9/13/20
Sermon Notes:
Dear EPC,
Here are the passages for Sunday’s lectionary readings: Exodus 14:19-31, Psalm 114, Romans 14:1-12, and Matthew 18:21-35.
For Sunday, we will hear from Exodus and Matthew. The readings seem pretty different on the surface. Exodus tells of God parting the waters of the sea to deliver the Israelites out of slavery. In Matthew, Jesus tells a story about forgiveness, forgiveness given and forgiveness withheld.
As different as these two stories may seem, they have some things in common - surrender and courage. There is no way the Israelites would have dared to follow Moses out between the walls of water if they had not surrendered themselves to God and stepped out in courage.
Likewise, the kind of forgiveness Jesus asks us to accept and offer requires us to surrender ourselves to God and to step out in courage. In some ways, it seems forgiveness takes more courage than leaving Egypt. Forgiveness is a risk - a risk that somehow letting go of bitterness will, in fact, make room for joy; a risk that once we forgive a person or situation we might truly let them go and be free of that hurt and pain.
We will talk about these passages more on Sunday. For now, take a look at Romans 14: 1-12 In this portion of the letter to the Romans, Paul sees there are some matters that are not hard and fast rules. Some people feel freedom in areas that others do not, and we are not to judge one another for these differences. It reminds me of a saying Stan has: Do you want to be right or happy? He doesn’t mean the two are mutually exclusive. This is a saying for times when insisting on being right reaches proportions that begin to overshadow human connection and mutual well-being. It can be hard to live in connection to others in God. We do not always agree, but God calls us to love and respect one another, honoring that each of us is guided and grown in God, by God. Come to think of it, surrender and courage are pretty necessary to this type of living.
Yours with love in Christ
See you Sunday -
Jane