Sixteenth Pentecost, Proper 18, 2005:

A fellow arrived at the Pearly Gates and was met, just as he thought, by St. Peter.  St. Peter says, “Here’s how it works.  You need 100 points to make it into heaven.  You tell me all the good things you’ve done, and I’ll give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was.  When you reach 100 points, you get in.”

“Okay,” the man says, “I was married to the same woman for over 50 years and never cheated on her.”

“That’s wonderful,” says St. Peter, “that’s worth 3 points.”

“Three points?” he says.  “Well, I attended church all my life, never missed a Sunday, and supported the ministry with my tithe and my service.”

“Terrific!” says St. Peter, “that’s certainly worth a point.”

“One point?  Golly.  How about this?  I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.”

“Fantastic, that good for two more points.  You’re up to five now,” says St. Peter.

“Two points!” the man cries, “At this rate the only way I’ll ever get into heaven is by the grace of God!”

“Come on in!” says St. Peter.

The grace of God and good old fashioned forgiveness very often open doors we thought were shut tight.  No doubt the gate of heaven cannot be opened by heaving our good works at it.  We are saved by grace through faith.  But, as the late Charlie Price, my mentor and seminary professor at VTS, used to say as he jumped up and down in the middle of the floor, “WORKS MATTER!”

So, there are some things we are expected to do, even if in doing those things we earn nothing.  Near the top of the list Jesus the Christ placed forgiveness.  The Gospel for this Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost talks about forgiveness.  It is sometimes difficult for us to remember that forgiveness is primarily a verb and not a noun.  Forgiveness is something we do, not something we possess.  It grows out of an awareness of having been forgiven some great offenses, things done and left undone, that humble us enough to want to forgive others.  Perhaps you might want to use my morning prayer: “So far today, God, I’ve done all right.  I haven’t gossiped, haven’t lost my temper, and haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overly egotistical.  I’m really glad about that.  But in a minute, God, I’m going to get out of bed and from then on I’m probably going to need a lot more of your help.  Amen.”

The point is that we cannot practice forgiveness alone.  We need help.  It cannot be an inside job.  I want to suggest that forgiveness is based on three things.

 First, it takes a commitment to others.  God in Christ made the ultimate commitment to us and hopes that commitment will be shared with others.  To forgive is the clearest indication that God got it right and we do belong to each other and that forgiveness is the glue that keeps us from breaking apart permanently.

It is an old story.  A mother put her four-year old daughter to bed.  A storm raged outside and the daughter begged her mother to stay with her until she fell asleep.  The mom reminded her that God was always present and would be near her bed.  The little girl said, “Yes, I know God will be with me, but I need someone with skin on.”

We are to be the warm bodies that extend forgiveness to others.  We are to be God with skin on in this world.

Secondly, it takes acceptance of others.  God’s forgiveness is given in hopes that we will stop hurting ourselves by nursing our anger and resentment and be eaten up from the inside out.  God also hopes we will stop hurting others by withholding our offer of forgiveness as a punishment.  We may begin that process by accepting the fact that we share a fallen nature and do not always do the perfect thing.  Accepting our own fallibility and humanity helps us extend the same privilege to others.

The “how-to” instruction Jesus the Christ gives in the Gospel assumes that a person cares enough about another to confront that person honestly and lovingly.  We must be careful of our motives in doing this.  There is no place in forgiving or seeking an apology from another for a holier-than-thou attitude, gloating, superiority, or one-up-man ship.

C.S. Lewis tells about a woman who knew best what was good for people and she would hunt for those who had any kind of problem.  She went about doing good to them without ever bothering to ask what they truly needed or wanted.  He said, “You could always tell the hunted by their haunted expression.”

The best way to understand this is to commit ourselves for the next month to ask what someone might genuinely need before doing anything.  That’s the best way to accept the principle of equality in God’s economy.

Lastly, forgiveness helps us free others in order to free ourselves.  As long as we refuse to forgive, as long as we hang onto our resentments and hurts, and as long as we fail to recognize how much we have been forgiven we allow others to control our lives.  This is especially true of our spiritual wellbeing.  We cannot grow in a positive way if we hang onto that which destroys and stunts our spiritual growth. 

Forgiveness builds up, gives the other person the benefit of the doubt and puts relationships on a level where growth is possible.  Extending forgiveness and experiencing forgiveness liberates us from living in the past in order to live lovingly in the present and have reasonable hope of happiness in the future.  The only way to know that new freedom and new happiness is through the door of forgiveness.

So, works matter!  We have been forgiven and we can become a more forgiving person, by the grace and mercy of the living God.  Being God’s representative with skin on begins the process of reconciliation that just might turn the world around.  And we won’t have to worry about how many points we have earned.  Amen.