The Way of Jesus

Forgiveness and Suffering

Forgiveness and Suffering

(click the above link to listen or right click and select to download the mp3 file to your computer)

Forgiveness and Suffering is week 6 of 6 in our Lenten series.  I share four things forgiveness is not and five I believes about forgiveness.  But for me the most significant connection is that forgiveness is suffering.  It is a kind of death.

Bringing Light to the Table

Bringing Light to the Table

Week 5 of 6 in our series on forgiveness.  This teaching focusses on Matthew 18 and Proverbs 9.  The framing question to Jesus' teaching, parables and instruction is his disciples asking "who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  As long as you view yourself as better than the person who wronged you, you are out of touch with reality and dark in your ability to forgive and seek restoration.

The Work of Forgiveness: Week 4 of 6

The Work of Forgiveness

This is week 4 of Lent.  We are preparing for our Easter Celebration by focussing on the issue of forgiveness.  This teaching engages some practical steps involved in forgiving someone.  We ask the question:  What do you do with the wrong done to you?  You can give it back (revenge), Hold it in (stew), Hand it off (hurt someone else) or begin the work of forgiveness.

shalom.

Breathing Forgiveness: Week 3 of Lent

Breathing Forgiveness

We looked at three passages in this teaching from Luke 6, Matthew 18, and Matthew 6.  I like this quote by Nancy Leigh DeMoss "Forgiveness is not so much a method to be taught as a truth to be lived."

shalom.

Forgiveness: It Begins Here

It Begins Here

Week 2 of 6 in our lenten series on forgiveness.  This week focussed on the economics of payback and revenge.  Most of this teaching explores the life of Samson in Judges 13-16.  Before we forgive...we must resolve not to retaliate evil for evil.

Shalom.

Forgiveness: Week 1 of 6

Forgiveness week 1

We begin the Lenten season with a series on forgiveness.  In this first week we raised questions.  

What are your questions surrounding forgiveness?

What to Wear?

I was planning on attending one of the Yom Kippur services at the synagogue near us. Yom Kippur is the day of atonement.  It takes place 10 days after the Jewish New Year. My allergies were kicking me good yesterday afternoon, however, and I ended up not attending.  I had an event earlier in the day and was wearing a black suit.  I thought I was all dressed up and it would be fitting attire for the day of atonement. Fortunately, before attending, I looked up online some FAQ's about Yom Kippur services.  I learned that traditional dress for Yom Kippur is all white, not black.  The white representing both our human frailty and our cleansed status of our sins before God.  Wearing white on the day of atonement is this great act of faith in a forgiving God.  I think that is profound.  I am also glad I didn't saunter into the service in my black suit.

It did make me think about my assumptions of appropriate dress and how often I stand before God dressed as a sinner when he is trying to help me remember that I have been forgiven.