Forgiveness is a dish best served.....

I have been pondering the Lord's Prayer in Matthew.

Matthew 6:9-15 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. 10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. 11 Give us our food for today, 12 and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. 13 And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14 "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

While I find many parts of this prayer to be challenging at times, forgiveness seems to be emphasized in this section of Scripture. How is it that God forgiving us is dependent upon us forgiving others?

The picture I have of unforgiveness is Marley from the Christmas Carol. He drudges through eternity tethered to all his wrongs. Unforgiveness tethers us to all our pains and all the wrongs done to us. We are held back in relationships, in trust, in our attitude, in our life by withholding forgiveness from others. Our pain, our recounting the wrongs done to us became walls between us and other people. It can become a weapon to hurt others before they can hurt us. Unforgiveness is a poison which infects us and those around us. And perhaps this is why God forgiving us depends on us forgiving others.
God's forgiveness is ever flowing. His mercy is new every morning. But when we are too busy dragging our hurts around with us, building walls around ourselves, and using our pain as an excuse or a weapon, we create a barrier from experiencing God's forgiveness. It is like God's forgiveness is a river and our unforgiveness is the sandbags to keep ourselves dry.
Perhaps we cannot experience God's forgiveness when we withhold forgivenss because forgiveness is best experienced in community. God chooses human beings to be the tangible conduit of forgiveness. When we withhold forgiveness, we keep others from experiencing God's pardon completely in their lives. Forgiveness is best served in community and best experienced in community.

The difficulty of Advent

Perhaps it begins in our youth, the need to rush Christmas. The rush continues as adults in our preparation for the holiday season. We want to get the shopping done quickly. We want to sing the hymns of Christmas during Advent. Why must we journey through Advent?
It is a difficult season. Advent calls us to walk through our brokenness waiting for our Deliverer. It reminds us we are still going on to perfection, we have not reached it yet.
Advent also reminds us that the problems of this world are not easily dealt with. The rush and commercialism of Christmas can not be thwarted by cute sayings and more family time. No, we overcome through self sacrificing. That is what Advent calls us to. It reminds us that the greed of this society can only be diminished by our generosity. Advent reminds us that the selfishness of our culture must be faced with our laying down our rights. It is a reminder we are to fight the anger and hatred of this world with forgiveness and peacemaking. Advent reminds us we can only combat the violence of humanity with turning the other cheek and praying for the happiness of our enemy. Love in the face of hatred and anger. Forgiveness in the face of hurt and frustration. Sacrifice in the face of greed and the ever growing cry for "My Rights". These are the weapons of Christianity. Advent reminds us the way of the Cross is not comfortable. It goes against my instincts and my nature. Advent calls us back to this reality--the reality of the Kingdom of God coming in a helpless baby, saving the untouchables, dying on a cross, rising from the dead.

God forgive me

God forgive me when
I judge others quickly yet seek the hand of mercy for myself.
God forgive me when
I judge the poor to be lazy and looking for the easy way out.
God forgive me when
I think the solution for the poor is they get off their butts and find a job.
God forgive me when
I think it is easy for the lower class to change their status but complain I can't get ahead.
God forgive me when
I think I have it harder than everyone else.
God forgive me when
I complain the Church should be doing her job so the government doesn't have to.
God forgive me when
I forget that the Church I complain about is actually me.
God forgive me when
I choose to judge someone's lifestyle, someone's sin, someone's situation without getting to know them.
God forgive me when
I judge the whole based on my experience.
God forgive me when
I walk away from the needy, the people not like me, the Church because I find fault.
God forgive me when
I forget I have been forgiven greatly to show mercy and love.