Beginnings and Forgiveness

Genesis Back to School Blessing August 20, 2023 Year A Prelude Welcome Call to Worship L: This is the day that the Lord has made! P: Let us rejoice and be glad in it! L: This is a day of new beginnings! P: This is a time for growing into new disciples for Jesus. L: Come, let us prepare ourselves for worship P: Let us be prepared for service to God. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters) Song This is a Day of New Beginnings. UMH 383 Children’s Sermon (eraser object lesson) Responsive Prayer Leader: There is always something wonderful about returning to school, O God. Even those of us who no longer go to school remember it fondly at this time of the year. People: Seeing old friends again, meeting new ones, having good teachers, going to ball games, exploring new subjects—it is always exciting and promising because it opens new vistas in our lives. Leader: We thank you for the opportunity of pursuing our education. Learning is one of the great privileges of life. People: We are grateful for chances to grow all of our lives, and to develop constantly into wiser and better persons. Leader: We pray that you will help us to seek renewal of our selves in this new season. People: Let your Holy Spirit challenge us to new goals and achievements in our spiritual lives, so that we may become the persons you have intended us to be. Leader: Teach us the things Jesus knew about love and service and sacrifice. People: And show us how to share our wonderful lives with other people who have been less fortunate than we, so that together we may attain your kingdom, All: And rejoice in your power and your glory, through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters) Scripture Genesis 45:1-15 Sermon Beginnings and Forgiveness The title of our sermon today is Beginnings and Forgiveness. As we take the time to bless all those who are beginning a new school year, what does that have to do with a scripture on forgiveness. One of the prayers for back to school that I saw this week was a prayer for peace in dealing with all of the mess we have to deal with in the coming year. As long as there are a community of people in school there will be conflict and the need to forgive. Anyplace that there is a community of people – there is the need to forgive. All of us have been in a situation where we feel slighted. How do you deal with that situation? How do you move on? We had a friend who had a good sales position, making almost $50,000 a year. But then the office ran into hard times. Stress mounted and relations between sales representatives and the management broke down. When the office closed down, those who remained refused to give our friend a helpful reference. He was unemployed for two-and-a-half years and never did find a decent job in his profession. He was bitter. He often wished he could bring down those executives who still had cushy jobs but had sent him out without even as much as a good word. I would say that one of the most important lessons of the bible – is that when something happens to us in life, we need to get over it and move on. Whatever it is, deal with it, and get over it and move on. That is hard to do in real life. There are things that we are going through that will take years to get over, and many times we never move on. And yet that is what life is all about. Perhaps that is why Jesus spends so much time teaching us how to forgive, teaching us what forgiveness means and teaching us that God is always in the act of learning how to forgive. Suddenly that world hears a familiar voice: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Are you listening, Joseph? "If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you." We have to remember, that forgiveness is not about releasing our feelings for the situation. Forgiveness is about releasing ourselves and not carrying around the pain. Chuck Swindoll illustrates this in his book, Seasons of Life. He writes that during his time in the Marine Corps he and his wife rented a studio apartment from a man in south San Francisco named Mr. Slagle. During World War II Mr. Slagle was captured at Wake Island and for years he languished in a prison camp. It was in the prison camp that an enemy soldier struck him with a rifle butt and injured his back, which plagued him the rest of his life. Swindoll tells that every single time he visited his landlord he would relate story after story of how barbarically he had been mis¬treated. Using vile language and intense emotion, he spoke of the tortures he endured at the hands of his Japanese captors and his utter hatred for them. His pain and misery were constant reminders of his hatred. But there was another factor which made his existence even more lamentable. Our landlord became a bitter man. Even though (at that time) he was thirteen years removed from the war ... even though he had been safely released from the concentration camp and was now able to carry on physically ... even though he and his wife owned a lovely dwelling and had a comfortable income, the crippled man was bound by the grip of bitterness. He was still fighting a battle that should have ended years before. In a very real sense, he was still in prison.[2] You cannot conceal bitterness because it raises its ugly head often. The root of bitterness bears the fruit of bitter actions. Bitter¬ness imprisons us as we refuse to forgive a friend, relative, or stranger for a sinful, foolish, or sometimes ignorant act. Inner tor¬ment will ride alongside us every day of our lives until we forgive. When we decide to disclose the problem to Christ, that is the be¬ginning of forgiveness and healing. We all know that bitter person who holds a grudge for something that happen years ago. When the man fired was able to move on, he was able to enter in to a new field of work and was much more fulfilled in life. The landlord on the other hand remained bitter for years, It was as if he was carrying that burden with him forever. When we think of the lessons that Jesus taught us, we often assume that Jesus was correcting the religious values that he grew up with. We have all heard that the old testament is all about justice. That it was an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If someone did something wrong to you, then justice was making sure that the same thing happened to them. Revenge was a part of justice. But we forget that where there is God’s justice, there is also God’s mercy. The book of Genesis, the very first book of the bible has two very moving stories about forgiveness. We read the first one a few weeks ago, when Essau embraces his brother Jacob after years of disrespect. The story of Joseph is the second story of reconciliation and forgiveness within the family. Joseph was a man of integrity, he showed mercy along with justice. Our lesson in this story is we all should do the same. Joseph was spoiled and entitled growing up as a child. He was a terror to his older brothers, so much so that they felt that they had to get rid of him. They sold him into slavery in Egypt. The circumstances in his life helped to develop his character. Not only was he honest and upright. But as he matured in a strange environment, he chose to remain a God fearer. God was a big part of his life. He paid for his faith, and yet he stuck with it. The bible tells us of the struggles that he went through, but his faith allowed him to overcome. His greatest temptation was how to treat the brothers who has wronged him so long ago. Joseph not only forgives them, he helps them. Before Jesus, Joseph is our example of faith and integrity. Mark Twain once quipped, "Don't expect too much of human beings. We were created at the end of the week when God was tired and looking forward to a day off." Nonetheless Richard J. Leider and David Shapiro have listed common threads of people who possess lifestyles rich in purpose: • They have a purpose larger than their own needs, wants, and desires -- a sense of how their lives and work fit into the larger scheme of things. • They have an internal compass which keeps them "truing" to their purpose in life. • They have clear boundaries around their two most precious currencies -- time and money. • They have a sense of their potential talents, the limits of which have not been fully tested. • They have marked adaptability when faced with obstacles. • They have a strong spiritual core. • Their abundant energy is infectious. • They have a feeling of lightness -- a sense of being unburdened by the burdens they are carrying.2 Do you need to forgive someone? "To forgive is to put down your 50-pound pack after a 10-mile climb up a mountain. To forgive is to fall into a chair after running a marathon. To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that prisoner is you. To forgive is to reach back into your hurting past and recreate it in your memory so that you can begin again."(6) Then that ancient spiritual takes on a wonderful new meaning: "Free at last, Free at last. Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last." Amen! Close your eyes. I want us to use our imagination now. God, sanctify the imagination of each person here. Help each of us to use this remarkable capacity of imagination which you’ve given us to bring healing and power to our lives. Now keep your eyes closed as I guide your imagination. Picture yourself with a trash bag. Get it. A big trash bag, moving through every room of your life; select the stuff you need to leave behind, I’m talking about self-pity and illegitimate responsibility. Put it into the trash bag. What cancelled sin still has power over you, what hidden hatred, what frustrating fear, what devastating doubt, what powerful prejudice. Put it in the trash bag. Do it. Act it out in your imagination. Put it into the trash bag. Is there an unresolved relationship with a husband or wife, a parent or a child, a neighbor? Is there a jealousy you’ve never brought out into the open? Put it into the bag. It could be any number of things. You know what weighs you down, and what stuff you don’t need to take into the New Year. Put it into the bag. Be specific now, in identifying and visualizing all the stuff in your mind to put into that bag. Now stay with me in your imagination. Get in your mind the picture with which be began the sermon – the junk man with his cart filled with cast off clothing, discarded furniture, all sorts of abandoned useless things. Do you see it in your mind? He’s passing by. In your imagination now, throw your trash bag onto the junk wagon and let it be taken away. Have you done it? In your imagination, just cast it onto the junk wagon to be taken away. Be silent now and enjoy the relief and release of getting rid of that burden. Open your eyes now, but keep the image of the trash man in your mind for a moment, taking all your trash away. Now substitute for the image of the junk man, Christ himself. Do you see him? Jesus. Listen. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Leave your stuff behind - all your junk. Leave it. You are forgiven. Your failure and weakness is accepted. Your past is buried in the sea of God’s loving forgetfulness. Go into the New Year with Christ, and go joyfully. Maxie Dunnam, MaxieDunnam.com, by Maxie Dunnam Forgiveness is a lesson for us all. We have to learn to trust God’s presence in the situation. If we let go, then God will take over. God whole point of being involved in human history is to being reconciliation to all of creation, but especially to us as people. Reconciliation happens one relationship at a time. That is why Jesus spends so much time teaching us how to relate to one another. brothers went into business together. Their fights continued and, if anything, the older brother was even more critical and hostile. Yet the younger brother remained diligent in their business and faithful in their relationship. Everyone marveled at this saintly behavior. One day a terrible accident ended both of their lives. Saint Peter was waiting patiently for the younger brother's arrival at the heavenly gates. Finally when he did not appear, Saint Peter ventured down into the fiery place of torment. "You belong in heaven," said Saint Peter. "Come up with all the saints." Up to his neck in slime and stench, the younger brother replied, "No. I choose to remain here." Puzzled, Saint Peter urged him even more fervently. "Please come with me. You have been faithful. A place has been made ready for you. Why won't you take your rightful place in eternity?" By this time the burning slime had nearly covered the chin of the younger brother. Lifting his face to Saint Peter, he shouted, "If I come with you, I will have to stop standing on my brother's head." We have all found ourselves caught up to our chins in hot, bubbling, boiling conflict. We have all felt the gut-wrenching anxiety of discord and dissension. We have all tried in vain to control for ourselves that which seems to be unending chaos. But God is in charge. We are not. God's plan is forgiveness and reconciliation through Jesus Christ. God takes initiative. In the midst of chaos, God brings order to preserve life. In the midst of an apparently hopeless conflict, God invites us to a transforming opportunity for love and forgiveness. Here is a story of what could happen in church It happened to a rural Lake County, South Dakota, Lutheran church in August of 2000. Vandals attacked the fieldstone St. Peter Lutheran Church building with vengeance -- breaking windows, smashing light fixtures, flipping over the baptismal font, slashing a large "Jesus the Good Shepherd" painting, scribbling, and carving obscenities into the sanctuary walls and fixtures. The golden altar cross had been swung like a bat to gouge pews and walls. In the basement, kitchen dishes were broken and objects flung hither and yon. The vandals caused more than $40,000 worth of interior damage to the congregation's building. Services were held outdoors that following Black Sunday. "There were many tears. Everyone was so devastated and shocked that someone could do this to a church," recalls Susan Janssen, congregational vice-president. "No one could believe how terrible it was." Three months after the vandalism took place, police arrested two area teenagers, ages sixteen and nineteen, who confessed to the crime. When the boys, let out of jail on bond, returned to apologize publicly to the congregation before serving their sentences, they were shocked to be received with love and forgiveness. As the nineteen-year-old left the lectern to return to his seat, a member greeted him and hugged him. Others stood to shake his hand and, after the worship, members surrounded the two boys, saying they forgave them. The act of forgiveness shocked the two families so much that they joined the church, and the church in turn has experienced a revival. Worship attendance has tripled in two years and membership in this 117-year-old declining country church is growing. "We had been separated from organized religion since our oldest daughter died of cancer," said the father of one of the boys. "We rejected the whole religion thing. This event has pulled us back into the church." Pastor Terry Knudson likens the dramatic episode at St. Peter to the Old Testament story of Joseph. "The vandalism was one of our darkest moments," he says. "God can find a way to bring good from evil." The book of Genesis is important for the church. It is the story of a family. Throughout the book, we learn about the ups and downs of the family. We hear about the members shortcoming and graces. The story of salvation is the story of how this family survived. What is interesting about this family – is how normal they are. We can all relate to this family. The bible constantly points out that these were not really nice people. They were actually pretty mean people that God had a use for. Joseph is the last story in this book. Joseph is unique in that he had a little growing up to do, but he was not a bad person. He was a model of intrgrity. He became a leader in this family. But we was respected even by others not in the family. Not only did he save the family from starvation, he took them in and gave them a better life in Egypt. When he reconciles with his brothers, he tells them not to feel guilty -that God had a plan. God meant for him to not only save his family, but to save the world with his story. Several bible characters tell us that things always work out for the good of those who follow the Lord. Joseph is not justifying slavery. He not justifying his brother’s behavior. He is not saying that when things happen that the damage is okay in the end. He is saying that the act of being able to move on from a situation when we are wronged, is an act of God. We have to trust God to make things right. This story sticks out to me, because it is not a happy ending. It is actually the beginning of all of their troubles as a people. After Joseph dies, they stay in Eqypt in bondage for 400 years. The story is not a happy ending. It is told as an answer to the question how did we get hear in the first place. Genesis answers all of those questions of why life is the way it is for our family. Well at one time we have an ancestor who was a really nice person, who had really good intentions. He taught us how to forgive and to be free. And then life happened and what had freed us at one time, put us in bondage in another. Genesis is a human story. It is a story that we learn about Joseph’s limited perspective. But in spite of all of its humanness, we learn to forgive one relationship at a time. Forgiveness wont change the course of history, but it does help us to move forward from our present situation. The Bible states, "Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Colossians 3:13). As we battle forgiving others we should remember that we are forgiven individuals when we yield our lives to Christ. God sets the standard and mentors us in the process of forgiveness. * Forgiveness is a debt of sin cancelled. Everything that we have done against him all of our lives is forgiven when we ask for his forgiveness. * Forgiveness is a journey. The awful gulf of sin that separates us from God has been bridged by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We can continually walk across that bridge as necessary. When the mind or emotion resurfaces those feelings, we can go immediately to God and ask him to help us deal with the feelings. The fact that forgiveness has taken place does not necessarily mean that feelings don't resur¬face. It is a process. * Forgiveness is also a choice. I choose to forgive as part of my willingness to give it up. Forgiveness is not done with¬out our knowledge. It is not a surprise! It is a choice. * Forgiveness allows God's love to flow through me to some¬one else. As a Christian I cannot horde Christ's love, but rather, I must give it away. Even when hurt comes I want to demonstrate God's love. I have to be practical in my response, but I must love. There are few stories in all of literature more important for our lives than this one. Why? Because following his example, we can live successful lives, too. It requires no special talents or gifts. Be a person who can be trusted. Be forever true to your values. Trust in the goodness of God. And no matter what twists or turns your life may take, I can assure you that when the final record is written of your life, yours too will be a life of success. ________________________________________ 1. James H. Billington, "Keeping the Faith in the USSR after a Thousand Years," SMITHSONIAN (April, 1989), pp. 131-142. As a child, I remember reading this story. I was touched at how Joseph was able to regain his brothers, and how as an adult he was able to help them and to move them forward. He gives each brother the gift of land and blesses them. The book of Genesis is about how that is all that they ever wanted was a blessing of love and belonging. I remember, at the end of he story Joseph makes one request of them. When you leave Egypt and go home – make sure that you take my bones with you and bury me at home. Joseph’s bones are buried in the promisedland and the story moves on. In life, we have to be free to move on too. Forgiveness is the first step in that process. Forgiveness is the first step in reconciliation. And God will not stop that process until all of us are free. The story continues on, forgiveness is not an ending or a beginning – forgiveness is an ongoing journey Mahatma Gandhi once said something that deserves our thought. "The weak," he said, "can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." Dynamic Preaching, Collected Sermons, by King Dunc Amen Song God of all Learning (Sung to the tune of Morning Has Broken UMH 145) Insert Pastoral Prayer OUR LIVES ARE MARKED, O God, by the changing of the seasons. We take unusual delight in these times, for they are periods of heightened expectancy and new growth. It has been a long and busy summer. We have exulted in our various activities. And now it is time to prepare for the fall and winter, and many are going back to school, some here at home and others at a distance. We thank you for all the good events of the summer months—for work and play and relaxation, for fun and friendships and frivolity, for trips to the lake or the beach or the mountains, for a chance to unwind and experience more leisure time. Now we thank you for all the good events that lie ahead—for exciting classes and new friends and ball games and plays and concerts and a raft of holidays. We pray for all our students at every level, and ask that this may be a good year for them. Let their learning be rewarding as well as challenging, and let them enjoy the growth that comes from new experiences. Give them spirits of joy and confidence, and help them to live gratefully at all times, aware of the gift of life and its incredible richness. Bless their teachers and coaches and counselors, and all others who are involved in their educational process. And grant that all of us may share the excitement of the season, whether we are in school or not. For you have made our world extraordinarily beautiful and fascinating, and we are happy to praise you for everything through Christ our Lord. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters) Lord’s Prayer Blessing of Backpacks Stewardship Moment Thanksgiving Prayer In faith and love, help me to do your will. I am listening, Lord God. Speak your words into the depth of my soul, that I may hear you clearly. I offer to you this day all the facets of my life, whether it be at home, at work, or at school—to be patient, to be merciful, to be generous, to be holy. Accept this offering as our part to build your kingdom on Earth. Amen. (adapted from prayer from the Catholic Diocese of Springfield,IL) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May the Lord Bless You . . . Bless you with courage, patience and understanding for the challenges ahead. And Keep You . . . Keep you sane, engaged and safe in all that you do. May the Lord Make His Face to Shine Upon You . . . Shine upon you with love that never ends and never wavers Shine upon you with the truth that you are completely worthy of that love. And Be Gracious to You . . . Grace to everyone as they get through their daily activities May the Lord Turn His Face Toward You . . . And Give You Peace . . . Peace with yourself Peace with teachers. Peace with students Peace for each day. One. Day. At. A. Time. (adapted from John Page) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Live without fear: your Creator has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Go in peace to follow the good road and may God’s blessing be with you always. Amen.
 (source: from Saint Clare, Enriching Our Worship 1) God of All Learning BUNESSAN 5.5.5.4 D ("Morning Has Broken") God of all learning, God of all knowing, We bring these backpacks filled with supplies. Bless all these tools of learning and growing. Use them, we pray, to change many lives. Bless all the students, young ones and old ones — Walking or riding, traveling by bus. May they remember that you go with them, And that they all are precious to us. Some kids are poor and some kids are wealthy; May we give all the tools that they need. May we make sure they're safe, loved and healthy So that they all may thrive and succeed. Bless all who learn and bless those who guide them, Bless those who teach and counsel and care. May they remember you walk beside them. Through all their school days, you, Lord, are there.