Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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Original Manuscript:
All of us find ourselves in conflict with others at one point or another. Some may find it in a boss or co-worker who want to keep us from progressing in our careers. It can be the bully that never seems to let up. It can be a harasser, in whatever form that harassment might take. It can be that person who wants to control everything without listening to what others want. In this climate, it can just be someone who doesn't agree with us.
Some of us find ourselves confronting these people and others will find themselves avoiding them. Either way, it's hard to imagine ever being on the same side with someone who is our enemy, in one way or another. It's hard to imagine ever wanting to be on the same side as these folks who work against us.
And yet, that is exactly what Jesus does. In Acts today, Peter tells his audience what they have done, that they are culpable in Jesus' death.
And yet, Peter shows them the way out of their guilt. He calls them to repent of what they have done. He calls them to turn and follow Jesus.
It doesn't matter that these are the bad guys in the drama of Jesus. It doesn't matter that they actively worked against Jesus. It doesn't even matter that they killed Him. Jesus, through His apostles, is still paving the way for these people to come to know Him, to work with Him, and to be on His side.
It's an amazing turn around. Jesus gives all, even His enemies, the chance to be on His side.
For, in a sense, we are all culpable. That's why we all read the lines of the crowd on Palm Sunday for the Passion. We were all part of the crowd that said "Crucify Him!" It's because we all strayed away from God that Jesus needed to heal us. It is the sin of all that Jesus had to die for.
We all were Jesus' enemies, at one point or another. And yet Jesus still gives us the chance to join Him. He still forgives us.
This goes against every instinct every single one of us has, to forgo justice and let bygones be bygones and to love our enemies. It takes all that is in us to look past the indiscretions of others.
And yet, this is exactly what Jesus is calling us to do. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus calls us to forgive others, just as God has forgiven us. He goes so far as to suggest that we must forgive.
We reflect this thought every service we do through The Lord's Prayer. The only command it gives us is to forgive others as God forgives us.
This isn't to say forgiveness is an easy thing. It isn't. We so crave justice in this world that it is hard for us to let go. It takes some time.
It took Peter time before speaking to this audience this morning. Not a terrible amount of time, we are still in the third chapter of Acts, but this is not the first group Peter has spoken to. It took him time before confronting those culpable in Jesus' death directly.
Even today, we still find ourselves in conflicts, even in the church. Some of them are new and some are very very old. We can let these conflicts tear us apart, or we can all stand as one with Jesus, who forgave us all.
We all could do with a little more forgiveness and a little more forgiving. That takes time, so take the time. Allow God to come in and change your heart. Allow Him to come in and help you forgive.