Sermon Text for July 31, 2022 - "A Life of Response"

 

“A Life of Response”

July 31, 2022

 

            Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

            Yesterday, for the first time in three years, I had a chance to go back to the Dayton Celtic Festival. Since it had been cancelled the past couple of years, mainly due to the pandemic, it felt really good to go back again, just to enjoy the happy atmosphere, music, and food. While I was walking back from one of the stages, I passed by one of the food lines, and a woman in the line greeted me, and, unexpectedly, asked me if I was in need of prayer. I told her who I was, that I was the Pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Farmersville, had to explain where Farmersville was, and then she and two others who were with her offered to pray for me again. Which they did – and they offered an incredibly encouraging and uplifting prayer, which in turn I came away from feeling refreshed and renewed – something I had needed for about the past couple of days. I believe that what they did was not just something nice, but it was a real gift from God, something which He caused to happen because He knew I needed it. This was an unexpected gift, and one which came as a form of help at just the right time. Which is the best kind of gift we all can offer anyone: help that comes at just the right time. And, opportunities both to give help and receive help are always there, and come to us at moments when we need them the most.

This is especially the case in today’s Gospel reading, where we hear one of the most well-known and beloved parables of Jesus: the Good Samaritan. At first glance, it would look like a simple story with a simple message: be a nice person and help people in need. But there’s actually more to it than that: the point of the story is actually talking about how to follow God’s law. Now, we have to make something clear, because there have been two ideas which we have been conditioned to believe, that keep us from truly understanding what following God’s law means. First, there is a misconception that the law has been abolished. In fact, the law has not been abolished – yet it is something more than what we think it is. In our First Reading from Deuteronomy, verse 14 says, “The word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.” So, we are still to obey God’s law. But what is this law? Our Gospel reading tells us: the person who asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life says:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” This is what God’s law is: it is all about love – love for God, and love for neighbor lived out of in response to God’s love for us. Even the Ten Commandments can best be summarized in this way: the first three tell us how to love, respect, and honor God; and the other seven show us how to honor, respect, and love our families, authority figures, and our neighbors. That’s all it is: any other requirements we try to lay on ourselves, or each other, to attempt to live a life of “morality” or “holiness” only distract us from what God’s law actually is. Even trying to have a correct intellectual understanding of Christian teaching and doctrine takes us away from what God really desires of us. As will be explained in just a moment, for us, the law is no longer a set of rules of expectations, but is instead the principle by which we live, our very lifestyle. Our very lives, the decisions we make, especially those affecting ourselves and our relationships with other people, are to be guided by this principle: what is the best and most meaningful way we can show love? How can what we do for someone be of the greatest benefit to them? And, not just some kind of fondness for someone else, but a genuine desire to be of help and service, unconditionally, not thinking about who someone is, or trying to put our own conditions on offering them assistance, but simply helping out of a desire to show the kind of love to another person God shows us. We can say, with all honesty, that if we do this, then we are following God’s law.

The problem is, when we think of law, and this is the second misconception, or if we think of what it means to live a Christian life in general, we think of it being a sort of checklist, which, if we fail to live up to any of them, result in punishment. That is, whether or not we realize it, the way we have been conditioned: to think that if we do good, then God will bless us and cause good things to happen to us; but if we do bad, then God will punish us by causing bad things to happen to us. Even though this is what we have been trained to believe, nothing could be farther from the truth. While there are consequences that happen if we do things to inflict any kind of hurt on ourselves or other people, it does not mean that breaking rules necessarily results in eternal punishment. Even these consequences do not last forever, but often end up teaching us valuable lessons, which we can use to be able to guide and teach others – especially as testimonies for how God has changed us and turned us around. God does not want for people, for us, to suffer eternally. This is why Jesus came in the first place: to die on the cross to suffer the eternal consequences for breaking the law, which means we no longer need to fear punishment for sin. We are free from having to save ourselves, and so we are now free to live for others. This is also just one of the many ways God is really good to us: He shows us His love in so many different ways every day. If someone does something nice, kind, or loving for us, we almost always want to say thank you. The best way we can say thank you to God for everything He’s done for us is to pass along what we’ve been given. Just as an example, if someone were to give us an unexpected gift of some money or food, we wouldn’t just want to keep it for ourselves – we’d want to use it to benefit someone else, we’d want to pass it along, to show how grateful we are for what we have. In the same way, living a Christian life means living outwards, towards others, and thinking about how we can be of the greatest good for others. Our daily devotions, Bible reading, prayer, everything else we do to deepen our relationship with God and spend time with Him, are to have the goal of causing us to want to live as God lives – in love for other people.

Now, at this point, I want to lift up something that I greatly appreciate about our church family, and which has been one of the most refreshing parts of serving you as your pastor the past five and a half years. Whenever any one of us has been struggling in any way, and if any one of us have been unable to do what we normally do, we, as a church family, have been really good about rallying around to help pick things up and cover for each other. We’ve also been really good at being understanding, at being able to see where each other has been coming from if any of us are struggling or falling down in any way. And it’s not just our church family: this is the way we as the Village of Farmersville are. If any one of us have been struggling and have needed help, we’ve been able to provide any kind of needed assistance and support, whether it’s been after a snowstorm, during a health struggle, after a fire, tornado, or house flood, whatever it’s been, we have been really good at being supportive neighbors to each other. This is even what CAMP is about: it’s not just giving out food to the hungry: it’s neighbors helping neighbors. At any time, any one of us could be in the position where we need assistance with food and personal items, and any one of us could also have the opportunity to provide these things to someone we know. We, as a community, are also incredibly supportive and encouraging for each other: we are always able to offer an uplifting word at just the right moment. We are able to celebrate with others who celebrate, and sorrow with others who sorrow. I want to encourage us to keep being this way, because not only does this help us keep strong and close-knit as a church family and as a community, but it creates a positive atmosphere for everyone. People tend to respond to atmospheres, and especially thrive in positive, uplifting ones. So the more supportive and encouraging one we create in this church and this community, the more we will want to continue to help, support, affirm, and build each other up. This means that people will be more attracted to us and want to be a part of us, because we can offer so much love and helpfulness.

And the best way this can happen is if we continue to accept each other as neighbors, and and prevent anything which would want us to keep from reaching out to each other. It’s actually easy for us to try to think of excuses why we shouldn’t even want to reach out to other people – and sometimes we can even think it’s because we don’t want to get our hands dirty, or do anything beneath us to help someone else. Notice that in Good Samaritan story, who the two people who passed the man by were: people who knew God’s law. But they were both more concerned about purity: according to the standards of the time, anyone who came in contact, or even came near, a dead body, which they probably thought the man was, would become unclean, and unable to enter the temple or perform any religious ceremonies. But that was the problem: they were more concerned about their own idea of holiness, and keeping themselves separate from what they thought was something unclean, that they missed the opportunity to be able help someone in desperate need, and actually follow God’s law. The Samaritan, on the other hand, was someone who, by the religious standards of the time, was someone who was a law-breaker, who was not following God’s commandments properly because of not belonging to the right religion as defined by one particular group – but who, according to Jesus, actually obeyed God’s law more than the other two by being compassionate to someone in need. Now, even though we might be quick to judge those two men and criticize them because they misunderstood what it meant to follow God, we have to take a look at ourselves. We have to ask ourselves honestly: when have I been more concerned about rules than reaching out to another person? When have I let my personal ideals get in the way of making a relationship with someone? The question we can be asking as to how to live according to God’s law of love in response to God loving us is not “How can I be a better person?” or even, “Who is my neighbor?”, but instead, “How can I be a neighbor to my neighbor?” If we are living a lifestyle where love is what determines how we treat ourselves and other people, then we really are following God’s law. So let’s continue to live a Godly life – one of love for others.

            Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

Weekly Word Podcast - Full Worship Service for July 31, 2022

 

07/31/2022 Full Worship Service

Weekly Word Podcast - Full Worship Service for July 24, 2022

 

07/24/2022 Full Worship Service

Rally Sunday on September 11, 2022!

Join us for our Rally Sunday celebration on September 11th! We will be reviving our Adult Sunday School at 9:15 A.M. Our youth will be leading us in worship during the service at 10:00 A.M., and we look forward to them sharing their gifts and talents with us! After worship, we will be enjoying a Carry-In Dinner together. Come be with us for food, fun, and fellowship on Rally Sunday!

07/17/2022 Full Worship Service

Weekly Word Podcast - Full Worship Service for July 17, 2022

 

Sermon Text for July 17, 2022 - "God Still Leads"

 

“God Still Leads”

July 17, 2022

 

            Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

            The very first parish I served, nineteen years ago, was in southwestern Minnesota, and was a two point parish. In the basement fellowship hall at one of the churches, there was this painting. It’s a picture of an old couple praying over a meal of bread and soup, and the woman has her Bible open. At one point, my dad came to visit me, and we toured both the churches, including the one this painting was in. He explained that this painting was a perfect example of the kind of faith that the people who had founded the church over a hundred years ago had had: a simple trust in God to help provide for them, following Him and His Word, and thanking Him for what He had given them. And really, that’s all being a Christian is: it’s trusting and following God.

            We can trust God, first of all, because He is the one who is supreme and is in control of everything. That’s not always easy, though, especially when everything seems to be going wrong. In today’s First Reading, it’s looking like things are out of control. Elijah complains to God that nothing seems to be going right: people are turning away from God and worshipping idols; prophets like him are being hunted down and killed; and even Elijah himself has been forced into hiding. Like Elijah, it’s easy for us to look around and think everything is doomed. The world isn’t the same as it once was. We’ve become frustrated because so much has changed. Things we once thought we could rely on are no longer there. Restaurants don’t always have enough staff to provide service for regular hours. The prices of gas, groceries, and even simple things we’ve always bought out of necessity have gone up, which has meant we’re short on funds. Stores don’t always have what we want to buy in stock. Meanwhile, war continues to rage between Ukraine and Russia. Divisions in our own society still run rampant – even despite repeated pleas for unity and peace. Violence continues to erupt, sometimes in unexpected places. Bullying continues to be a problem in schools, work places, everywhere. Even criticism on social media has become harsher and more unloving. Things seem out of control.

            But nothing could be farther from the truth: God is still in charge. He commands Elijah to anoint Hazael as King of Aram and Jehu as King of Israel, showing that He, God, still has the power to raise up and depose world leaders, and so be in charge of the course of history. He also tells Elijah to anoint Elisha as his successor as prophet, which means God will not let His message be silenced, nor will He allow His power, which He works through His prophets and others whom He chooses to act on His behalf, to be stopped in the world. God then encourages Elijah by letting him know that He has reserved seven thousand people in Israel who have not worshipped idols – encouraging because this lets Elijah know that what he is doing is not in vain, that he is going to get results, and he has people who are on his side. Sometimes we may feel alone and unsupported, especially as we try to follow God. We may feel isolated, especially when we do stand up or speak out against anything God doesn’t want for us or others – but we’re actually not alone. God sends people to support us and be on our side. God makes sure we don’t feel like we’re having to fight our battles on our own. So no matter what happens, God still rules everything– us, the world, and everything that’s going on.

            And sometimes this means, as we hear in today’s Gospel reading, simply trusting God and following even when we’re unsure or uncomfortable with doing so. When a Samaritan village rejects Jesus and His disciples, the disciples want revenge by having God burn the village down. But Jesus rebukes them, probably by reminding them that not only is that not showing God’s love, but it means trusting that God has another plan for them – if He doesn’t want them to preach in that village, they’ll go on to another one, and leave the insults and hurts they’ve just had to suffer behind, moving forward to where God leads. Jesus then reminds a couple of men who want to follow Him that it probably isn’t as easy as it sounds: sometimes following Jesus means going in directions we may not expect, or we may not be comfortable with. Sometimes there are changes that need to be made in order to go the direction Jesus is leading us, especially to be able to reach other people. And this happens by having Jesus change us by His Holy Spirit: by transforming us to become more like Him, and, in doing so, to bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which are the very characteristics and attitude of God Himself, and which we can live by.

            Now, it would be easy to go on a long and brow-beating lecture about all the ways the world and society is engaging in the sinful nature, and going against the fruits of the Spirit. But many years ago, in Northern California, I had a chance to meet another pastor who had previously done prison ministry. He told a story about how, at one particular prison, he and one other preacher would be leading two worship services running at the same time. He noticed that maybe three or four people would be going to the other preacher’s worship service, and he himself would get a large crowd coming to his service. So one day he asked one of the guys who attended his worship service why this was the case, why there were more people coming to his service. This was the answer he got: “The other guy tells us about how much we’ve sinned, we’ve done wrong, and we’re going to hell if we don’t shape up. We know that already. But you tell us about how much God loves us. That’s what we need to hear. We need to hear some good things, and you tell us that.” That story is one I’ve taken to heart ever since.

That’s not to say, though, that there aren’t still consequences for following the sinful nature. There are still things that go wrong in today’s world because people follow sinful instead of the fruits of the spirit, ways that we can’t ignore, simply because we’re bombarded with them on the news, and in everyday life. Women and children especially are abused and exploited: human trafficking continues to be a particular issue. Jealousy leads to broken relationships and friendships, especially if it is jealousy based on misunderstanding, suspicion, or paranoia. Dissensions and factions lead to disunity and a lack of love and trust, especially within groups and families. Uncontrolled rage leads to violence, especially physical and mental abuse, and even outright murder. It also hurts us physically and emotionally, as we lash out in anger, which affects our mental health and blood pressure, among other things. Selfish ambition causes us to want to fight against each other, causes competition, and is the primary cause of war. Envy causes people to slander and gossip about each other, which also leads to mistrust, dysfunctional relationships, and broken groups.

And all of these are to be called for what they are: contrary to how God wants us to live and treat each other. However, there is hope: in the death of Jesus on the cross, all of these things which are part of our sinful nature have been put to death. So, for everyone who repents and asks God to change heart and mind, there is forgiveness for all these things we have done, and we are free from them to live in a new way.

This means we are to be encouraged to live the way the Holy Spirit causes us to live, by the fruits of the spirit. These are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And, all these are not only ways that make us better people, they are, more importantly, ways that we can make things better for other people. By showing love and acceptance, we can help people know God loves and accepts them unconditionally. Living in peace with each other can help make our homes, schools, neighborhoods, churches, and everywhere else we are, inviting, welcoming, and supportive places for ourselves and everyone else. Being patient with ourselves and others helps ourselves and others become better versions of who we are. Showing kindness and goodness also helps us and others become better versions of ourselves – and it’s important for us to show kindness and goodness to ourselves first, so we can better show it to other people. Faithfulness means not only being faithful to God, but also being faithful to each other: standing by each other and continuing to remain friends and supporters for each other. Being gentle helps us to be able to relate to other people as equals, recognizing that we are no better or worse than anyone else, and that we are all the same, with the same struggles and needs. Being gentle with ourselves also causes us to feel good mentally and emotionally, which causes our physical health to be in good shape. This means we can also exercise self-control, especially in how we think or act towards other people. 

If we really want to have some sort of guideline for how God wants us to live, that’s really the best way to think about it: how are we treating each other? We can be asking: is what I’m thinking about someone treating them the best way, or the way I would want to be thought of or treated? Is what I’m saying about them building them up in the sight of everyone else? Am I helping others feel the best about themselves – which is how I would want to feel? Is my attitude helping to encourage others? All these are ways in which we can follow God’s leading, and live how He lives. If we continue simply to trust God, we will be changed to become more like Him – and help Him make this world a better place. God remains in charge of everything – so let’s have Him be in charge of us.

            Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

Weekly Word Podcast - Full Worship Service for July 10, 2022

 

Sermon Text for July 10, 2022 - "But Who is He?"

 

“But Who Is He?”

July 10, 2022

 

Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Jesus is everywhere! Well yes, we know that already: we know Jesus is everywhere because He is God, but that’s not what we mean at the moment. Instead, if we think about it, Jesus is more a part of our culture than we realize. Pictures, images, and statues of Jesus can show up in the most unexpected places, whether it’s in a cartoon, in an ad, or in a song. Jesus is even frequently invoked to justify various opinions or causes. But what all of these do is cause confusion about who Jesus really is – different images of Jesus show Him in different ways, but few of them really show who Jesus is.

So who is Jesus? The answer is probably easier than we imagine: Jesus is Jesus. Jesus is the one who came to show us all God’s love by healing the sick, raising the dead, and helping people in every kind of need. He is the one who came to tell everyone that God is free and fully accessible to all people. Most importantly, He is also the one who came to suffer and die to save us from the power of sin and death, to die as a sacrifice for all our sins, past, present, and future. Jesus’ suffering had even been predicted long before by the Prophet Zechariah, whose words we hear in today’s First Reading: in verse 10, it says “They will look on me, the one they have pierced.” As Zechariah also prophesies, God even promises victory through Jesus’ suffering and death, as all the enemies which come against us, especially sin, death, and the devil, are destroyed by Jesus’ rising again from the dead. But He is more than a historical figure who just did things in the past: He is a real person, someone who is still here with us today. He is our King, but He is still here close to us. Just as He was when He was on earth, He is freely and fully accessible to everyone – especially to you. As many of us have experienced just this week, He answers prayer for everyone who needs any kind of healing, and hears and answers prayers of everyone who asks Him for help. He is our best friend – He is your best friend – someone you can go to at any time, who you know always has your back, supports you, cares for you, and loves you. He is someone who, no matter how close you may feel to Him, always keeps close to you. He will never let you down or disappoint you, but will always do what He promises for you.

But, here’s what each of us can be thinking about this morning, maybe something we don’t think about all that often: what does Jesus mean to you? When you think of Jesus, who is He to you? Not just what has He done for you, but what kind of relationship do you have with Him? How important is He to you? What does it mean for you to follow Jesus? And this is actually something for which, for each of us here today, there may not be a single answer. Jesus means different things to each of us, because each of us have had a different experience with Jesus. Jesus has helped us and spoken to us in many different ways. But if we were to ask each other, and ask other people, who Jesus is and what He means, every answer we give, or other people give, is perfectly valid. No one answer is more correct or incorrect than the other, because Jesus helps us in many different ways, ways that He has been able to help us best at any given time. But all of these experiences we have had with Jesus have one thing in common: they are meant to bring us to where He wants us to be. As we talked about last week, being crucified with Jesus means letting who we used to be, especially everything that has been harmful to us, die, and a new, and better self, replace who we used to be. It means letting go of all of our old habits, thought patterns, actions, reactions, and instincts, and letting Jesus replace them with a new way of being. This is what it means to deny ourselves: to let go of who we are, especially what is not where God wants us to be, and allow God to change us. Here, we have to be clear, though: this does not mean that everyone is expected to end up becoming the exact same way, nor are we to expect to end up exactly like other particular Christians we know. The outcome of where Jesus is leading each of us and how He is changing us is different and unique for each of us. We certainly are not to assume that everyone is going to have the exact same behavior and lifestyle as a result of believing in Jesus, nor are we to try to impose a certain kind of way of being on each other or on everyone else. Instead, following Jesus means freedom – giving ourselves the freedom to be transformed by Jesus, with whatever happens being between us individually and Him; and letting others be transformed by Jesus, becoming themselves, and who Jesus is helping them to become. It also means freedom from having to think that following Jesus means living according to a certain set of rules or laws. As Paul points out in today’s Second Reading from Galatians, now that Jesus has come, we are free from having to think that living by a law code, especially to prove that we are good people or good enough people. Instead, it means being free to be ourselves, who God helped us become, and allowing others the freedom to be themselves and who God has made them.

However, this does not mean that following Jesus is always easy. Following Jesus is a life of becoming, as well as being. As we become who we are meant to be, there is often a lot of struggle involved. Every day we are involved in this struggle: the best kind of example is cleaning out a closet or a room. Our struggle is what to keep and what to throw away, and trying to figure out what we need or don’t need any more. We try to figure out what’s just taking up space, or what we can actually use. And that’s what following Jesus means: throwing away what we don’t need any more, what’s just been taking up space in our lives, something we may think is useful or even enjoyable for us, but has been keeping us from moving forward. This struggle might even involve pain, since some things we have held on to tightly for so long, things we have thought were important to us, are painful to let go of – but necessary to let go of. Sometimes, following Jesus may even mean following Him to places we don’t expect, or maybe even in directions we may not have wanted to go in the first place. But when we get there, we find that where He has led us has turned out to be the best thing we’ve needed. Even though we can’t see the end of where Jesus is leading us, we can still trust that what we are becoming is who we are meant to be. But it means having a great amount of trust, something which itself can be a challenge. We want to be completely in control, to be able to make all our decisions entirely on our own, and to have everything planned out down to the last detail. But following Jesus means surrendering any desire to be in control, and plan out everything ourselves: instead, it means letting Jesus take charge and determine our direction. It does not mean that where we end up will be the same as where someone else we know has ended up or will end up, but instead where Jesus knows we are to be. And, when we trust and follow Jesus, where we are will often be more wonderful than we could ever hope for. Jesus Himself, after suffering and dying, rose again in victory. If we continue to follow Jesus, and trust where He is leading us, we too will end up in victory. Even though not all the problems we face in this life will be overcome, we still have the promise that, ultimately, we will live with Jesus forever. We are also to support and encourage each other as we each struggle, and pray for each other to be able to follow where Jesus leads. And as we each follow Jesus in our own way, let us continue to be changed by Him.

            Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

Weekly Word Podcast - Full Worship Service for July 3, 2022

 

Sermon Text for July 3, 2022 - "Restoration"

 

“Restoration”

July 3, 2022

 

            Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

            Today, on this Sunday of the Fourth of July weekend, there are doubtless going to be many sermons preached that will be talking about either how great America is, or what’s wrong with America. In the latter case, there will probably be a lot of sermons that are going to try to point out specific sins that, in the preacher’s opinion, are leading America astray. Such sermons are also going to try to call out specific people, or groups of people, for bringing judgement on America, or even outright blame certain people for the problems and struggles we are currently facing as a society. The problem: first of all, we already have too much division in our society right now. We already have enough judgment going on, with people blaming the other side for what the problems we’re facing are right now. The other problem: in doing so, we set up a situation where there have to be winners and losers. One group has to be good, the other has to be evil. That may be how we want to see things, but, as we hear in today’s Bible readings, that is certainly not how God sees things. As Christians, we want to be able to see things how God sees them, because that is the true way. And, in order to be able to speak on God’s behalf, and speak the words He wants us to speak to everyone else, we have to be able to see things as He sees them.

            In today’s Old Testament reading, we hear the story of what happens to David after he lusts after Bathsheba, and arranges for her husband, Uriah the Hittite, to be killed, so he can take her for himself. David is certainly remembered as being the most righteous king of Israel, but he in no way is perfect. And in this case, he forgets that God has given him more than he possibly could have expected, including being given King Saul’s wives. So God sends Nathan the prophet to tell a story about two men, one a rich man having lots of lambs, but taking the lamb of another, poor man, to feed a guest. David, still being a king who desires justice, is angered by the story, and demands that the rich man face justice for what he has done to hurt the poor man. Nathan then gives an unexpected twist: he tells David, “You are the man!” In other words, the very thing David is condemning the rich man for is the very thing he himself has done. However, before we start blaming David for his foolishness, we have to remember ourselves: very often, there have been times when we have been responsible for the very thing we have blamed another person for. We frequently want to blame “the other person” without taking responsibility for our part in the relationship. We forget that if we point a finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at us. This is especially something our whole country needs to hear: that even though we may want to blame whoever we think as being “the other side” for our problems, we are just as responsible for bringing problems on ourselves. There are consequences for how we treat other people, which is ultimately what sin is. Sinning against another person means mistreating them, and there are consequences when we mistreat other people. Relationships especially get damaged, and mistrust between people happens. God especially points this out to David: David will continually face violence in his family from this point on because of what he has done to Uriah. But not everything is completely hopeless: even though David has done this, he will still not be overthrown. Later on, his sons Absalom and Adonijah attempt to usurp his throne and put themselves as king in his place, but God still shows grace and preserves David’s position. He restores David to the position He has for him. God does this because He has an ultimate plan: He is going to cause the Savior of the whole world, Jesus Christ, to be born from David’s royal line and family. So God does not even let one misstep by David get in the way of what He has planned. Which means that all is not lost for us either: God is giving us an opportunity to make things right.

In the same way, God has a plan, and a great destiny for America. He called us into being as a nation a little over two hundred years ago, to be a place where people could come to experience freedom from oppression and tyranny, and be free to be themselves. Even though we certainly have not been perfect, and during our history we have at different times engaged in slavery, discrimination, and segregation, the purpose on which we were founded has continued to remain the same. Many people have benefitted from the freedoms we have offered, have come to this country seeking a better life, and have been able to find it because of the opportunities we have been able to give. We have also, as a country, been able to make things better for people in other parts of the world. But we always have to remember that the reason we have been able to do so is not because of our abilities or efforts, but because God has given us the ability to do so. If we, as a nation, keep remembering God, and asking Him to overcome our divisions, heal the hurts we have done to each other and have been done to us, and free us from the consequences of all the ways we have mistreated each other, we will be able to carry out the purpose He has given us in even greater ways than before. But we also have to repent, that is, look at the ways we have treated other people badly, ask to be forgiven, and turn away from whatever has caused us to sin against another person.

That is what Paul encourages in today’s Second Reading from Galatians. And here we have to make one thing clear: even though God gives us a lot of freedom, that doesn’t mean He permits everything. He does want us to live a good life, and He also wants us to help others live a good life. Anything that keeps us from doing so is something He doesn’t allow. Also, if we have been freed from a sinful habit, especially one that has caused us to abuse ourselves, or treat another person badly in any way, then we are to leave it behind and get rid of it. Simple as it sounds, the best way to avoid consequences for sinning is to get rid of the sin that is causing those consequences. And that is true freedom: being free from sins which cause us to damage and break relationships with ourselves and others. It means letting God restore us to where we need to be in life. It also means to recognize that forgiveness of our sins can only come through what Jesus has done on the cross: only by His sacrifice, all our sins, everything we have done, and everything others have done to us, have been forgiven. Nothing we do, no following of rules or laws, can earn us being forgiven – we are already forgiven. We have already been restored.

And, because we are already forgiven and restored, we can recognize that God has already forgiven and restored other people, even those we don’t think deserve to be. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells a woman, who is probably a prostitute, that her sins are forgiven. He doesn’t make her go through some sort of long restoration process, and He doesn’t even demand that she show any kind of change right away. Instead, He just tells her she is forgiven. This angers many of the people at the meal Jesus is at, including Simon, His host. Simon is a Pharisee, someone who believes that strict obedience to the commandments is necessary to be considered a believer. Like Simon, we say, “If God knew what kind of person this really is…” and insist that someone doesn’t deserve to be blessed because we disagree with them for any reason. It’s hard for us to imagine God could love and accept someone just as much as He does us. We actually say this more than we realize: this is called envy, or jealousy. We think that someone deserves to be punished for who they are or what they have done, and we ask God to punish them. We want to exact vengeance on those whom we believe have done wrong, and on those whom we think have wronged us. We want to judge. But, as with David, we are to recognize that not only are we guilty of the same things we blame other people for, but that others are just as equally loved, forgiven, and accepted by God as we are. We are to ask for God’s help in overcoming envy and jealousy, and instead see others as He sees them – the same way He see us, as people He loves equally in need of His help.

What all this shows is that ultimately, judgment belongs only to God. It does not belong to us. What God wants us to do today is not to judge or blame any longer, but to restore what has been broken. Where we have damaged our own lives, we are to ask for God’s help in removing the sin that has caused the damage. Where we have mistreated other people, and have wronged them in any way, whether they are family members, friends, or neighbors, we are to try to restore broken relationships by recognizing our part in the relationship being broken, apologizing, asking for forgiveness, and working to move forward with restoring the relationship. If we want America to be unified and at peace again, it has to begin with us. We have to be pursuing relationships again: a relationship with God, and loving relationships with each other. Instead words of blame, we are to be speaking words of support. Like Jesus, we are to speak comforting words of forgiveness and acceptance to other people – true words that come from God. If we are to be one nation under God, then let us be restored – restored to live in forgiveness and peace with each other once again.

            Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.