And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors… Matthew 6:12
When we come to this petition in the prayer that Jesus taught us, we sometimes use different words. Trespasses, sins, debts, these words all describe offences, transgressions, ways we turn away from God and from each other.
In the Lord’s Prayer, we ask to be forgiven for our offences. Then we remind ourselves, and God, that because of that grace-filled gift of forgiveness that we receive, we also should (must) forgive those who commit offences against us. It’s the Christian thing to do.
It’s also a very difficult thing to do. If you have been wronged, depending on the severity of the transgression, it might be impossible for you to understand how you will be able to forgive.
Remember that forgiveness does not mean condoning. Forgiving does not mean forgetting. It means moving on. Forgiveness is as much for you as it is for the person being forgiven. I once heard that holding on to a grudge, not forgiving in your heart, is like eating poison, hoping that it will kill the other person.
Roberta Bondi writes that there are two essential elements of forgiveness. “The first is that we give up the notion of revenge (“turn the other cheek”) and the second is that we pray for the well-being of our injurer (“pray for those who persecute you”)." (p 93-94)*
It sounds so difficult to do, but it is essential to our own well being and to the well being of our relationships with other people, and with God.
Prayer for today
Gracious God, help me to understand how to do, and then do the difficult things that I should and must do, and that includes practicing forgiveness. I ask for strength and guidance. Amen.
*Bondi, Roberta C. A Place to Pray; Reflections on the Lord's Prayer Abingdon Press, 1998
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. (Luke 24: 30-31)
Give us this day our daily bread… (Matthew 6:11)
I often listen to people tell me why they don’t attend church on Sunday mornings. Once people know that I’m a pastor, they must feel the need to explain.
These are some of the things I’ve heard; “I feel God’s presence with me the most when I am in the woods, close to nature.” “I don’t believe in organized religion.” “I worship at the altar of baseball.” (Seriously, that was one of them!)
In their book, Lord Teach Us: The Lord’s Prayer & the Christian Life, William Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas write “When we want to meet God, we Christians do not go up some high mountain, do not rummage around in our psyches, do not hold hands, close our eyes, and sing Kum Ba Yah in the hope of revelation. We gather and break bread in Jesus’ name. That’s where he has chosen to meet us, that’s where our eyes are opened and we recognize him.” (French p 80)
We gather together, as the body of Christ, never alone, for the sacrament. “Continuous communion of the whole congregation, with the post-communion blessing given after all are communed, underscores the aspects of fellowship and unity in the sacrament.” (The Use of the Means of Grace, p 49)
In the sacrament of bread and wine, Holy Communion, Christ is truly present with us. He has given himself, for us, and we receive this gift each time we gather for the celebration of the Eucharist.
“The use of leavened bread is the most ancient attested practice of the church and gives witness to the connection between the Eucharist and ordinary life.” (The Use of the Means of Grace, p 48)
And so together we thankfully pray, give us this day our daily bread.
Prayer for today
Ever present God, help us to remember that we see you and we feel your presence with us especially in the breaking of the bread. Amen.
Give us this day our daily bread… (Matthew 6:11)
I often listen to people tell me why they don’t attend church on Sunday mornings. Once people know that I’m a pastor, they must feel the need to explain.
These are some of the things I’ve heard; “I feel God’s presence with me the most when I am in the woods, close to nature.” “I don’t believe in organized religion.” “I worship at the altar of baseball.” (Seriously, that was one of them!)
In their book, Lord Teach Us: The Lord’s Prayer & the Christian Life, William Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas write “When we want to meet God, we Christians do not go up some high mountain, do not rummage around in our psyches, do not hold hands, close our eyes, and sing Kum Ba Yah in the hope of revelation. We gather and break bread in Jesus’ name. That’s where he has chosen to meet us, that’s where our eyes are opened and we recognize him.” (French p 80)
We gather together, as the body of Christ, never alone, for the sacrament. “Continuous communion of the whole congregation, with the post-communion blessing given after all are communed, underscores the aspects of fellowship and unity in the sacrament.” (The Use of the Means of Grace, p 49)
In the sacrament of bread and wine, Holy Communion, Christ is truly present with us. He has given himself, for us, and we receive this gift each time we gather for the celebration of the Eucharist.
“The use of leavened bread is the most ancient attested practice of the church and gives witness to the connection between the Eucharist and ordinary life.” (The Use of the Means of Grace, p 48)
And so together we thankfully pray, give us this day our daily bread.
Prayer for today
Ever present God, help us to remember that we see you and we feel your presence with us especially in the breaking of the bread. Amen.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Give us each day our daily bread… (Luke 11: 3)
“God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” (Prayer of St Augustine, 4th century)
Why is our faith important to us? If you look around, it seems that even people who don’t have faith have what they need, their “daily bread.” So when we pray for ours, what are we asking for?
Henry French writes that it’s “possible to confuse needs with wants.” (p 75)
Possible? I might argue that, in our culture, it is impossible not to! If we sat down and thoughtfully made three lists, one of the things that we need, one of the things we have, and one of the things we want, I think that those lists would look very different. But how often are we thoughtful about what we need and what we want? Most of us are able to get whatever we want whenever we want it. And so it is possible that we don’t make the distinction very often.
This summer I bought a new car. Our family of 4 drivers (one who is away at college) now owns 3 cars, and we so we are never without transportation. We never have to wait for a ride, we never have to go out of our way to drop someone off, and we never have to walk anywhere if we don’t want to. Really, if one of us didn’t have to ask permission to use a car, we would never even have to see or talk to each other at all! The down side? I will let you come to your own conclusions.
I included St. Augustine’s prayer today to remind us that we belong to God, and everything that we “own” belongs to God as well. We should take a moment to remember that. Our daily bread includes not only what we physically need, but also includes our relationships with each other, and most importantly with God. We will finally realize what we need when our hearts find rest in God.
Prayer for today
God, give me the wisdom to know what I need, to be thankful for what I have, and to be thoughtful about the things I want. And give me the wisdom to know the difference. Our hearts finally seek rest in you. Amen
“God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” (Prayer of St Augustine, 4th century)
Why is our faith important to us? If you look around, it seems that even people who don’t have faith have what they need, their “daily bread.” So when we pray for ours, what are we asking for?
Henry French writes that it’s “possible to confuse needs with wants.” (p 75)
Possible? I might argue that, in our culture, it is impossible not to! If we sat down and thoughtfully made three lists, one of the things that we need, one of the things we have, and one of the things we want, I think that those lists would look very different. But how often are we thoughtful about what we need and what we want? Most of us are able to get whatever we want whenever we want it. And so it is possible that we don’t make the distinction very often.
This summer I bought a new car. Our family of 4 drivers (one who is away at college) now owns 3 cars, and we so we are never without transportation. We never have to wait for a ride, we never have to go out of our way to drop someone off, and we never have to walk anywhere if we don’t want to. Really, if one of us didn’t have to ask permission to use a car, we would never even have to see or talk to each other at all! The down side? I will let you come to your own conclusions.
I included St. Augustine’s prayer today to remind us that we belong to God, and everything that we “own” belongs to God as well. We should take a moment to remember that. Our daily bread includes not only what we physically need, but also includes our relationships with each other, and most importantly with God. We will finally realize what we need when our hearts find rest in God.
Prayer for today
God, give me the wisdom to know what I need, to be thankful for what I have, and to be thoughtful about the things I want. And give me the wisdom to know the difference. Our hearts finally seek rest in you. Amen
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