Tolkien's Gospel: Redmeption (Recap Week 3)

J.R.R.Tolkien wrote the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings in order to create a mythology that would transmit timeless virtues to a culture that he feared was losing its soul as it hurdled toward modernity. Tolkien a life long friend and colleague of C.S. Lewis, also used his devout Christian faith as a source of the virtues he wanted to share with through his stories. These facts make the stories wonderful sources to illustrate the nature of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.While in contrast to Lewis' Narnia, no one figure represents Christ, each virtuous character in Tolkien's works represents Christ in some way despite their faults and weaknesses. 

 
Aragorn is character that readers of the Bible should find eerily familiar.  The setting of the novel Lord of the Rings is a place called Middle Earth.   This place was once one kingdom; it was then divided into a northern half and a southern half.   The northern half quickly falls apart while the southern survives.   Then a promised king comes out of the wilds of the collapsed northern kingdom.  If you feel you have heard this story before you have, maybe even in Sunday School.  Tolkien based this part of the narrative on the Bible.  Israel once united, divides into a northern kingdom and a southern one.   The messiah though born in the south would emerge out of the long defunct northern kingdom from an obscure place called Nazareth. So the character we witnessed this week's scene is clearly based on some of the people we meet in the Bible.  

(1 Samuel 16:12) He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one."(NRSV)

In many ways Aragorn reminds us of David.   The one who leads and is confident of victory because the ultimate cause is just.   David has a heart for God, Aragorn has a heart for doing good.  Like David, he begins to assume his calling of kingship long before the official coronation. The scene we watched this past Sunday portrays this as he receives a sword from his future father in law Elrond.  He is made aware of the urgent need and his role in the fulfillment of a providential plan of rescue for a besieged people. Just like a biblical judge or king, Aragorn goes forth to fight for the good even if it means going through the shadow of death. 
 

(1 Peter 3:18-19) For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison,  (NRSV)

Aragorn like David in the Bible is fallible and in need of healing and redemption.   Aragorn often feels weighed down by the burden of his forbears.   His ancestor Elendil is the one who failed to destroy the Ring of Power that now threatened to destroy the world.   He would fail to protect his friends at times and felt great guilt.   He has a need of redemption for himself in order to be whole again.  Aragorn assumes the kingship by taking the Dimholt road- which runs through the place of the dammed and unfaithful.  He needs to take this dark road in order to help those who because of their sin have failed to be faithful.   I am convinced that this part of the narrative was inspired by the verse above and the line in the creed  "And he descended into hell."   The Elf-lord Elrond tells Aragorn the only way he can have enough people to fight the battle against evil is to summon the unfaithful to his banner.   In other words those fallen away from a right life are needed to help, so they must be redeemed.   Unless the unfaithful are redeemed there is no victory.  Otherwise, there are not enough righteous to make a real difference.   The character of Aragorn teaches us about the necessity of forgiveness in our leaders.

(John 18:36) Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." (NRSV)

In many ways Aragorn looks the part of the messiah we all would like to see someday.   The handsome warrior rides in on his white horse, shows his martial arts moves,  kicks out the bad guys and all is right with the world. Yet the most effective weapon in his arsenal would be no weapon at all, it would be a promise, a promise to the unfaithful that they could be redeemed.   He gives his word and the unfaithful come to his side.    We often want a leader to be tough and mighty,  but true Christian leadership takes compassion and forgiveness.   Leadership without forgiveness is false leadership.    Jesus himself led by healing and forgiving.  As even the most casual of Christians knows, Jesus was the unexpected Messiah.   He brought no sword, no army, but walked alone to accomplish an act of redemption for the world.  The true King is to bring healing and wholeness to our world and that can only be accomplished through redemption.   We know this in our bones,  one of the reasons we admire Lincoln so much as a leader is his ability to use the gift of redemption to help lead the country through the Civil War.

In the Lord of the Rings, Aragorn will show not just the possibilities of human leadership but also its limitations.   In the end of the narrative he can not defeat evil on his own even with his large armies,  he will need the efforts of the entire community of the faithful along with a good dose of divine intervention.  We learn that real Christian leadership will always acknowledge its limitations and dependance upon God as much or more that our own efforts.   In the book and the films Aragorn leads by showing the way toward redemption, and it is impossible to redeem oneself it always takes another to help you along.

(John 18:37) Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." (NRSV)

The Christian  leader embraces the truth and does not try to change it, hide it or spin it.   This starts with a self awareness for his or her own need of redemption.   Whether you lead in your home, workplace, church or voluntary organization, fogiveness, reconciliation, and redemption will be the most useful and most loving of skills you can use.    Jesus came to reveal the shortcomings of human leadership and at the same time affirm the love God has for those same human beings. We are blessed to have a leader, messiah and king like Jesus. 

Keep the Faith, 
Pastor Knecht   

Tolkien's Gospel: Mortality (Recap week 2)

J.R.R.Tolkien wrote the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings in order to create a mythologythat would transmit timeless virtues to a culture that he feared was losing itssoul as it hurdled toward modernity. Tolkien a life long friend and colleagueof C.S. Lewis, also used his devout Christian faith as a source of the virtueshe wanted to share with through his stories. These facts make the storieswonderful sources to illustrate the nature of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.While contrast to Lewis' Narnia, no one figure represents Christ, each virtuouscharacter in Tolkien's works represents Christ in some way despite their faultsand weaknesses.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:3 NRSV

In this week's scene we see Arwen declare her love for Aragorn.   She does more than that, she agrees to become a mortal so she can live and die with the one she loves.   Arwen is an elf.  In Tolkien's Middle Earth she is an immortal.  However, if she wants to bind herself to a mortal, she must embrace death for herself.   On the real earth, this is exactly the same pattern of activity that God has done for us in Jesus.   Jesus is willing to bridge the chasm between God and humans to the point that he is willing to die for them.   Jesus puts his life on the line to love.   It is one's willingness to die that proves love.   In The Lord of the Rings, Arwen proves her love by being willing to die.   While this love seems great, God's love is greater.

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.  Romans 5:10 NRSV

Jesus' love resulting from his compassion for humanity is boundless.   This is the very essence of Grace! He did not give his life for those who would be able to love him back in equal measure, he gave it for those who would be unable to repay him.   Jesus commits to go to his death so that people will live.  It seems strange at first, but the truth is that Jesus must embrace death so that the world may share in the resurrection.  In our contemporary world we do so much to keep death out of our minds.  We rarely speak of it, we ignore its coming.   Many unhealthy religious thoughts have sprung up in our culture that deny the reality of death in this world.  Mormonism with its doctrine of the uncreated eternal soul, Budhism with reincarnation,  and positivist thinkers who believe that technology can overcome death are just a few examples.  

Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”  Mark 13:2  NRSV

On October 29th and 30th of this year we were reminded that nothing lasts forever as hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc in our area.   Mark 13 not only tells us about  the downfall of ancient Roman Jerusalem, Jesus teaches the disciples in the text about the mortality of our world.  Even what seems immortal and permanent in this life will one day pass away.   One finds in The Lord of the Rings a narrative with lots of references to ruins of civilizations passed.   Great monuments to powerful and heroic rulers lie broken and scattered and overgrown by forests and fields.  It is a reminder to us that nothing is permenent. This is one of the major points apocalyptic Biblical writing.  Our world like us, was born, grew to maturity, and will one day die.  Just as we hope for a new birth in the resurrection to come, our entire created world hopes to be one day reborn anew (See Romans 8, and Revelation 21). 

Then the Lord God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— Genesis 3:22NRSV

One of the important themes of Tolkien's writing is the grace that exists in mortality; death is called the gift of men.  This idea though not popular with those who preach a watered down version of the Gospel, is found in the Bible and in classic Christian thought.   The premise is simple, in a sinful world humans can not handle immortality,  the constant sorrow will eat away, isolate, and destroy the true essence of the person.  Eternal life without forgiveness is not heaven; it is hell.  Tolkien's elves demonstrate this, they are almost always written in sorrowful and tragic terms.   In their undying state, they have just witnessed too much evil.  Even more profound, their lack of ability to die makes them unable to commit to fighting for their world.   It is Arwen, when she commits her life to a mortal and embraces death, who shows what it means to really be alive.  Death makes us take stock of the gift of life. 

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24NRSV

To deny our eventual death would show a lack of faith.   The mistake that we make when avoid dealing with death is that we accept death as the final word.   The life, cross and resurrection of Jesus prove to us that death does not have the victory  because Christ is risen from the dead.   He shows us the way from death to life.   Now we must all die to rise again,  and while we can naturally fear the process, we should have no doubts about its outcome. Christians have always seen this as hope for today as well as the hour of our eventual death.   Luther spoke of our need to die to sin and rise to new life daily through repentance and by remembering our baptism into Jesus.  Paul reminds us to "Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry)" (Colossians 3:5).   If we have the courage to ask ourselves what are we willing to die for?  We might just find the answer of who are we willing to live for?

Keep the Faith, 
Pastor Knecht 

Tolkien's Gospel: Compassion (Recap week 1)

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings in order to create a mythology that would transmit timeless virtues to a culture that he feared was losing its soul as it hurdled toward modernity. Tolkien, a life long friend and colleague of C.S. Lewis, also used his devout Christian faith as a source of the virtues he wanted to share with through his stories.   These facts make the stories wonderful sources to illustrate the nature of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.  While contrast to Lewis’ Narnia, no one figure represents Christ, each virtuous character in Tolkien’s works represents Christ in some way despite their faults and weaknesses.  


 "I have to believe I can come come back"

Our attempts at Christian compassion are rooted in the understanding that we are all in a common humanity.  Each of us is created in God's image, and each of us is in someway broken because of disunion with God, others, and self.  Christians more easily enter into a compassionate way of life when they make connections of events from their own lives with the lives of others. In the scene we viewed this week we find Frodo demonstrating compassion toward the creature Gollum.  Frodo has realized that it was Gollum's carrying of the Ring that led to his change from ordinary being to monster.  He sees the danger that he too may become like this, a scared and broken shell of a person.   He hopes for Gollum's healing because he can see his own hope in it.   This is a deep Christian idea.  We care about the healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation of others because we can see hope for ourselves in the redemption of others.  We can love others more easily when we see, feel and understand what they are going through.

But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

The true source of our compassion is the compassion of Jesus Christ.  The word compassion is itself a perfect expression of the Gospel.  It is a word derived from Latin that means "to suffer with".  It is a perfect expression of what God did through the sending of his Son Jesus.   It explains both the incarnation (Christmas) and the Cross (Good Friday and Easter). God proves his compassion for us by demonstrating that God knows what it means to be human, because God has lived as a human.   The moment Jesus cries out the words "my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", we see that Jesus is not only God's Son, but one of us.  God has compassion for us, because God has lived with us and knows what we are going through, all of it, our burdens, joys, successes, failures,victories, and most poignantly our wounds. 

“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! Mark 12:38-39

Compassion is also a knife that cuts through our thoughts, actions, and behaviors.  The presence of compassion in our lives confirms the presence of God.   The Pharisees are not criticized by Jesus because of their piety, they are criticized for their hypocrisy and their lack of compassion.  The simple truth is no compassion, no relationship with the living God. Compassion is the default mode of true Christianity.   It is how we can discern the spirits of our lives and see whether or not our spirits walk with God's Spirit.   Compassion is also more than mere sympathy.  It must contain concrete acts of love and sacrifice for it to be genuine.  Compassion is love concretely expressed.   Frodo demonstrates compassion for Gollum by learning his real name, trying to share his food,  and even extending his trust at times.   In the wake of the recent storm we have seen compassion at work in almost every neighborhood in our area.  


Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:43-44

In Tolkien’s mythological world of Middle Earth compassion plays a primary part in driving the virtues actions of its heroes.  This is most plainly seen in the actions of the main characters of the drama, the hobbits.   Hobbits represent the little people.   Ordinary folks who go to work, make respectable homes, and enjoy life’s simpler pleasures.   Tolkien modeled them on the regular people he met in his day to day existence.   One of the main themes of the Lord of the Rings is that little people fueled by compassion can accomplish great deeds.   Where the great and powerful will fail because of tragic flaws, the little ones will succeed because they are fueled by compassion.   Compassion is a powerful thing.   In the above quote from Mark 12 we see how compassion fuels a simple “little” widow to put it all on the line for God.  Jesus sees and admires the woman because he knows compassion and he knows what it means to be from an ordinary little place.   In many ways Jesus was a “little guy”,  he grew up in a small town backwater, practiced a trade where he worked with his hands.  Compassion became the fuel that drew him to proclaim the coming Kingdom of God, heal the sick, and take the long walk up the hill to Calvary to do the greatest deed of all, the cross and resurrection.   So as Christians we should never fear to take a risk to be compassionate,  for compassion is the fuel of our ministry.   It is the reason ordinary people are capable of great deeds.  

Keep the Faith,
Pastor Knecht 

DIY? or DFM? or LDT

Work out your own salvation in fear and trembling.  Philippians 2:12

It is the mantra of our culture,  do it yourself.  It also feels good.   We are hard wired to want to be independent and self reliant.   For many of us it is difficult to ask for help,  we suppose that it is a failure when we do.   Doing it for our-self elevates our self esteem and confidence and gives us some achievements to hang our hats on.   We can at times also bring a DIY mentality to our life in relationship to God.   We begin to focus on what it is we need to do to be better people,  or more holy people, or more virtuous ones.  This is an important spiritual task.  St. Paul wrote to the Christians who lived in the ancient Greek city of Phillpi and left us the book of the Bible that bears their name, to do just that.   One needs to take actions for him or herself to live out a faith relationship with Jesus Christ.  If however, we focus on this too much we can be led astray into either undue pride or despair. So Paul says in the very next sentence:

for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

So even while God calls us to an individual effort we are reminded that we really don't do things alone.   God through the Holy Spirit works with us.   In terms of your discipleship, your personal responsibility and accountability should never lead to isolation from God or others.   For there will be times when we are not able to do it all by ourselves.  For example, you can not save yourself from death only God can.  The truth is that we are also hard wired to rely on each other and God.   As with doing it yourself, there are pitfalls to be found on being too focused to having others help you all the time,   One can start to lose sight of their God given abilities and miss out on the fullness of life and start to think that he or she is not as valuable as others.   Even more tragic is when one begins to feel that doing things for oneself is beneath him or her.  Other people then become mere tools of manipulation for us rather than fellow children of God.

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.  Romans 13:8

There is a third way, and that is working together.    Paul's picture of the Body of Christ is one where each person accountably following his or her unique calling becomes part of an interdependent community centered in God.   In truth, we are at times called into all three ways of engaging our world.  There will be times when we need to buck up and take matters into our hands.   There are obviously times when you will need the help of others just to make it one more day, and there are always times when the Spirit calls us to work together with others.   Deciding what to when is one of the most important aspects of a healthy prayer life.  

so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. Romans 12:5

In the life of our church right now the main way that God is calling us minister is by learning to work together.   It seems like these days there are plenty of gurus out there calling their followers to just follow their method and therefore save themselves in a DIY type of way.   There are also churches who are built around providing spiritual goods and services in exchange for offerings in the plate where consumers demand that the church just do it for them.  None of these ways of ministry capture the richness, fullness and grace of the living (and biblical) body of Christ, where each person understands that he or she is accountable to others and privileged to be with others at the same time.   What we are trying to do here at Holy Cross is pull together and minister as family in Christ so that we can work together.  You can DIY (do it yourself) or you can sit back and demand DFM (do it for me),  or you can lift your head and look your neighbor in the eye and say LDT! (let's do it together!)

Keep the Faith, 
Pastor Knecht

What happens when we die?

Questions from our Culture: Final Week Recap

The Science fiction series Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) spoke about many of the issues of faith that people in our time are wresting with.  It did this by taking elements of  different faiths and dividing them up between the different characters of the drama.  In no way do the religions of the show completely conform to an actual human belief system, but they do have ideas in common with contemporary and even historical faith communities.  The result is fascinating portrayal of a life in a universe with competing religious ideas. We are using this portrayal at Holy Cross to engage some of life's most important questions.  These are not only found on TV but in the Bible itself.  Even better, the Bible begins to lead us to some answers to these life changing questions.

I was there...

Our final scene from Battlestar Gallactica depicts  the female lead Laura Roslin in dialog with a fellow cancer patient about the afterlife.  Her friend is telling her story of a vision she had of the next life.  Roslin is skeptical choosing to only believe what she can concretely experience while lucid and in her right mind.  Her  friend Emily is adamant, she was there in the border between this world and the next.   She will recount a number of important points.   First she was scared, but at the same time there was an assuring voice in her ear that said "I am with you."   Second,  she recounts the words of the recurring character Gaius Baltar, when she says that there is more to this world then what we can see with our eyes.   Finally she saw on the far bank of the river those whom she had lost of her family and friends.  She was comforted by this vision but was insistent that this vision gives a complete accounting of reality.   The scene shows two women, one open to the next world another skeptical, working out their questions in a meaningful conversation.  The question about what happens when we die is clearly found in the Bible in a number of places and the promises portrayed in this hospital room conversation are some of the same promised by God in Scripture. 

I am with you...

Emily's anxiety about her vision is calmed with a voice stating that he is with her.  Being assured the presence of the Divine through life and death is one of the central promises of Jesus Christ.  This coming Sunday churches around the world will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, where God's presence was poured out for every land and nation.   Jesus promises in the Great Commission that he will be with us until the end of the aeon.   In the final book of the Bible, the key promise of the reconciliation and final healing of the world is the complete presence of God experienced fully by His people.   "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;  (Revelation 21:3 NRSV).  A look into the original language of John of Patmos' vision will reveal that the word used for home in the above verse is σκηνὴ, which literally means "tent."   So Revelation shows an image of a reconciled New Jerusalem where God is not in a temple but camping out with those whom He loves.  It is an image of God's intimate presence with us that shows that his being with us is the first solution of all of our genuine needs.  

There is something (or someone) beyond this world...  

God's presence is our most profound need because unlike us, he has no limitations.   He is the one who is not bound by space, time, laws of physics, or conventions.  He is the only one who can free us from the bondages that we face.  John of Patmos writes again: Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.  (Revelation 21:6 NRSV)  The letters Alpha and Omega are the first and last  letters of the Greek alphabet.   So Revelation is saying that God is A-Z,  all that is in between, and even more. The God of Jesus Christ is more than we can fathom. The God who works salvation through history is the God who is beyond anything history can describe.  This power is necessary because Scripture tells us that the Lord will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away."  (Revelation 21:4 NRSV)  Death, pain, grief and loss may ensnare us, but they have no power over the Alpha and Omega who is at the head of all things. 

 A Communion of Saints...


The most moving aspect of the scene between the two cancer patients in Battlestar Gallactica is how it shows Emily having a vision of being in a reunited communion with her loved ones.  Her parents, children and all who had died before her are re-united in a new community.  This same hope is made explicit by Jesus as he prepares to go to the cross on the night in which he was betrayed.  In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. (John 14:2 NRSV) The vision of the resurrected life is not just one of you in relation to God it is you with others in relation to God.  We become part of the resurrected community of God.

The other component of this is one of the chief images of an afterlife given in the Bible.   It is the idea of the great heavenly feast.   We first learn of it in Isaiah, and Jesus uses it as his primary teaching image of the coming Reign of God. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God.  (Luke 13:29 NRSV)  The redeemed gather for fellowship around God's table.  This image is one the reasons I advocate regular celebration of the Lord's supper, it as as said a "foretaste of the feast to come."

An Invitation... 

I have always found it comforting that the Bible uses images like those discussed above.   I find that images are often more inclusive than definitions or a list of requirements.  I can relate my common life experiences to images,  they give me touch points with God's Word.  When the Bible says God camped out, I think of my own camping trips.  When heaven is described as a feast or party, I have wonderful images in my mind of fellowship with friends and loved ones.   I believe the Bible uses images to make coming to God more inviting.

The answer to the question of what happens when die is clear according to the Bible.  The answer is resurrection.   However, I do believe we need to be open it.  In this week's scene we saw two people one with an experience of life after death who was clearly open to the possibility, and one who was struggling to understand.  The saddest for me are those who close themselves off to the possibility, not only those who reject God, but perhaps those of us who nominally acknowledge God, but become absorbed in our own stuff to the point where we are unable to see the images that God provides us.  They miss out on the hope to come closer to him to live the abundant life in this world and the next. However, all we need to do is look up out of our junk and see the vision of God that is revealed through his Word of Jesus calling us back to God and himself.   The invitation to life eternal is there, we just need to respond, and to me that is indeed a comforting thought.

This is the final installment of this series:   This summer we will be working with two themes:  "Thriving in a mixed up world"  based on readings from the Gospel of Mark, and "A life rebuilt by Jesus," which uses texts from Ephesians.   Please be in prayer that we can come closer to our Lord through the proclamation and study of his Word. 


Keep the Faith, 
Pastor Knecht

How much can we forgive?

Questions from our Culture:  Week 5 Recap

The Science fiction series Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) spoke about many of the issues of faith that people in our time are wresting with.  It did this by taking elements of  different faiths and dividing them up between the different characters of the drama.  In no way do the religions of the show completely conform to an actual human belief system, but they do have ideas in common with contemporary and even historical faith communities.  The result is fascinating portrayal of a life in a universe with competing religious ideas. We are using this portrayal at Holy Cross to engage some of life's most important questions.  These are not only found on TV but in the Bible itself.  Even better, the Bible begins to lead us to some answers to these life changing questions. 

Are we done here?  

This week's scene shows Admiral William Adama having a painful confrontation with his son Lee.   Both have reached a point where they are no longer able to forgive one another.   They have reached their limits of  endurance to work through the big issues in their lives.   Lee had agreed out of principle to defend Gaius Baltar who had collaborated with the enemy.   During the trial the Admiral had to watch as his own son helped cross examine his best best friend.   The Admiral feels completely betrayed; his son is defensive because his own father questions his honesty and integrity.   They both also have a mountain of experiences with each other in the background.  Both can no longer trust the other, both resort to self protection, both cut the cords that bind them.  Lee submits his resignation of  his military commission to his father,  his father says he doesn't want him around anyway.   

The question that leaps out of the screen is:  how much can I forgive?  When we think about this question we can choose to focus on the big things such as, can we forgive a terrorist, mass murderer etc?   However as powerful these questions are,  it is often the little things that add up that are more likely to stretch our capacity to forgive.  It is also true that as in the clip, those who are most close to us are more likely to test our patience to forgive.  It is why children run away, marriages fail, and friends separate.  

The Danger of Self-Deception

I have found that the biggest misconception about forgiveness in our culture is the idea that it is for the person you are forgiving.  It really is not; forgiveness is primarily for the forgiver.  It frees the person extending forgiveness to be in relationship with others again.  So when we loose the strength to forgive we actually do more damage to ourselves rather than withhold something from those who have injured us. This is precisely why John's letter to the churches calls us to forgive, it is for our own health and well-being.   He writes:  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  (1 John 1:8 NRSV)

It is a sad truth that when become wounded and self protective it is easy for us to drift  into self deception.  Because we become so focused on the misdeeds of others, we forget to look in the mirror at our own misdeeds.   If left unchecked this can lead to contempt.   In the clip we saw that it was contempt that finally severed the relationship between the elder and younger Adamas.   Contempt of others is the most destructive force in all human relationships.  It is to resist the danger of contempt that John wants us to not only look in the mirror, but to do it with the bathroom lights on.  He recommends that, If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (1 John 1:9 NRSV) A major theme of the book of 1 John is that knowledge of sinfulness-should lead to empathy, which in turn leads to concrete acts of love for those in your community.  God has chosen not to hold you in contempt even though you may have grieved him.   God decided to forgive you through the cross, because despite it all, he wants to be in relationship with us and wants us to be the people we are created and called to be.  Therefore we can extend forgiveness to others because God has done so for us.

Trusting the One Who Can Forgive All 

The Bible is quite clear on the answer to the the question, how much can we forgive?  It answers saying:  God can forgive all, but humans not so much.  John writes again: he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.  (1 John 2:2 NRSV).  As sinners ourselves, our own capacity to forgive will be limited, but God being God, has unlimited capacity to do whatever he sets his mind on.  The deeper and more personal answer that affects our daily lives is also very clear, we read:  if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  (1 John 1:7 NRSV) Simply put, our capacity to forgive is related to the strength of our relationship with Jesus.   

There will be some sins done to you that will be impossible for you to forgive without the aid of God's power.  No human can forgive all,  we will all reach our limits.  However there will be one day a time in your life when you will need to step up and forgive what you thought was once unforgivable.  This where we see that our discipleship practice matters, our worship, our prayer, our Bible reading, service, giving, and witness help strengthen our relationship with Christ Jesus and thus we are better able to forgive others.   It is the primary reason the Amish who forgave the man who shot up their children's school were able to do so.  Their life of Christian practice no matter how strange it seems to us, put them in touch with God who gives the strength to forgive the unthinkable.

Paul once wrote to the divided church of Ephesus: For (Christ)  is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.  (Ephesians 2:14 NRSV).  Perhaps the most under-appreciated aspect of our faith and doctrine is how Christ can  bridge the divides that we so often place between ourselves.  Yet this aspect of Jesus' death and resurrection is crucial for us to participate in our own resurrection through him.   Who do we think we just might meet in heaven besides God?  So we live in trust and hope relying on God's power to get us through.  

Stay tuned for the final week: What happens when we die? 

Keep the Faith, 

Pastor Knecht 

How do we live with guilt?

Questions from our Culture:  Week 4 Recap

The Science fiction series Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) spoke about many of the issues of faith that people in our time are wresting with.  It did this by taking elements of  different faiths and dividing them up between the different characters of the drama.  In no way do the religions of the show completely conform to an actual human belief system, but they do have ideas in common with contemporary and even historical faith communities.  The result is fascinating portrayal of a life in a universe with competing religious ideas. We are using this portrayal at Holy Cross to engage some of life's most important questions.  These are not only found on TV but in the Bible itself.  Even better, the Bible begins to lead us to some answers to these life changing questions. 

It's Not For You; It's for Them 

In the scene we viewed together at Holy Cross this past Sunday we found Admiral Adama trying to hand in his resignation to President Laura Roslin.  He is led to this decision because he has finally reached a breaking point with guilt.  Adama holds deep regret over his actions, which he believes helped instigate the war that has nearly wiped out humanity.   He hands in his resignation by reprising the words of his speech that we viewed the previous week, "there comes a time when we can no longer hide from the things we have done."

 

Yet, that is exactly what he is trying to do.   His resignation is a way for him to withdraw from the scene because he is no longer able to carry the burden of his guilt.  The scene is similar to that which we find in the Psalms.  While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; (Psalms 32:3-4 NRSV)

President Roslin is having none of this.  She reminds him of the truth that he reason for things is often more complex than we realize.  "We all did a thousand things good, and a thousand things bad every day for forty years to pave the way for those attacks."  She then gives him a way out, a way to live with the guilt that he has.   She asks him to receive a commendation for his distinguished service;  Adama is at first unable to grasp this.   She then reminds him that this commendation is not for him it is for those who have served so faithfully alongside him through thick and thin.  She asks him to reengage his community.  She is asking him to show love.  She knows it will be hard for him to do, but it will be the only way for Adama to live with his guilt.  

Confession and Repentance  

 What Roslin is really trying to do, is to get Adama to turn around, to change directions from withdrawal to relationship.   This shows both how guilt works and the gifts that God gives to help us overcome it.   Guilt unchecked engenders shame, and shame leads us to withdrawal.  Unresolved guilt leads us into isolation.  The first step in the process of living with guilt is confession, in Psalm 32 we are given the assurance of God's forgiveness as we confess.   It is an affirmation and a verification of our worth before God in spite of our guilt.   This forgiveness comes to us freely given out of God's own love for us.  John writes to the churches of his day,  In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  (1 John 4:10 NRSV) How you say the prayers, or what prayers you say are not as important as simply being honest with God.  

The next step is repentance, turning around.   Now if we wanted we can get into a long argument about where repentance actually comes in to the picture:  Does it lead us to confess?  Is it a condition to be forgiven?  I would ask you to indulge me and think about it another way.   I would say that God's forgiveness helps give us the strength to repent.  Knowing you are accepted and forgiven by God, gives you the strength to turn the direction of your life around in spite of your guilt.   It gives us the power to overcome shame so that we can approach God and others boldly. Once again John writes, Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, (1 John 4:17 NRSV)  

 

We live With Guilt Through Love (Maintain Relationships)

The love of God gives us the strength to engage in acts of love for those around us. Since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.  (1 John 4:11 NRSV)  The only way for us to overcome the adverse affects of guilt is to face them head on and decide that we are going to show others love through our actions. Those whom you show love may not be ready to forgive or accept you yet, but that is not the point.  The point is to show love, you are able to do this because even if those who have hurt you are not ready to forgive you can know that you are accepted by Jesus who showed his love for you through the blood of the cross.  Evil wants us to give into the guilt and shame impulse to withdraw into isolation and despair.   God who knows the good we actually needs wants us to turn back to be in relationship with family, friends, neighbors and world.   It may be tougher in the beginning, but is life preserving in the end because we are created to be in relationship.  Now we all know that this is difficult especially when the weight of guilt can be so heavy, but please know you do not bear this alone.   Through Faith, and the Spirit God can go with us as we turn around and embrace our callings and those who we live them out with.   John says it all, God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.  (1 John 4:9 NRSV)

Tune in next week for week 5
How much can we forgive? 

Keep the Faith, 
Pastor Knecht