Forgiveness

Winter into spring

New life crawling out of death

This is forgiveness

(Photo: Media, PA March 7, 2017)

Tango with us

 "Would you like to tango, darlin'?"
"I think I would be a little afraid."
"Of what?"
"Of making a mistake."
"No mistakes in the tango....If you make a mistake, get all tangled up, just tango on."


(If you cannot see the YouTube link to a scene from "Scent of a Woman," go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2zTd_YwTvo)

Tango!
You hold us close
Embracing us,
Showing us the moves
If we are willing to pay attention.

Tango!
If we do it right,
YOU will lead and we will follow.
But even if we misstep,
You are there,
Holding onto us,
Never letting us go.
And all the while,
Encouraging us to take that next step,
All mistakes forgiven.
Tango with us!

[Other prayers with the letter "t" - Transform us, teach us, tap-dance with us, tame us, tend us...]

Judas

Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I betray him to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver. Matthew 26:14-15


When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." Matthew 27:3-4

What possessed you,
Strange man?
One minute a follower,
A friend
Someone who walked
The same path
Told stories, laughed, cried.
Shared meals together on the road
Traveling from town to town.
Witnessed miracles
And heard wondrous
Stories about the kingdom.

    Was it not enough?
    Did the rabbi fail to meet your expectations?
    Or did you sense
    The growing dis-ease of the local leaders?
    Was it fear that drove you?

I know you
You are in me
During times
When I should have confronted those with power
Instead of giving into it -
Those life circumstances when I was complicit
In an obvious injustice
Because it was less of an annoyance
Than taking a stand -
Moments when it took less effort, frankly, 
To go along with the status quo.
And the bottom line:
Sometimes it is just easier to find
A scapegoat.

It is fear and then the guilt:
Watching an innocent
Fall victim
To a horrible betrayal.
It is not enough to say,
I am sorry.

    How amazing these words, then:
    Take, eat; this is my body...
    Drink - this is my blood of the covenant -
    Poured out for the
    Forgiveness
    The wondrous forgiveness
    Of sins.
    For you.
    For me.

    How can it be?
    How can it be?

Blind

"....he was born blind so that God's works may be revealed in him." John 9:3b

Questioning 

Jesus' authority

(We are blind)

Young people searching for their niche in this world,

not quite seeing where they belong

(We are blind)

Not recognizing that the best way to care for one's own needs 

   is to put the needs of others first

(We are blind)

Idolatry - finding gods in wealth, superiority, belongings - 

   things that do not last.

(We are blind)

Forgetting that God is moving ahead of us, 

present for us always, all ways 

(We are blind)

Congregations in turmoil,

thinking inwardly instead of outwardly

(We are blind)

Reckless use of God's creation,

not giving consideration to consequences of our actions

(We are blind)

Our nation

thinking we are superior to other nations

(We are blind)

Choosing fear

Over trust in you

(We are blind)

We are blind ~

Gives us sight, Lord,

So that your works may revealed through us.

- Helen Keller - 

In many ways, she really could see!

Tears

"What makes God cry?"

This is one of Dave Daubert's questions he asks churches as they prepare to look at mission and what God is calling us to do in this time and place.

Eight years ago around this time, I sat at a dinner table for a Lenten soup supper prior to the worship service. I was feeling melancholy because our president indicated that we were going to engage in a preemptive war with Iraq. This made no sense to me.

We were Christians sitting around the table, sharing a meal before worship. A confirmation teacher was one of them. She was agitated and in the course of our conversation, she became very animated and she rose to her feet (I'm not kidding) and shouted, "I HOPE WE BOMB THE SHIT OUT OF THEM!"

That still haunts me today - and every Lent. I remember my tears in worship that night. I remember the "shock and awe" I felt.

"What makes God cry?"

.... maybe the fact that a senator took pride in blocking a bill that would have provided a short-term extension for unemployment benefits that expired March 1 without, apparently, thinking of what this would mean to families counting on this to survive....

....maybe that one of our senators had the audacity to say, "continuing to pay people unemployment compensation is a disincentive for them to seek new work....." when I know people who have been trying, TRYING to find work in this difficult economic climate to no avail...

....maybe that people would follow the rantings of a radio host that strictly focuses on his own self interests and who, just the other day, compared the Speaker of the House to mullahs and imams that encourage suicide bombers - when she merely suggested that lawmakers think about what's in the best interest of the people as opposed to what might happen to their own political careers....

....maybe that some carry around signs comparing our president to Hitler or make him look like a monkey or use racial slurs....

....maybe the fact that we are all so quick to name call, demonize the other, and make things more difficult for those who are poor....

....maybe the fact that many who do this call themselves, "Christian...."

"What makes God cry?"

- demonizing the other without realizing our own demons -

- name calling -

- perpetuating untruths to further your own personal gain -

- misleading others -

- using Christianity as a sword -
- fear mongering -

- idolatry -

We are all guilty.

Most merciful God, we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves...

...have mercy on on...

...forgive us...

...renew us...

...lead us...

...so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways...

(Evangelical Lutheran Worship)

May it be so.

May it be so.