Lent Preaching | Embodying Forgiveness and Unveiling Pride and Envy
Here is a link to the previous post featuring my time at the Preaching Seminar with the Massachusetts Council of Pastors in Marlborough:
Lent | Reading for Preaching Seminar with Dr. Cornelius "Neal" Plantinga, Jr. Post 1 of 3
Dr. Neal Plantinga | Lent: Forgiveness, Pride, and Envy
1) Forgiveness: Bringing flourishing for the offender and the forgiver
Anger management requires God's patience, forbearance, and forgiveness working in us
Patience: Great ability and capacity to absorb irritants without being paralyzed by them
Forbearance: Putting up with those who drive you nuts
Forgiveness: Letting go of anger you think you have a right to; the only anger we have a right to is indignation toward evil injustice, severe cruelty, and inhumane neglect
The craft of forgiveness means deliberately bringing to mind heart-softening considerations: "I, too, am a sinner who has been forgiven so much."
When Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray, He stops on forgiveness. Jesus expounds on forgiveness in the Lord's prayer above all the other statements in the Lord's Prayer (see Matthew 6:9-15). "If you do not forgive, your Father will not forgive you."
Experiencing true forgiveness and giving it comes with enacting true repentance and practicing it.
Remorse: Only involves the emotions; "I'm sorry"
Repentance: Also involves a course of action; "I'll change"
The Maryland Youth Corrections department once provided two courses of action for convicted youths: incarceration or repentance. Repentance involved a ceremony where, for example, a young man who sexually assaulted a young woman would have to kneel before her and her family and say, "I did _____. It was awful and selfish. I hurt you. I hurt those who love you. I am the one to blame. It's my fault that this has happened. And I choose not to do it again."
Two things were discovered:
- Those who repented did less crime and were less incarcerated
- Many more chose to be incarcerated rather than face their responsibility and repent
Is forgiveness for the offender or the forgiver? Or is it for both? How do we truly forgive and forget? Can we?
Do we find relief that the offense is in the past and choose joy instead of anger (i.e. forgetting)? Do we believe that the weight of God's glory can outweigh the offense by the power of the Holy Spirit (i.e. forgiveness)? What is right to do is what will bring flourishing to both offender and the forgiver in the economy of God's grace.
Simply from a physiological perspective, forgiveness lowers the blood pressure, sharpens the appetite, and brightens the outlook for what needs to be done in the time ahead.
2) Pride: Debasing one's own heart instead of exalting another's
"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). "One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor" (Proverbs 29:23).
God wants to fill people with His Holy Spirit, but proud people are already full.
St. Augustine said that the person who is humble will reach toward God from below and want to please God. This reaching helps the person get stretched. There is something in humility that exalts the heart. There is something in pride that debases the heart. The proud are never teachable; the fool is often in error, but never in doubt.
Milton's Satan: "Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven."
Conceit: Thinks a lot of herself or himself
Narcissism: Thinks a lot about himself or herself
Idolatry is futile. Other gods can't take the weight of our leaning. They crumble under our need. The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah mock the gods because they are useless when you are under attack.
We need to talk about our sins and idolatry in the context of God's forgiveness, but we need to remember that they do need to be forgiven. Keeping a "prayer of confession" in the liturgy is beneficial, one main reason of which, after we confess together, we know that what we just did was right in acknowledging our need of God and His desire to forgive.
3) Envy: Evil is not creative; it simply spoils everything that is good
Envy poisons the one who envies. Most other sins, there's always at least a little pleasure, but not with envy. "A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot" (Proverbs 14:30). "Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple" (Job 5:2).
Envy doesn't care how others have benefited; everything is unfair regardless. Envy's (super) natural opposite is gratitude.
Envy: Resentment of others
Covetousness: Strong desires for the goods of others
St. Chrysostom said that while we are commanded to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, it's hard to rejoice if pride and envy get in the way. Do we enjoy the misfortunes of others? If so, envy is rotting our existence.
Next post: Lent | Reading for Preaching Seminar with Dr. Cornelius "Neal" Plantinga, Jr. Post 3 of 3
Email Pastor Mike | Facebook Us | Join Us | Support Us
No comments:
Post a Comment