Why Forgive?
Sermon
A 91-year old man recently appeared in court, charged with causing death by careless driving. He was driving behind a lorry on a fairly narrow road, when to the horror of other motorists, he pulled out to overtake the lorry. The other motorists were horrified because they had all seen a motorcyclist coming in the opposite direction. The motorcyclist flashed his lights in warning and the lorry driver pulled as far to the left as he could, in the hope that the elderly motorist who was driving at 40 mph, would either speed up and get past or would take other evasive action. But it was too late. There was a head-on crash and the motorcyclist was killed. The 40-year old motorcyclist left a wife and three children. At the trial, the elderly motorist was found guilty of careless driving, fined $150 with $200 costs and ordered to take another test before driving again. But he'd already handed in his licence and declared that he'd never drive again. He told the victim's family that he was sorry. It emerged during the trial that the elderly man had ceased driving at the age of 88 following a heart attack but that his doctor had pronounced him fit to drive, so he had started driving again at the age of 90. We can only imagine how his family and friends must have beseeched him not to begin driving again after that incident, but he stubbornly argued that he was safe.
We can also only imagine his sleepless nights and the times when he wakes from sleep drenched in sweat and reliving that terrible moment when the motorbike crunched under the wheels of his car. He will live with that moment for the rest of his life. Just one error of judgment, but with such appalling results. Will he ever be able to forgive himself?
And what about the family? The wife left to bring up three children alone, and those three children bereft of their father through a single moment of carelessness. Will any of them ever be able to forgive the daft old man for his selfishness and thoughtlessness?
Of course, in time the pain will lessen for all of them. In time that husband and father will become a wonderful memory which that family dare to look at from time to time and find they are able to look at without undue pain. In time they may consider that they have forgiven the elderly driver who caused such utter havoc and misery in their lives. In time even the elderly driver might find that his terrible memories fade and become something he's able to live with. But is the absence of pain the same as forgiveness?
Forgiveness involves more than absolution of guilt. It involves reconciliation of our past and the healing of our brokenness. It involves intentional work to heal and reconcile with one another.
Forgiveness is tied up with understanding. Once I begin to understand the reasons for another's actions, I can begin to forgive them for those actions. God understands everything about all of us. He knows what has happened to us in the past. He knows why we act the way we do, and therefore he can and does fully and completely forgive us, whatever the sin.
Genuine forgiveness comes from the heart, which is why it's so difficult. If my deep inner feelings are bitter anger and resentment, and moreover are fully justified, how can I forgive and why should I forgive? I should forgive because forgiveness is to my advantage. Not only in terms of life being more bearable when I live in harmony with other people, but also because unforgiveness is like a great block of stone within my heart.
This is why God always forgives us -- God can do no other! Not to forgive would impair God's love because it would create a block within God's heart, and that's impossible, for God is love itself.
When I refuse to forgive, I might have a slight effect on those I'm refusing to forgive, and a much more considerable effect if my lack of forgiveness is translated into action. But I have a huge effect on myself and on my own well-being. Hardness of heart is exactly that, a little bit of stone where it should be tender and warm and loving. And that little bit of stone gradually gathers rubbish round it, since it's only rolling stones that gather no moss.
The stone immediately affects my spiritual well-being, because it blocks God's access to my inner being. Stones are unable to absorb love and unable to reflect love. In time, as the stone with all its rubbish grows, God is less and less able to reach my heart and that spiritual dis-ease is often translated into mental or emotional or physical dis-ease, or maybe all three, and my life is blighted.
As the writer of the letter to the Hebrews was aware, forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian faith, and without it Christianity is just a hollow sham. He tells us that Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many and so we arer able to say,"Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us." Forgive us, Lord, in the same measure that we forgive other people.
Not that forgiveness is easy, especially if you've been badly damaged by someone else's action. It requires the desire to forgive, then a lot of help from God, for forgiveness is a gift from God. But anything you ask in Jesus' name will be given to you (Matthew 21:22), so if you really want to forgive, God will enable you to do so.
So why forgive? Because if you don't, you're really going to hurt!
We can also only imagine his sleepless nights and the times when he wakes from sleep drenched in sweat and reliving that terrible moment when the motorbike crunched under the wheels of his car. He will live with that moment for the rest of his life. Just one error of judgment, but with such appalling results. Will he ever be able to forgive himself?
And what about the family? The wife left to bring up three children alone, and those three children bereft of their father through a single moment of carelessness. Will any of them ever be able to forgive the daft old man for his selfishness and thoughtlessness?
Of course, in time the pain will lessen for all of them. In time that husband and father will become a wonderful memory which that family dare to look at from time to time and find they are able to look at without undue pain. In time they may consider that they have forgiven the elderly driver who caused such utter havoc and misery in their lives. In time even the elderly driver might find that his terrible memories fade and become something he's able to live with. But is the absence of pain the same as forgiveness?
Forgiveness involves more than absolution of guilt. It involves reconciliation of our past and the healing of our brokenness. It involves intentional work to heal and reconcile with one another.
Forgiveness is tied up with understanding. Once I begin to understand the reasons for another's actions, I can begin to forgive them for those actions. God understands everything about all of us. He knows what has happened to us in the past. He knows why we act the way we do, and therefore he can and does fully and completely forgive us, whatever the sin.
Genuine forgiveness comes from the heart, which is why it's so difficult. If my deep inner feelings are bitter anger and resentment, and moreover are fully justified, how can I forgive and why should I forgive? I should forgive because forgiveness is to my advantage. Not only in terms of life being more bearable when I live in harmony with other people, but also because unforgiveness is like a great block of stone within my heart.
This is why God always forgives us -- God can do no other! Not to forgive would impair God's love because it would create a block within God's heart, and that's impossible, for God is love itself.
When I refuse to forgive, I might have a slight effect on those I'm refusing to forgive, and a much more considerable effect if my lack of forgiveness is translated into action. But I have a huge effect on myself and on my own well-being. Hardness of heart is exactly that, a little bit of stone where it should be tender and warm and loving. And that little bit of stone gradually gathers rubbish round it, since it's only rolling stones that gather no moss.
The stone immediately affects my spiritual well-being, because it blocks God's access to my inner being. Stones are unable to absorb love and unable to reflect love. In time, as the stone with all its rubbish grows, God is less and less able to reach my heart and that spiritual dis-ease is often translated into mental or emotional or physical dis-ease, or maybe all three, and my life is blighted.
As the writer of the letter to the Hebrews was aware, forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian faith, and without it Christianity is just a hollow sham. He tells us that Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many and so we arer able to say,"Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us." Forgive us, Lord, in the same measure that we forgive other people.
Not that forgiveness is easy, especially if you've been badly damaged by someone else's action. It requires the desire to forgive, then a lot of help from God, for forgiveness is a gift from God. But anything you ask in Jesus' name will be given to you (Matthew 21:22), so if you really want to forgive, God will enable you to do so.
So why forgive? Because if you don't, you're really going to hurt!
