 Forgiveness is the character of Jesus. 655 00:37:39,740 --> 00:37:41,860 It is his work and his lifelong passion. 656 00:37:42,340 --> 00:37:47,020 When you plant the seed, the Christ like seed of forgiveness 657 00:37:47,220 --> 00:37:51,860 and tend to it patiently, over time you will get a good tree 658 00:37:52,060 --> 00:37:55,860 that will bear good fruit. It may take a long time to grow 659 00:37:56,580 --> 00:38:00,700 as trees do, but I think we will always be surprised to discover 660 00:38:00,820 --> 00:38:03,990 what God can do through the faithful watering and in the 661 00:38:03,990 --> 00:38:07,670 patient waiting. By walking that long, hard road 662 00:38:07,670 --> 00:38:10,190 to forgiveness, we can experience the invitation that 663 00:38:10,190 --> 00:38:14,310 we hear in the Psalms to taste and see that the Lord is good. 664 00:38:15,230 --> 00:38:18,310 Pursue forgiveness and you will taste His goodness. 665 00:38:19,030 --> 00:38:21,750 Practice patience and you will taste His kindness. 666 00:38:22,430 --> 00:38:25,830 Bear with one another and you will experience His love working 667 00:38:25,830 --> 00:38:29,550 in you. So this is my closing invitation 668 00:38:29,630 --> 00:38:33,130 for us. I recognize we are all likely in 669 00:38:33,170 --> 00:38:36,370 very different places meditating on these themes and hearing this 670 00:38:36,370 --> 00:38:39,570 message. So I'm going to offer you three 671 00:38:39,570 --> 00:38:41,450 different prayers. This is going to be our closing 672 00:38:41,450 --> 00:38:44,930 prayer, but there's going to be 3 different kind of focal 673 00:38:44,930 --> 00:38:47,010 points. And so I just invite you to 674 00:38:47,010 --> 00:38:49,290 listen. If it's helpful for you to close 675 00:38:49,290 --> 00:38:52,330 your eyes as you listen and just kind of enter into a posture of 676 00:38:52,330 --> 00:38:55,850 receiving, feel free to do that. And I'm just going to invite you 677 00:38:55,850 --> 00:38:58,690 to pay attention to the one that stands out to you as we 678 00:38:58,690 --> 00:39:00,250 transition to our time of response. 679 00:39:02,710 --> 00:39:07,630 So this is the first prayer Jesus. 680 00:39:09,510 --> 00:39:12,430 Help me to sincerely ask for forgiveness. 681 00:39:14,550 --> 00:39:18,710 Help me not to fear owning up to what I've done, as if the weight 682 00:39:18,710 --> 00:39:22,470 of shame will crush me. Help me to trust that my 683 00:39:22,470 --> 00:39:26,390 repentance can bring healing into my life and the lives of 684 00:39:26,430 --> 00:39:29,030 others. Please meet me now with your 685 00:39:29,030 --> 00:39:38,350 transformative grace. Secondly, Jesus, help me to 686 00:39:38,390 --> 00:39:42,870 choose the path of forgiveness. I'm not sure what lies ahead, 687 00:39:42,870 --> 00:39:45,430 and part of me is afraid that I'll turn a corner and find 688 00:39:45,430 --> 00:39:47,750 myself facing pain or disappointment again. 689 00:39:48,550 --> 00:39:50,750 Show me that you walk this road with me. 690 00:39:51,590 --> 00:39:55,590 Remind me that it is the power of your forgiveness that will 691 00:39:55,590 --> 00:39:58,980 heal the world. Fill my heart with the merciful 692 00:39:58,980 --> 00:40:02,340 love that only you can give and the wisdom to follow your 693 00:40:02,340 --> 00:40:08,260 leading. Lastly, Jesus, help me to become 694 00:40:09,020 --> 00:40:12,900 a person of patience. Remind me of the ways that you 695 00:40:12,900 --> 00:40:14,620 have loved me at my most unlovable. 696 00:40:15,900 --> 00:40:18,930 Help me to bear with others. And to believe that you were 697 00:40:18,930 --> 00:40:22,170 able to transform and heal. Even if I can't see it now. 698 00:40:22,690 --> 00:40:26,730 Help me to trust that you were working renewal in my heart and 699 00:40:26,970 --> 00:40:29,490 in those I struggle to have compassion toward. 700 00:40:29,930 --> 00:40:33,810 Help me to put on the new self you have created and to walk in 701 00:40:33,810 --> 00:40:39,770 compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience even 702 00:40:39,770 --> 00:40:42,610 today. So we pray for all of these 703 00:40:42,610 --> 00:40:45,850 things in Jesus name. Amen. 704 00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:51,760 I'm just going to do a quick invitation as the band begins to 705 00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:55,560 play. This time of response is so is 706 00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:57,400 so key. I can stand up here and talk 707 00:40:57,400 --> 00:40:59,280 about it, talk about these things for another half hour and 708 00:40:59,280 --> 00:41:03,440 I will not. But there I believe that there 709 00:41:03,440 --> 00:41:06,360 is some kind of seed of forgiveness, whether that's to 710 00:41:06,360 --> 00:41:09,840 forgive, to receive forgiveness, to walk with embarrassed people 711 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:11,760 that Jesus is planting in our hearts now. 712 00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:14,480 And I'm just inviting you right now to listen, to listen for 713 00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:16,440 what that might be. It might be helpful for you to 714 00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:19,040 sing the words of the song that we're about to play. 715 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:21,600 It might be hopeful for you to come down to the carpets and 716 00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:26,000 just take a moment to focus on The Voice of God that is present 717 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:29,120 to us in these moments. If you would like prayers, there 718 00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:31,520 will be leaders at the front. I'll be over here at the side 719 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:33,640 and I would be happy to pray with you, but I just want to 720 00:41:33,640 --> 00:41:36,000 invite you now to take this moment and ask God to meet with 721 00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:37,520 you. Ask him what he wants to say.