Romans 14:1-12
Matthew 18:23-35

In recent days we have witnessed or heard stories about those who did not heed the warnings to evacuate as Hurricane Katrina approached. Many people did and while they lost all they had, they were alive and out of harms' way. Many others did not heed the warning. Some of them died. Nearly all of them suffered. We cannot lay blame at the feet of those who had no means of leaving. Indeed blame must be laid at the feet of those who should have provided a means of escape. However, there were many who simply refused to believe the warning believing they could survive or the storm would not be as strong as predicted.

We risk the same peril when we fail to take the word of God seriously. We either believe God doesn't exist or that God loves us so much that all will be forgiven no matter what. The Bible is clear that we cannot earn our forgiveness. However, it is also clear that we are called to a particular style of life as a response to our forgiveness. This is summarized in one of the familiar phrases of The Lord's Prayer: "forgive us our debts as we forgive the debts of others."

During WWII, the Russian philosopher, Semyon Frank, wrote in his notebook, "In this terrifying war, in the inhuman chaos which reigns in the world, the one who first starts to forgive will in the end be victorious". (p. 18, Homiletics, September 2005). On this, the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, I am intrigued by Frank's statement—"the one who first starts to forgive will in the end be victorious."

As a nation we have not been able to bring to justice the one who claims to be the mastermind of the attacks, Osama bin Laden. Nor have we been able to admit any wrongdoing which may have motivated the attacks. We have become engaged in a war based upon what nearly all would now agree has been faulty information. We have captured a dictator who will no doubt be put to death after a series of trials, but his death will not bring back to life those who have died. It is still quite uncertain if peace and stability will come to that region of the world where he once ruthlessly ruled. In the last four years, more civilians in Iraq have died than there were deaths on 9/11 and nearly 2,000 American soldiers have died with more being added to that number each day.

In light of all this I turn to the words of the now deceased author, Father Henri Nouwen, who wrote a classic book titled, The Wounded Healer. In his book he reflects on what it means to minister in a hurting and alienated society. He recommends prayer, not as a "decoration of life," but as the breath of human existence. A Christian community is a healing community, says Nouwen, not because wounds are cured and pains are alleviated, but because wounds and pains become openings or occasions for a new vision (p. 20, Homiletics, September 2005).

Perhaps what we need more than anything else today is a new vision or as I might put it, we need a new and greater willingness to seriously follow God's word. In Revelation 21:5 God says, "All things will be made new." Will we have a new vision for rebuilding the Gulf Coast and cities like New Orleans or will we just rebuild a bigger version of what was previously there? Will we have a new and better way in place for responding to large-scale tragedies or will there just be a long and drawn-out period of finger pointing among politicians and help-related agencies?

What is our response when things like 9/11, the tsunami, recent tornadoes in Wisconsin and Hurricane Katrina occur? When the Christian author Philip Yancey was asked after 9/11 the question of where God is when it hurts, he thought for a moment and then he said, "I guess the answer to that question is another question. Where is the church when it hurts? If the church is doing its job—; binding wounds, comforting the grieving, offering food to the hungry—; I don't think people will wonder so much where God is when it hurts, they'll know where God is—; in the presence of His people on earth" (Christianity Today, October 23, 2001).

Our work as Christians is to help create a new vision for a new world where forgiveness and reconciliation replace vengeance. We need to be mindful of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Then we need to extend that love to others.

In the past few months you have contributed over $8,000 to help build a Habitat Home. You have contributed over $10,000 to help start a new congregation for Spanish-speaking people in our community. You have provided several pick-up trucks of food for hungry people in McLean County. You have given blood, donated clothing, volunteered your labor and have contributed hundreds of dollars for hurricane relief. Some have even offered to open their homes to hurricane survivors. In all of these ways you are doing the work God asks you to do.

What we need to remember in the face of all these horrific events as well as in the midst of our daily routines is that it is God who has created us. We have not created the one, true God but we often attempt to create lesser gods who have lesser purpose and power.

Once again I quote Semyon Frank, "No bombs, not even atomic bombs, none of the cruelties of war cause so much destruction of normal conditions of life or are the cause of so much ruin and evil as the spirit of hatred."

The spirit of your love and generosity is what will ultimately help God create a truly new world. Our ability to forgive others and love them as God has forgiven and loved us is the key. "Forgiving sounds like a simple thing to do. Yet few actually do it. We treat forgiveness as if it were one of life's additional options, something we can take or leave alone. But it's not. It's a basic requirement for every believer"(Synthesis, Proper 19, September 2005).

The Reverend Kathlyn James summarizes the importance of today's parable. "Why does Jesus command us to forgive the people who hurt us, seventy times seven? Because, forgiveness is something even better than fairness. It is the way we are set free" (www.day1.net, July 13, 1997).