MOTHER'S FORGIVENESS

Sermon Summary from May 8: “Mother’s Forgiveness” (Mt 6:14; Col 3:12-15)

Happy Mother’s Day! One of our recently requested sermons was on forgiveness, and since I believe that mothers are the most forgiving creatures in the world, I thought this would be a great day for that sermon.  Of course mothers are incredibly forgiving of their own, but they are also protective of their own. It’s in their DNA.  And when that protective instinct is challenged, forgiveness can be difficult.

When that protective instinct is challenged, feelings of anger, retribution, contempt or judgment arise.  Without forgiveness it can harm us, harm our relationships, harm others.  Hear this: Jesus does not want you harmed! He has given us a pathway to forgiveness (“as we forgive those…), and he says we must!  (“You must forgive.”)

A Story: Scarlett Lewis prepared her six year old son, Jesse, for school, followed him out to his ex’s car, took a picture of him before he drove off.  It would be her final picture, because Jesse was being dropped off at Sandy Hook elementary.  Here’s the question, will Scarlett allow herself to be consumed, destroyed by bitterness or will she find a pathway to forgiveness?

Before answering, another story.  A pastor and his wife lose a son to a crackhead murderer.  The husband, Walt, cannot get over it, pushes his wife away, is transferred to another congregation, his life in shambles.  Eventually, he attends the killers sentencing and a month later writes him, then later visits him in prison.  Four years later he testifies at Michael’s parole hearing and five years after that he marries he and his bride.  Forgiveness was reluctant, slow, but Michael has become a productive member of society, Walt a productive pastor once again.

I wish I could say that Walt’s wife Izzy’s life had been restored, but it was not.  Sometimes when we harm others, the harm cannot be undone.

That’s why God insists we forgive.  He gives us no choice.  Forgiveness is a choice, our choice, but we can’t do it alone.  We need grace present with us, nudging us, prodding us.  The most difficult part of loving our neighbor is forgiving them.  But we need to say “Yes.” 

Scarlett Lewis says that without forgiveness it was like she was tethered to Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook killer.  Forgiving him set her free.  Eventually, through stops and starts she learned to have compassion for him and for his mother who enabled him.  For her forgiveness was choice girded by grace, and it saved her. So may it be with us.  Amen.