Forgiven So We Can Forgive

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

John 8 gives us the account of Jesus encountering the adulterous woman and her accusers. They were ready to condemn her to death. They stood with stones raised. Jesus, as He does for us, stood in her defense. He said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." The teachers and Pharisees began to walk away. Jesus asked her if anyone had remained to condemn her. He was there, He knew no one had, but He wanted her to say it out loud. "No one," she said. "Then neither do I," He said.

I think that it is significant that Jesus wanted the woman to say for herself that no one had stayed. There is power in our open confession. We should not hesitate to confess the truth to the Father of Truth. Even when the truth of our confession requires the owning of our sin. It always seems easy to confess God's goodness. It is not so easy to confess our sin.

Understanding that we all are sinners, saved by grace through faith, it is important for us to confess corporately our desperate need for God's mercy. Jesus, by His redemptive work on the cross has become the Lord of our shame. He has taken it from us in His mercy. Our God, Yahweh, is both merciful and just. This is a paradox by human standards. It would seem unjust to show mercy to a criminal. God in His goodness poured out His justice on His Son in order to pour out His mercy on us. Without this we would be sinners in the hands of a just God, deserving only of His wrath.

"Man of Sorrows," what a name for the Son of God who came; ruined sinners to reclaim, Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Ephesians 1:7 says "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace." Just as we know how to love because of God's love for us, so we know how to forgive because we have been forgiven. For there is no good in us except that which is the Spirit of Almighty God.

Luke 7:36-50 tells the story of another adulterous woman. This one anointed Jesus' feet with perfume, washed them with her tears, dried them with her hair. The Pharisee was angry. "Don't you know what kind of a woman this is?" he said. Jesus then showed how she had done naught but worship and love Him since she walked into the room for she had been forgiven of much sin. If the Pharisee had only realized that he too had much sin to be forgiven of, perhaps his response would have been similar to the woman's. Is our response that of those forgiven of much? Do we love as people who have been loved much? Do we forgive as those who have been forgiven of much? Do we worship as children forgiven of much?

Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison; for the sin in our hearts and heads, for the poison on our lips and the blood on our hands. Have mercy on us, O God of our Salvation.

Grace and Peace,
Joel

The Faithful Ones

This morning in worship, a friend and I sang The Lord's Prayer which is a musical setting of the Model Prayer found in Mathew 6. I've heard this prayer one thousand times at least (not exaggerating). The staff at our church has been doing a lot of thinking about said Model Prayer and it's implications for our supplications. What implications does it have for our worship? We'll come back to that.

I got to thinking this evening about what is necessary in our corporate worship (the Preceptor can be so thought provoking). Our church played hostess to a most wonderful group from Benton, AR. called Pure Energy. All teenagers, 112 of them, they sang for us and led our congregation in glorious praise. Our students chimed in as well. It was magnificent. When 130 teenagers are singing in one voice to the glory of God it is hard to ignore. It felt great. I'm sure you're thinking, "Wow, The Lord's Prayer in the morning service and a choir concert in the evening, those folks have got it going on!" Well, perhaps we do have it going on. We're sure feeling good about it too. What is necessary in our worship? Certainly all this glorious music is. Surely a wonderful choir anthem each Sunday morning is required. The drums most certainly should not be heard. A nice instrumental number for the weekly offering. A quarterly observance of the Lord's Supper (don't want it to become monotonous, and please do not call it Communion or Eucharist). We need a good long and loud sermon with some warm and fuzzy illustrations (hope preacher man makes us laugh this week). A scripture reading. A prayer (not a corporate one though, it feels too...umm...liturgical?) And our music leader better play the guitar, because that looks good these days. And, MOST IMPORTANTLY, it BETTER make ME FEEEEEL GOOOOOD!

Someone once said to me that they did not feel like we should have the Lord's Supper each week. I told this person that I did not feel like I took part in true worship unless I did take Communion. My friends, God is not concerned in the least with how we feel about our worship.

In the discussion of style in worship there are many sides to take. As a worship leader one must make many decisions about what to sing, read and pray each week. As a worshiper there is but one decision to make: Will my worship be faithful or unfaithful? God calls us to be faithful. He expects and accepts nothing less.

The first part of the Model Prayer says, "Your name be honored as holy." The Psalms repeatedly command us to bless the Name of the Lord, Yahweh. The Name, the Name, the Name. Job blessed the Name of the Lord in his anguish. God does not just take the blessing of His Name seriously. It is necessary for Faithful worship.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. O Lord, help us to honor Your Name as holy. Help us not to take Your name upon ourselves vainly, rather, teach us to carry it with honor and love. Put within us a passion to see Your name glorified, high and lifted up and exalted above all blessing and praise (Nehemiah 9:5). You alone are worthy of Your glory.

May we be found as the faithful ones.

Grace and Peace,
Joel