Forgiveness - Sermon for June 17th!

Scripture for Sunday June 17 - 2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:10, 13-15, Galatians 2:15-21, and Luke 7:36-8:3

Wow, forgiveness seems a heavy topic for the picnic Sunday and Father's day. The idea of Forgiveness can be very difficult. I have an article on forgiveness that says when the pain is deep, the road to forgiveness is long. All of us have to deal with this issue and it can be very difficult.

Here are some questions to ponder from an Article called "Apology Not Accepted". This article is from the Vine Reader March/April 1999 issue and the following quotation is from the editors. "If we all recognize that forgiveness has the power to liberate us from the past, then why are we so reluctant to grant it? Spiritual leaders and psychotherapists say that forgiveness is bless, but what about that voice in our heads that demands an eye for an eye? Doe forgiving mean forgetting, or -even worse- excusing the unforgivable? And if we forgive, how do we protect our dignity? Such questions touch most aspects of our lives from politics to trash TV, from road rage to smoldering resentments. How do we as individuals and as a society choose between the ruge to get even and the need to move on?

Let me know what you think!