July 9, 2017
Pentecost 5
Romans 7:15-25a
Matthew 11:16-19,25-30
(prayer)
It was announced this past week that the Government of Canada agreed to settle a 2014 civil lawsuit that had
been filed against it by Omar Khadr based on his claim that his rights as a
Canadian citizen were not protected by the government during Khadr’s detention
by the US military from 2002 to 2012.
Khadr’s was seeking $20 million.
The settlement was for $10.5 million.
It also included a formal apology.
//
Anyone hear about that?
Anyone have any opinions on that?
//
//
The spectrum of opinions seem to range from:
●
It is outrageous that the government (on behalf
of all Canadians) is rewarding a self-confessed convicted murderer and war
criminal.
… to ...
●
Khadr deserves every penny because he was an
unwitting 15 year old child soldier when the attack happened and Canadian government officials were
complacent with (or turned a blind eye to) how he was treated at Gitmo…
including being tortured.
And there are many nuisanced opinions in between these extremes,
including:
●
some are saying that this settlement is prudent
because it ultimately saved a lot of time and money because there was a real
possibility that the government was
going to lose the lawsuit, given a previous Supreme Court ruling;
●
others were upset that the government gave up
without a fight.
//
I won't make my personal views on this a “sermon topic” for today -
but.... I’d be happy to get into the mud with anyone over a coffee.
//
//
I will say that what I found most fascinating - reading the blogs and listening to the talk shows this week - were
the conversations about the apology from Canada to Khadr that was part of the
settlement.
Over and over again, even many of those who begrudingly accepted that
the Canadian government did not treat its citizen with the support he deserved
- really didn't like the apology part.
Money is one thing, but saying “sorry”?
After all, isn’t the point of settling
lawsuits to be able to get away without having to admit any fault. Settling lawsuits is usually about making the
problem go away without being found guilty of anything.
A settlement that includes an apology is saying something significant.
//
//
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Apologies do not come easy for some people. And… apologies are not always easily
received.
//
I am sure that I am not the only one to notice that (seldom in the
public sphere) do we get unqualified apologies, because often people are less
sorry for what they did/said and more sorry for the embarrassment of being
found out.
If I have offended anyone,
I would certainly apologize.
The non-apology apology!
//
On Saturday Night Live, last October, Alec Baldwin was parodying the
Republican nominee for US President - who was in the news (at the time) for a
video of him saying some rather vulgar things on an Access Hollywood bus.
Baldwin’s SNL character kind of reflected real life saying: I would like to apple-a-gize for what I
said. Do you mean ‘apologize’? No, I
would never say that.
The non-apology apology.
Saying sorry without saying sorry.
//
//
Certainly, there are times when people experience an authentic change in
heart and express honest regret for things they have intentionally done.
But (truth be told), a lot of our apologies are the result of being
unintentionally inconsiderate. In those
cases, before we apologize, we might feel the need to explain why we did what we did.
It seems to be human nature to want to explain the circumstances that
contributed to our regretable words and actions.
The reality is that an “I’m sorry,
but… model” makes the apology sound disingenuous.
//
On the other side of the coin, when we have been wronged, the emotional
impact can linger long after the words and actions have ended. Sadness, disappointment or anger might not
allow us to hear (little lone accept) an apology - even an
unconditional, heart-felt apology.
//
Apologies can be powerful things, leading to some of the most healing
words that exist:
I forgive you.
//
“Apology’s” power is diminished when we believe that:
●
the apologizer is insincere, or
●
the apologizee doesn't deserve the “sorry”.
In fact, I feel confident proclaiming that the words I forgive you are much harder to say
than I'm sorry.
The words
“I forgive
you”
are much harder to say than
“I'm sorry”.
//
//
//
A major theme of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans is about what should hold authority in the lives of
the Christians. Paul draws on two
antagonistic examples, in the strong tradition of greek philosophical dualism:
• Spirit versus Flesh,
• Faith versus Law.
In Romans chapter seven, this is exactly the message that Paul is
preaching, when he goes off on the personal tangent that was our reading this
morning.
In his mind, Paul knows that faith and spirit are superior to law and
flesh. But he admits that he is unable
to fully embrace this in practice. This
fact frustrates Paul.
I do not understand my own actions.
For I do not do what I want,
but I do the very thing I hate.
Paul doesn’t give us the juicy details, but he seems to be admiting that
he has some personal vice that he sees is in opposition to how he believes that
his faith calls him to live. Paul is
admiring a level of hypocrisy within himself.
He hates himself for what he might call a weakness in his faith: Wretched man that I am!
Paul simply can't forgive himself.
He is a living embodiment of what Jesus is quoted as saying in Matthew
26:41 - The
spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. For a brief moment, Paul seems to be trying
to justify his actions by externalizing these feelings beyond himself as “sin”
that is an outward force controlling him.
But he quickly comes back to the weakness is his own, not imposed on
him. Paul is not a “devil made me do it”
guy.
Paul’s innermost being delights in God, but his outer being embraces
self-gratification. He openly wonders
why anyone would want to rescue him from this
body of death.
We can hear Paul’s frustration: Is he worthy of love and forgiveness,
especially when he has been unable to change?
//
//
Through the other reading (Matthew 11) we move from forgivee to
forgiver.
Jesus points of the inconsistent actions and unappreciative attitudes of
what he (later in chapter 17) calls a faithless generation. Jesus is making the case that they do not
deserve redemption, forgiveness.
//
Paul has to admit, that by his own standards, he is unworthy of
forgiveness.
Jesus claims that people are rejecting him. We expect him to hold back his compassion
from them as long as they are unwilling to even admit their hypocrisy.
But…
//
...that is not what happens.
Paul asks Who will rescue me?…
and then says Thanks be to God through
Jesus Christ our Lord!
Jesus eloquently describes this hostile and faithless generation… and
then offers to carry their burdens.
Even without living fully within the best of his faith, Paul does NOT
need rescuing. It has already
happened. He has been proactively
rescued by a God of Grace.
Jesus is NOT going to wait to be asked to support people’s lives; he
proactively goes to them and lightens their load.
//
Two (relatively recent) poetic expressions of this theology:
●
1772: “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that
saved a wretch like me.” (John Newton)
●
1954: “During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints [in the sand], it was then that I
carried you.” (Margaret Fishback Powers)
//
It is hard enough to forgive someone who has authentically expressed
remorse and changed their life. God’s
forgiveness is not so limited.
//
John Newton chose the right word: Grace.
The Grace of God is a forgiveness that preceeds an apology.
GRACE
is
FORGIVESS
that proceeds
APOLOGY
//
God rescues Paul, even if Paul can't let go of his guilt.
Jesus takes on burdens of those who probably deserve to feel the weight
of their choices.
//
That is grace!
This is amazingly radical.
It can be quite disturbing to those who want their god to share their
human ideals. Let’s be honest, there are
human monsters among us that we don’t want to receive any grace at all.
//
You will find some preachers who will want to water down this radical
grace. But you won’t get that from me.
Some will say that all God does is offer
grace, but you can’t get it without offering something in return… humility,
faith, commitment, etc. But...
...that is not what we see in Romans and Matthew today:
●
Paul is rescued even though his flesh still
dominates his spirit.
●
Jesus carries burdens of those who don't even
know how heavy their lives are.
//
Paul doesn’t necessarily understand this, but he accepts it. His response to God’s grace is to simply say
“thank you”.
Jesus acts out of gentleness and humility as a response to the weariness
that inevitably results from hostility.
//
Grace leads to gratitude and rest.
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That is the Holy Way.
God lets go of those things we can't.
Jesus lifts us up even if we don't realize we are falling.
//
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Thanks be to God
through Jesus Christ, our Lord!
//
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Let us
pray:
We thank
you God, Lord of heaven and earth. We
want to let go of all that does not serve the goodness of life. Help us carry all that burdens us. Amen.
#374VU
“Come and Find the Quiet Centre”
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