JESUS FREAK WEEK SIX - FORGIVENESS by Kurt Young

Baggage, forgiveness, mercy, compassion; big words. To understand them fully, we need to follow Jesus’ lead. This week in worship we read the story from John of Jesus and a woman being brought before him for judgement. We’ll talk more about the whole story later in the blog. But at the outset of the story, Jesus got centered by being apart, away from others. How many of us take the time to do that? So that we know what those big words are? If you think I do, well I need some of these words from you.

Jesus took the time to be apart from others and be with God. We should too, because if we don’t we may not know these words for ourselves, let alone for others. Otherwise, we may not know that forgiveness is to let go or give up resentments, feelings of being indignant or insulted. We don’t know compassion, a sympathetic consciousness of others. We may not know justice (fairness) or mercy (refraining from enforcing something that really isn’t fair).

The woman in our Bible story this week, John 8: 1-11 for those of you following along at home, was drug in front of Jesus by the religious right of Jesus time (the Pharisees and Sadducees) for engaging in adultery. Interesting it was only the woman. As our guest speaker this week said “interesting, cause it takes two to tango”, but there was just the woman.

The “religious scholars” were trying to trap Jesus in an un-winnable situation. The law of Moses, the accepted “right” of the time, was clear, she was to be stoned to death. That was the punishment for adultery, clearly laid out. They thought they had Jesus on this one. The perfect trap it was. He would have to chose between his compassion or following the law. If he chose compassion, he was throwing the law out and not a good Jew. If he chose The Law, where was his famous compassion for the wrong people.

But Jesus didn’t react at first, instead he squatted down in the dirt and drew with his finger. We’re not sure what he wrote. Our speaker asked us to imagine what, as the Bible doesn’t say. There were some great answers at the Village: Their Sins?, Forgiveness? Mercy? Or was it just doodles. Regardless he got up and said to them, the one of you without sin can cast the first stone. Now he had them. None could claim to have no sin.

Jesus squatted down again, and drew again. He gave them another chance. Once again, no stones were thrown. Slowly, but surely the group slithered away, defeated. No one dared condemn or judge her. Jesus turned to her and said they don’t condemn you and neither do I. How often to we judge others? But Jesus didn’t judge, he simply told the woman to try and not sin anymore.

In the book Jesus Freak, Sara Miles writes about how the truth is that suffering can become the foundation of faith, if we are willing to touch the sore places with love. If we don’t hide ourselves away in fear, but allow God to get close enough to feel God’s breath. To let God in to our pain, our shame, our anger, our fear.

We started that process for some us at The Village this week. Each of us was given a strip of tissue paper. I thought it was too long until our speaker told us what for. She asked us to write, only with our fingers, what we would ask Jesus to forgive. You can do it at home if you like. Find something you can burn, and only with your finger, God knows these things so you don’t need to write them in ink, you just need to let it go. Then, crumple it up, and with reverence burn it, destroy it, in other words let it go. We burned ours to ashes & let them go here at The Village. Let them go for yourself. Let go what you need to let go of so you can feel the breath of God on your skin.

Now that you’ve starting the process of letting go, feel the breath of God. Don’t worry, God knows these things. The freedom of Jesus’ forgiveness is yours. Embrace it. It’s not easy, I admit, I constantly struggle to believe God could forgive me these multitude of sins. If you can do that, you can take the next step and TRY to sin no more. Notice the TRY word. God has been one of us in the form of Jesus. He said try because God knows the struggle.

If you need help getting to the point where you can pull apart from others, let go of the hurts and sins, and feel God’s love, then find a place where you can. The Village is truly not the only place this happens weekly. There are thousands of places out there. Find one. We’re at the corner of Monroe & Central in Toledo, OH. We here various times throughout the week, especially Sundays at 10:30 AM & 12:30 PM. When you’re ready to begin the journey from letting go to receiving the love God offers us all, there is no wrong time and there’s always room in our circle for new travelers on the journey.