Monday, July 19, 2010

FORGIVE (Matthew 5) (Luke 6:20-26)


IMAGINE IF YOU WILL

THAT YOU ARE JESUS

STANDING ON TOP OF A HIGH MOUNTAIN

ON THE NORTH SIDE

OF THE SEA OF GALILEE

YOU ARE LOOKING DOWN

AT THE SEA OF GALILEE

THE MOUNTAIN IS IN GALILEE.



LOOKING SOUTH

YOU SEE THE KINGDOM OF JUDEA

AND THE CAPITAL

JERUSALEM.



LOOKING EAST YOU SEE PEREA

LOOKING WEST YOU SEE SAMARIA

AND YOU ARE SAD

BECAUSE THERE IS MUCH HATRED

IN THE LAND



THE PROMISED LAND

HAS BEEN CONQUERED BY ROME

AND DIVIDED INTO THE FOUR PARTS

OF GALILEE, JUDEA, SAMARIA AND PEREA



THE JEWS HATE THE ROMANS

WHO ARE EVERYWHERE

ACTING AS POLICEMEN



THE JEWS HATE THE SAMARITANS

AND THE PEREANS

BECAUSE THEY WORSHIP GOD

IN A NON JEWISH MANNER



JESUS LOOKS DOWN AT THE LAKE

AND AS HE DOES

HE LOOKS BACK IN TIME

AND REMEMBERS THE EVENTS

Of HIS STARTING MINISTRY



HE REMEMBERS

HIS BAPTISM BY JOHN

WHERE GOD THE FATHER

DECLARED THAT JESUS WAS HIS SON



THEN THE WEDDING AT CANA

WHERE HE CHANGED WATER INTO WINE



THEN HIS FIRST SERMON AT NAZARETH

AND HIS REJECTION BY HIS NEIGHBORS



THEN WE REMEMBERS THE MIRACLE OF THE FISHES

WHERE THE APOSTLES CAUGHT SO MANY

THE BOAT BEGAN TO SINK.



AND TODAY HE REMEMBERS

COMING DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN

AND PREACHING THE SERMON ON THE PLAIN

ALSO CALLED THE BEATITUDES



BUT BEFORE HE CAME DOWN OFF THE MOUNTAIN

JESUS LOOKED DOWN

AT THE DIVIDED KINGDOM

AND WAS SADDENED

THIS WAS NOT HIS FATHER’S DREAM

FOR THIS LAND

THIS PROMISED LAND

AND ITS PEOPLE.



RELIGION HAD BECOME

AN OBSERVANCE OF LAWS AND RITUALS

THE PRIESTS ARGUED

OVER SUCH THINGS AS

CAN A MAN WITH A WOODEN LEG

WALK ON THE SABBATH

BECAUSE THE WOODEN LEG

WAS A BURDEN

AND ONE COULD NOT

CARRY A BURDEN

ON THE SABBATH

BECAUSE CARRYING A BURDEN

WAS WORK



THE PERFORMANCE OF RITUAL

IN THE TEMPLE WAS SUCH

THAT

ON ANY PASSOVER

OVER 250,000 LAMBS WERE SOLD

AND SLAIN IN ONE DAY

MAKING GOD’S HOUSE

MORE A SLAUGHTER FACTORY

THAN A HOUSE OF GOD



THIS IS WHAT HIS FATHER’S RELIGION

HAD BECOME

AND HE IS SADDENED.



SO HE SLOWLY COMES DOWN THE MOUNTAIN

AND PREACHES THE BEATITUDES


LUKE HAS A SENTENCE

AT THE BEGINNING

OF THE BEATITUDES

THAT SAYS

THERE WERE PEOPLE

FROM SIDON AND TYRE

IN THE CROWD

HE DID THIS DELIBERATELY

BECAUSE THE JEWS ALSO HATED

THOSE FROM SIDON AND TYRE



SO JESUS LOOKS AT THE CROWD

THAT HAD SO MUCH HATE

AND PREACHES A SERMON

ON FORGIVENESS

A SERMON, WHICH SAYS

IF ANYONE HITS YOU,

TURN THE OTHER CHEEK.

EASY TO SAY

DIFFICULT TO DO



JESUS SAYS

FORGIVE YOUR ENEMIES,

DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HURT YOU.

WHEN EVERY PART OF YOUR BEING

SAYS MAKE A FIST

AND HURT YOUR ENEMY

JESUS SAYS LOVE THEM.

JESUS HAS GOT TO BE KIDDING HERE

RIGHT



BUT ULTIMATELY

JESUS IS RIGHT.

FOR WITHOUT FORGIVENESS

NATIONS WILL FIGHT

LONG PAST REMEMBERING

WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING,


NEIGHBORS WILL FIGHT

LONG PAST REMEMBERING

WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING,



FAMILIES WILL FIGHT

LONG PAST REMEMBERING

WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING

HUSBAND AND WIVES

WILL FIGHT

LONG PAST REMEMBERING

WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING,



BROTHERS AND SISTERS

YOUNG OR GROWN OLD

TILL NEAR DEATH

WILL FIGHT

LONG PAST REMEMBERING

WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING.



WHEN WILL IT END

AS THE SONG SAYS

LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH

AND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME.



WHAT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO DO

RIGHT NOW

AS A REACTION TO JESUS' SERMON

IS WRITE DOWN WITH YOUR FINGER

ON THE PALM OF YOUR HAND

THE NAME OF THAT PERSON

YOU FIND IT HARD TO FORGIVE.



THEN RUB YOUR HANDS TOGETHER

AND ERASE THEIR NAME.

THINKING AS YOU DO IT

THEY ARE FORGIVEN.

TRY IT


LET GO THOSE CHUNKS OF ICE

WHICH WE ALL CARRY

THOSE CHUNKS OF ICE OF HATRED

WHICH WE ALL CARRY

LONG PAST REMEMBERING

WHY WE ARE CARRYING THEM

HARD YOU SAY.

TOO HARD

AND I AGREE.

BUT IT IS JESUS

NOT ME

WHO IS SPEAKING

WHEN HE SAYS

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES,

DO GOOD TO THEM,

LEND ACCORDING TO THEIR NEED

EXPECTING NOTHING BACK

BE MERCIFUL

AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS MERCIFUL

STILL TOO HARD



LET ME PAINT YOU A PICTURE.

THERE IS A MAN WHO IS DYING.

CONDEMNED TO DEATH

FOR A CRIME

HE DIDN’T COMMIT.



CONDEMNED TO DEATH

OUT OF JEALOUSY

AND FEAR OF LOSING POWER.



ALL HIS FRIENDS

HAVE DESERTED HIM

OUT OF FEAR





ONE OF HIS FRIENDS

HAS SOLD HIM FOR A PRICE



ONE OF HIS FRIENDS DENIED

HE EVER KNEW HIM.


HIS HEART

WHICH IS STRUGGLING

TO STAY ALIVE

IS STILL FILLED WITH LOVE

FOR ALL MANKIND



AND HE IS GIVING THINGS AWAY.

HE WILL DIE POOR.



HIS CLOTHES ARE GONE.

HE HAS GIVEN HIS MOTHER

TO THE CARE OF HIS FRIEND JOHN



NOW HE GIVES AWAY HIS ANGER.

STRUGGLING UPRIGHT ON THE NAILS

HE CRIES OUT

FATHER FORGIVE THEM

THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.



FORGIVE THE RULERS

OF TEMPLE AND STATE,

FORGIVE THE SOLDIERS

WHO WERE CRUEL TO ME,

FORGIVE THE CROWD

GATHERED LIKE VULTURES

TO SEE ME DIE,

FORGIVE THE THIEF WHO CURSED ME

FORGIVE ALL

WHO HAVE DESERTED ME,

LIED ABOUT ME,

SOLD ME FOR A PRICE


JESUS

LOOKING DOWN FROM HIS HIGH PLACE

ON THE CROSS

LOOKING DOWN THE YEARS

FORGIVING ALL WHO HAD EVER LIVED,

WHO WERE LIVING THEN

WHO WOULD LIVE IN THE FUTURE



LOOKING DOWN FROM HIS HIGH PLACE

HE COMES HERE

AND CRIES OUT

FATHER FORGIVE FRANK

AND BARBARA,

JOE AND TOM,

ALICE AND JAN,

FATHER FORGIVE ALL



AND WE CRY IN RESPONSE

FATHER FORGIVE US

AND FORGIVE THE ONE

WE FIND IT HARD

TO FORGIVE

WE

AND THEY

KNOW NOT WHAT WE DO.


IN THE LIGHT OF OUR FORGIVENESS

CAN WE NOT TAKE

THE NAME OF THAT ONE PERSON

WE FIND IT HARD TO FORGIVE.

WRITE IT ON THE PALM OF OUR HAND.

RUB OUR HANDS TOGETHER

TO MAKE IT DISAPPEAR.



AND SAY TO THAT PERSON

THAT CHUNK OF ICE

THAT I HAVE CARRIED

WITH YOUR NAME ON IT

IS MELTED

I FORGIVE YOU



AND JESUS SAYS

WELL DONE MY BROTHERS

AND SISTERS

WELL DONE



IN YOU

I AM WELL PLEASED.

MAY IT BE SO AMEN







FRANK A VOLLMER

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