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Community is one of my favorite T.V. comedies. It follows the adventures of a study group as they make their way through community college.
In one episode, the Dean tries to shoot a commercial for the school. He gets a little too into it and, unfortunately, ends up traumatizing half the school as a result. When all is said and done, he goes up to the study group. He tries ver briefly to explain his actions, but ends up merely saying “can you just forgive me?” Jeff, the leader of the study group says “yeah,” The Dean asks “why?” and Jeff responds “Because we’ve all been there. That’s why we’re here.”
We all have received mercy and as a result, we are called to have mercy. That is the lesson we can gain from Romans this morning. God shows mercy to all, and it was the disobedience of others that led to our own receiving of mercy. The hope is that our receiving mercy will lead to others receiving mercy too.
All of what Jesus says in the Gospel shows the mercy that God has. So people eat unclean things? That may break the Law given in Torah, but it is ultimately what we do and say, that which comes out of us not what goes in, that God ultimately cares about. Even when we disobey the Law, God still shows us mercy.
The Canaanite woman is not a Jew like those Jesus has been serving among. But in the end, she does not let that keep her from pleading her case to Jesus. She may not, on the surface, have seemed worthy, but Jesus still has mercy on her as well.
As Jeff says to the Dean, we have all been there. We have all found ourselves not quite living up to the rules. We have all, at times, not been part of quite the right group. More importantly, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Yet every time, God has shown us mercy. We are now called to do the same for others.
There will be a lot of people who, like the Dean, will have fallen short after this Pandemic is over. We will not be able to forget the actions of those who in the name of their own personal freedoms stepped on our freedom to live and be healthy and safe. But we will have to forgive. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that all is okay. It means the opposite. Forgiveness is how we can move on with our lives together, in hope that the other will do and say those things that are right and clean from now on. Forgiveness allows us to show the same mercy to others that God has shown us.
By showing mercy to others, maybe we can help show them that God is showing mercy on them too. Maybe doing so will bring them closer to God, just as we have become closer to God through God’s mercy on us. That is ultimately what our faith is all about.