Many years ago, in the black ‘n’ white era, I saw a movie called “491” about a group-home for socially maladjusted teens. Whatever pranks they pulled on their adult counselor, he forgave them. Again and again. Their big goal that bonded them was to come up with an affront he couldn’t forgive, and their mischief grew more and more malicious. The final straw was when they set fire to his library, an act he just couldn’t overlook– “seventy times seven plus one”. It all ended badly. Lectionary passages for this weekend address the idea of forgiveness–and BEING forgiven. Am I ever too naughty for God’s mercy?
The Old Testament, Hosea 1:2-10, tells how God directed the prophet to marry a prostitute. She continued in The Life, evidently, and bore three children, probably none of which were biologically Hosea’s. It’s a timeless allegory, of course, picturing how God feels when Israel runs off to other lovers. The covenant has been broken by the nation’s unfaithfulness, and God has been dishonored. Israel’s lovers are other gods, as are our own: material gain, intimidation of world powers, injustice against the poor… God, as a cuckold husband, is both angry yet longing for reconciliation.
Colossians 2:6-19 deals with God’s deliverance of humanity through the intercession of Christ, especially as seen in the crucifixion. I especially am drawn to v. 13: “And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh [rejection of their role as Chosen People], God made you alive together with [Jesus], when he forgave us all our trespasses…” Here Christ is presented not as a governor of our temptations and failures, but as redeemer of our slips. Nevertheless, some will cling onto their old sins and categorize them: Yosemite Sam arrives in Hell and the Devil gleefully says, “My! You HAVE been a bad boy, haven’t you?!”
The Gospel, Luke 11:1-13, is certainly about prayer: our boldness and assurance in our asking, plus the model prayer which Jesus gave us. Verses 11 to 13 add to our understanding that it’s OK to approach God with our hungers: like a good parent, God will give even the Holy Spirit to those who ask. Douglas John Hall writes in FEASTING on the WORD, “The object of prayer…is not so much to LOSE oneself in the contemplation of the Divine as to FIND oneself [there]. (C 3:290) Forgiveness is a matter of moving on, not wallowing in the shadows of yesterday, but dancing in the sunlight of today!
A good bit of the contemporary malaise is because so few recognize that God is in the restoration business. Many, even good churchgoers, feel that their sin is so enormous that God can’t possibly take them back. My dream is that these people– all people–will ascribe the unreasonable to God, will accept God’s mercy.
God Bless Us, Every One Horace Brown King
My encounter with lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this space on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com
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