Good day dear friends.
For your local faithful readers of ConCafe/The University of The Way, we hope to begin cell groups at First UMC to use this as your weekly study material. Called LIFT Groups (Living In Fellowship Together), we will be inviting folks who have an interest in leading a cell group to come to an organizational meeting sometime soon. Please be in prayer for these cell groups. We have two leaders already: Karen Morris and Molly Moloney who will lead a university-age cell group in the fall!
Please be in prayer for the needs around the world; the space shuttle as it manuvers to dock with the International Space Station and for its return flight, may it reenter safely.
We continue to study compassion. I am very proud of our staff at FUMC; our staff meeting yesterday began with us making sack lunches to distribute among the needy in town. We made about 12 sack lunches and I believe all were distributed. Ask Lydia and Sherry to share their experiences with you.
Here is our study guide for today:
Thursday: Matthew 18:21-35 tells the story of forgiveness and compassion. Read it now to see what God expects of us. Where do you find yourself in that passage?
Here is that passage:
Matthew 21 Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. 23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, "Pay what you owe.' 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, "You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."
This is one of my favorite Peter passages. I believe a lot of us see us in Peter. Peter always wanted to do right by Jesus, though, like us, found himself lacking or lovingly corrected by Jesus. The teaching of the people had been to forgive another three times. This was a good number. For those who had given their lives to studying the Law, it seemed like a good thing; it's very difficult to forgive someone once, a lot harder to forgive that same person a second time, and to go an extra time for a third time, almost impossible, but this was seen as the "right thing" to do. So, Peter may have taken that most difficult third time, doubled it and added one to impress the Lord. The Lord takes Peter by surprise by saying, "seventy-seven times." This is a number to illustrate we may lose count of the times we should forgive, if we're truly compassionate. And then Jesus proceeds to share a parable of the Kingdom with the story we know so well. A king settles accounts with a person who owed him ten thousand talents or let's say, as The Message versions says, "$100,000." Quite a sum. Forgiven. The option the king had in mind was to sell this man and his family to settle the debt. The forgiven person leaves the palace and runs into a man who owes him $10 and demanded payment immediately! The man asked for forgiveness and was thrown in jail instead. Word of this got back to the king and well, you know the rest of the story.
If God can forgive us time after time, why can't we forgive those who sin against us? Isn't this a part of the Lord's Prayer that most of us pray at least once a week? This is the point of Jesus' talk on forgiveness. The compassionate person seeks to be compassionate because s/he remembers the many times God has forgiven them. Let us do likewise. I love Bible math; we can lose count and still be right.
PRAYER: Compassionate God, thank you for the countless times You have been merciful to me. Let me today show that same compassion to others. Let me lose count in the times I have to forgive others. I pray in the name of He who taught me to pray, "Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed by Thy Name. Thy kindgom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we (should) forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen."
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
