Homily – Sunday, the 30th June 2024

Reading: Psalm 130

Reflections on Forgiveness

It was poetry day at the nursery school and the parents were invited to listen to the poems of the kids

The first one came:

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pale of water
They searched and searched
But all the water had dried up
The world had become hotter
Their throats were dry
Yet
The did not find a drop to drink
And one day neither will you and I!!!!

Will the next generations forgive us for our acts of commission and omission now that would make life impossible for them.

June 30 is International Aestroid Day

The second young poet came

Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the smoggy sky
I have never seen you I wonder why
The smoke it makes my chest so tight
For every breath I must fight

Will the next generations forgive you for stealing the beauty of the skies from their sight.

Old McDonald Had a Farm E I E I O
On that farm he had a duck E I EI O
Here a quack There a Quack
Everywhere a Quack Quack Quack
But how does the duck look like
How does the quack sound like
We have never seen or heard

Old McDonald Had a Farm E I E I O
On that farm he had a cow E I EI O
Here a Moo There a Moo
Everywhere a Moo Moo Moo
But how does the cow look like
How does the moo sound like
We have never seen or heard

Will the next generations ever see the animals and birds we see around us unless we are careful of impact of the climate changes

Psalm 130 is one of the seven Penetential Psalms of the Psalter. Others being 6,32,38.51,102 and 143. It starts from the depth of the pits to which one has fallen, ascends step by step and reaches the height of confidence of declaring forth the redemption of the Lord.

(The Enduring Word Commentary suggests that “Luther, when he was buffeted by the devil at Coburg, and in great affliction, said to those about him, Come, let us sing that psalm, ‘Out of the depths,’ etc., in derision of the devil…. And surely this psalm is a treasury of great comfort to all in distress.” (John Trapp)

“On the afternoon of that same day [which his heart was strangely warmed and he truly trusted in Jesus for salvation] John Wesley attended a vesper service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, in the course of which this Psalm 130 was sung as an anthem. Wesley was greatly moved by the anthem, and it became one of the means God used to open his heart to the gospel of salvation.” (James Montgomery Boice))

Why focus on forgiveness when we read that beautiful Psalm today?

“Forgiveness is the cornerstone of healing- the very healing that the world is craving for today”- Sylvia Fraser

“Holding on to anger, resentment and hurt only gives you tense muscles, a headache and a sore jaw from clenching your teeth. Forgiveness gives you back the laughter and the lightness in your life.” – Joan Lunden

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis Smedes

Psalm 130: The Context

Step 1: The Crying Out

1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.

The picture of the miry pit to which the Psalmist had fallen is not an unfamiliar terrain for many around us. Life can sometimes throw us into deep pits. It could be physical challenges, mental challenges, emotional challenges, economic challenges or spiritual challenges.

By yourself you could feel utterly helpless. The only thing you can do at such points is to cry out to God.

Some cry in silence, Some cry in their secret chambers, Some cannot hide their tears

Being assured that the Lord would hear your cry and consider the voice of your supplication gives you confidence to cry out as the first step.

What accompanies us in the miry pit could be the burden of guilt and shame and a sense of worthlessness

But the good news is when we cry out to the Lord he is able to make new beginnings possible.

Step 2: The Blotting Out

2 If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *
O Lord, who could stand?

The beauty about God that the Psalmist see is that God does not keep record of wrong doings.

Imagine if God had kept record of our abberations and going amiss it would sometimes volumes and none of us would be able to stand before God

But love blots away all record of sins

It is like what happens when the Prodigal son returns to the father. He runs to hug him and does not narrate any wrong doing at all. It is all about new beginnings

Yes. Whatever be the situations of life we are in, new beginnings are possible. However broken we are new mending is possible. The power of love is inestimable.

Step 3: The Forgiveness

3 For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you shall be feared.

What happens to the consequences of my actions

The word used her forgiveness “sel-ee-khaw” used only three times in the Hebrew Bible Nehemiah 9:17, Daniel 9:9 and here. It is translated twice as forgiveness and once as pardon.

The king used to set free one prisoner each year on his birthday whatever be the crime as royal pardon or amnesty. The prison door would open and the first one to get his way out- goes free.

There was an elderly painter who was in prison many years and his fellow prisoners decided that this time we should help him go free. They wanted to give him a surprice and when on the day of pardon when the doors were open they pushed him to the front and his way out. There was a commotion and when the door was closed and the dust settled they were surpriced to see the old man still inside. What happened they asked. He said- When I went out I realised I had not taken my painting brush with me, so came back to fetch that!!!

Despite the possibility of being set free some people decide to stay on in cages. The Psalmist affirms the power of forgiveness of the Lord God.

Though your sins are red as crimson or scarliet they shall be white as smow.

Step 4: The Hope

4 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; *
in his word is my hope.

Falling into the trap of hopelessness is a tragedy in several lives. As long as there is hope the survival instinct within us pushes us on. But when we lose hope we give up and give in too soon.

Waiting for the future with hope. The word ‘yaw-chaw’ first used in Genesis 8:12- he waited seven days and sent another dove which did not come back. Imagine the scene- the flood warnings were not taken seriously.There was devastation. Noah and those in the arc survived the flood. They were inside long enough and when the waters settled he sent out a bird which came back the second time with a fresh shoot. He waited another seven days hoping that the shadow of death would move away and then sent another dove which did not come back. New life has become possible again. Wait for the right time. Wait for God’s time. Things could be better

Remember “Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” – (Paul Boese)

“Forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future.” – (Lewis Smedes)

Step 5: The Waiting

5 My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

The longing for a new beginning and for the kairos time- God appointed time of change and transformation in our lives is an important next step.

Remember sometimes when are waiting for God to speak, God is actually waiting for us to listen.

Sometimes we think we are waiting for the Lord. But the fact is God is waiting for us to tune our lives to the frequency in which God can communicate to us.

God is never late and rarely early- God is always dot on time.

Waiting for the storm to calm down, the rain to cease, adjusting your sail and keeping afloat you realise every storm did eventually cease and those who were persisitent won over them.

Step 6: The Mercy

6 O Israel, wait for the Lord, *
for with the Lord there is mercy;

“Forgiveness says you are given another chance to make a new beginning.” – Desmond Tutu

Hesed- mercy, goodness, kindness is exactly this ‘another chance’

Bygone is Bygone- do not be worried. Trust in the mercy of the Lord.

Kyrie eleison- Lord have mercy is always prayed in the confidence that the Lord has had mercy on us already.

Little Andy was caught stealing a pen. He was brought before the head teacher. Head bowed in shame he expected the news of his expulsion from school or reprimands informing his parents. But instead the teacher gave him a hug and just told him- Go, Never do this again. That was the last time I ever dared to do anything silly. Those words of mercy were marking my fresh beginning.

Step 7: The Redemption

7 With him there is plenteous redemption, *
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.

Redemption- pawdaw- could mean redeem, deliver, ransom, rescue

Iniquity/ sin here could mean- guilt- the condition of guilt- the consequences of acts of commission and ommission

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody

Coming Out of the Pit- the Psalmist cries out redemption is possible.

Friends

Jack and Jill could have a tomorrow where fetching pales of water would not be impossible dreams

Our children would still sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star How I wonder what you are gazing at the Sky

Our grandchildren would still sing Old MacDonald had a farm and in that he farm he had the quack quack of the duck, the be be of the sheep and the moo moo of the cow

Redemption is possible but we need to climb out of the miry pit- step by step

The Crying Out

The Blotting Away

The Forgiveness

The Hope

The Waiting

The Mercy

The Redemption

Vinod Victor

June 30, 2024