Forgiveness

Read It: Matthew 18:21-35 ( NRSV)

21 Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. 

Learn It:

Today, as you may know, is September 11 and it has been 10 years since the attacks on the Twin Towers.  I think it is very profound and wonderful that today's Gospel reading is the text that Peter asks Jesus about forgiveness.  One of the helpful things to know is that 7 is a special number.  6 is the number of days that God created the world and on the seventh day he rested.  We also see the number 7 appear again and again in the Old Testament.  Seven has become the number for perfection, so when Peter asks how many times should I forgive he is picking the perfect number...he thinks anything more than that would be superfluous.  Jesus corrects him by telling him not 7 times but 77 times (or 70x7 which = 490!).  Either way to forgive someone that many times is great and meant to show that there is really no end to the amount of times we should forgive someone.

I know that many people still hurt from the attacks, but the power to forgive and heal from our past and from the injuries of others is something that is hard but very powerful.  The more we forgive the more we are able to move our lives forward and move forward God's Kingdom.  

Share It:

What does it mean to you to forgive someone?  What all needs to take place/happen so that you might feel you have forgiven someone?  What does it take for you to feel like someone truly forgives you for something you have done?  Why does it seem so hard to forgive at times?  Talk about these questions and anything else that may come up during your conversation.  

Live It:

Spend this week focusing on forgiveness.  Try to forgive someone without holding a grudge or holding it over them for very long.  At the same time make a genuine form of forgiveness.  Don't just tell them you forgive them for what they did but really reconcile your differences so that you both can return back to the relationship you had before whatever happened.  It may be harder and take more time but I think it'll be better in the long run.

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Free From Sins

Read It: 1 Peter 2:24 (NRSV)

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Learn It:

Recently I had the great opportunity to take several of our youth to Holden Village. One of the topics of conversation on our way home was about the text above though we didn't quote the text. They couldn't believe that Jesus would go to the cross and bear ALL the sins of humankind upon himself so that as he died our sins would die with him. Jesus did this so, as the text says, we might live free from sins and live a full and healthy life. That doesn't mean that we won't ever sin because we all do, but we don't have to worry about the weight of sin because we are forever forgiven of them. Therefore we live for righteousness...we live a life that reflects that forgiveness and freedom we have been given.

Share It:

Do you ever feel the burden of sin upon you at times in your life? Share with your family the times when you were, or even right now, feel that there were times when you were overcome or burdened by sin. How did you move past the sin? Did telling (confessing) God what was on your heart help? Share your thoughts and ideas about sin and the freedom that Christ bring us us always.

Live It:

During this next week...and onward...when you feel the weight of sin upon you think about the sacrifice that Christ made for each of us. He took those sins to the cross so that you might live free from them...burdened no more. "...by his wounds you have been healed." Remember those wonderful words.

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Please post comments with your experience with the share it or live it part of this weeks post.  Let others know if you and your family found this useful.