Forgiving your scoundrel brothers

It seems we have been talking about forgiveness for weeks now in our weekly lessons.  (The Church has been talking about forgiveness since the cross).  It has been a deep and thoughtful conversation.

Like the whole episode of Joseph and his recalcitrant brothers that we find at the end of the Joseph saga.  The saga begins about Genesis 35 but we are looking at the final verses in chapter 50.

Joseph is one of 12 brothers, the sons of Jacob also known as Israel.  He is his father's favorite.  He knows it and he flaunts it.  He's one of those trumped up brothers who lorded himself over his older brothers.  After a while, they had had enough and became so angry and jealous that they sold him into slavery!  How's that for revenge.

But as God would have it, years down the road those same brothers needed food during a famine and suprise of surprises, Joseph was the person with the power to say Yes or No.  That gets us to this tender scene between the brothers and Joseph.  (BTW Joseph said yes).

Jacob has died and the brothers are concerned that without his influence, Joseph will take his revenge.  So bowing before Jsoeph, and lying through their teeth, these men claim that their father's dying wish was for Jseoph to forgive his brothers.  At this point in the story, Joseph wept.

Here's the question:  why?  Was it out of frustration because he know his brothers were scoundrels and would always be scoundrels?  Was it out of disappointment over all the years he had missed while he and his family were parted?  Was it out of anger that, in fact, Joseph might still be angry at them but they were the only family he had?

Or could it be this?  Joseph wept because, in fact, he had forgiven them long, long ago and it had taken until this moment for them to be ready to receive this forgiveness.  At this moment, the family could truly be reunited and a new life begun.

because.....isn't that how God loves and forgives us?  God's heart is a heart of forgiveness waiting for us to open our hearts to this healing resurrection to new life. 

Oh yes.  I think this is the best of all possible explanations and I would be embarrassed to admit that I didn't think of it* except that God's forgiveness is never ever something to be embarrassed over.  It is something to celebrate and live. 

Celebrate my friends - new life is yours in the forgiveness of God through Jesus.  I think that deserves and Alleluia!

*thanks to Darlene for her insightful response to this story.  It was a gift to me, and I think to us all.

Living it Out.......by Pr. Steve Biegner

Instead, put on Jesus Christ..." Paul to the church in Rome...and Upstate NY

 (Thank you to Pr. Steve Biegner for today's blog post.  It was first posted in the Upstate NY Synod's Mid-week Musings.)

I'm sure this will come as a huge surprise to most of you reading this...except for those who have actually met me... and those who've heard me spell something...and those who've asked me a question concerning history, important names of any classic literature...but...here's the breaking news...I was never a huge fan of studying.

 Now, for those of you who are in an academic setting or journey right now...studying is good...Steve was/is just bad at it.

I call myself an "experiential learner" (read: would rather go golfing with someone who already did the assignment and have them tell me the oral report of the book).  I found over my academic career (read: purgatory) that the library and me just didn't click.  It was a bit too quiet and dark.  Very helpful for naps, not so much for learning. 

I was known as "well rounded" by my dad...not great at anything but could survive everything. 

I was never a supporter of "tests" but loved the concept of "independent study."

Long story short...I was never a big fan of studying.  At least, not in the "classic" sense of the word.

For those of you who a church frequent flyers, you're going to hear Jesus speak about forgiving others AGAIN this weekend.  Like one week wasn't enough for us to totally learn it??  Probably not.  Because this week, instead of counting how many times we are to forgive, Jesus invites us into practical applications of forgiving: being experiential forgivers.  No more studying.  Yea!!  Now it's time to do it.  Gulp!!

Paul told the Roman church one way to live into it: Put on Jesus Christ.  Not from a book or a quote or a mantra, but instead the whole Jesus for the whole person in the whole world.

It's not the language of cramming for a test!  That's the language of immersing one's self into God's active presence through the Holy Spirit.

It's living with God...not learning about God.

It's Jesus sent into our lives for real life stuff...not passing high above with a magic wand.

It's the Holy Spirit poured out over you in baptism, working through you in the world...not a holy ghost blowing by in the wind. 

Can you experientially study that and then live it out?  Can you experience the God that has been, is and will forever be in your story in a very real, present, non-quiet-dark-library sort of way?

A guy walked into my office early this morning and we ended up talking about this same text because of a situation going on in his family.  It became his 15 Minute Moment of the day.  He decided to try out Paul's advice and "put on" his faith and Jesus-like forgiveness toward the family members that hurt him. 

It's not cramming for a test.  It's not memorizing verses.  It's practical application and lifestyle change and risk and challenge for our lives and for the life of the world.

Lord, help me study and experience your presence in my life.   Amen

15 Minutes of reflection:

•  What does "putting on Jesus" look like practically for me this week?
•  What are the other things I "put on" instead of Jesus?
•  Who is one person that I can encourage this week in their journey toward forgiveness?

A gift and reminder as we start a new week

Guide Me into an Unclenched Moment   by Ted Loder

Gentle me,
Holy One,
into an unclenched moment,
     a deep breath,
        a letting go
           of heavy expectancies,
              of shriveling anxieties,
                  of dead certainties,
that, softened by the silence,
     surrounded by the light,
        and open to the mystery,
I may be found by wholeness,
     upheld by the unfathomable,
        entranced by the simple,  
           and filled with the joy
               that is you.


May you find a moment of peace, a time of stillness, a taste of joy today.


Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle  by Ted Loder, p. 23

Fragile faith

A prayer to start your day from Ted Loder


O God, I am so fragile;
     my dreams get broken,
     my relationships get broken,
     my heart gets broken,
     my body gets broken.

What can I believe,
     except that you will not despise a broken heart,
     that old and broken people shall yet
           dream dreams,
     and that the lame shall leap for joy,
        the blind see,
           the deaf hear.

What can I believe,
     except what Jesus taught;
     that only what is first broken, like bread,
        can be shared;
     that only what is broken
        is open to your entry;
     that old wineskins must be ripped open and replaced
        if the wine of new life is to expand.

an excerpt from the prayer What can I Believe ,  Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle, Loder.

Water sports

When the dog days of August hit (although, living in Syracuse right now, I can;t even imagine dog days....I am having trouble imagining days with the sun out and the ground dry!)..........there is nothing like running into the refreshing water of lake or beach or stream.  Shocked by the coolness of the water at first, we can feel the sweat being washed away and the heat exiting our body like commuters leaving the morning subway train.  Our cranky, overheated self is replaced by a refreshed and even giddy self as we find a burst of new life, new energy, new attitude. We are transformed.


A splash of water will do that.  When the pressure and heat of this world bear down on us, a splash of water will renew, refresh and re-enliven us.  Sort of like baptism, hmmmm.  Can this image help you to claim the transformation that God is bringing to our lives through that baptismal water?


In mid-January, when I wake to temperatures in the teens, and need to put on a coat, boots, mittens and possibly a hat just to navigate the 50 feet of driveway to retrieve my newspaper..........it is unimaginable to me that there will be a day, probably only 6 months ahead, where I will step out into searing heat, barefoot and in shorts and a tank top to do exactly the same job.

In the same way, on those days when the world is bearing down with relentless demands or crushing crises, it is unimaginable that there will be a day, probably not too far down the road, when I will be lifted up and experience the sweet nectar of life, the joy of being and the blessing of family, job and community.  On those days when I only feel failure, it is unimaginable that there will be a day when I will feel love, acceptance, forgiveness, grace and possibly even shalom.

Well, my friends, that is the Spirit - God's Spirit of Love which is, in fact, LIFE ITSELF, moving among us and within us, calling us into Jesus' presence, reminding us of God's love, renewing the gift of life within us, splashing us with the water of new birth, making us into God's holy people.

Furthermore, on the dog days, on the crushing and relentless days, on the failure days, it is the promise of that gift of Spirit and Life and Love that enable me to hold on.  It is the Spirit who 'calls, gathers, enlightens and sustains us.'  Thank you Lord.

Called, gathered, enlightened and sustained

It's the season of family reunions.  All those relatives, many who live at great distances, some whose names are lost in memory, gather in one spot to drink coffee (and most times beer) and to eat 4 kinds of potato salad and try to catch up.  "My Lord how the children have grown!"  is a favorite refrain to each greeting.

It's all a bit awkward at the beginning....there are new in-laws to introduce and that search for a safe topic of mutual interest.  There's a lot of talk about sports teams and children's graduations, the weather and golf games, and if you happen to be related to me, Tim Hortons.  But if the stars align just right, and God smiles on your gathering, you will begin to share family stories....the buried treasure of every family.

There is the story about mom chasing the kids with water pistols on the first really hot day of the year.....in the house!  Then there is dad's love for anything plaid.  Great-grandma's sour cherry pie and Uncle Carl's crankiness.  There will be the detailed re-telling of someone's birth, and the sadness ladden story of where each one was when they heard of Great Grandpa's death. There are happy stories, funny stories, scary stories, and of course, sad stories as well.

It takes about 4 hours to get comfortable enough with one another to begin to tell the sad stories, and just possibly if everyone hangs in there long enough, you can get to those stories of conflict and crisis. If you get that far, you will have managed what many never do - to speak the truth about your lives together, your shared history, and have gained some insight into how meaning has been formed in you.

You might just take a moment, quietly, off to yourself, to realize that managing this life is beyond challenging; that the road is twisted and rocky and often dangerous; that having someone else know your story gives you strength and resilience; and in the end, there is so much for which to be grateful.

My daughter is taking the lead to plan our family's small reunion this summer.  I doubt that she has given a moment's thought to Martin Luther's explanation to the work of the Holy Spirit in his Small Catechism who 'calls, gathers, enlightens and sustains' the church.

Would we not paint our family reunions with a different color if we saw the Spirit moving among and through us to bring others to life.....to abundant life.......in the midst of joy and sorrow and evil and anger.........this Spirit works to sustain us.....in this frail collection of flawed human beings.......where we can practice being life for one another?

It is in the back yard, eating hamburgers and cole slaw, playing horseshoes or corn hole and waiting for the fireworks to start that the Spirit is working to call and gather God's holy people into one body...in Jesus' name, out of love, for the sake of each one.

Perhaps I need to re-think my approach to this year's hot dog extravaganza; it's a lot more holy than I realized.

A Prayer to start our Week

Listen to the Longing.........Ted Loder

an excerpt

Lord, we have only human words
     to address you lest we be
        entirely dumb before you.

So, listen now, beneath our words,
     to the longing that reaches toward you
        and the gratitude that beats in our hearts
            and fills us with joy for everything
               that is just and true, good and human,
        all the gritty, muddy, bony, bloody, hairy,
            sweaty, smelly, beautiful, tough, tender,
                 possibility-laced, throbbing living-ness of it.

Forgive us for taking it all for granted,
     for acting as though it is not a gift but ours by right,
        as though there is not enough for everyone..................

My Heart in My Mouth: Prayers for our Lives, Ted Loder