| The Foundation of Lady Katherine Leveson at Temple Balsall | ||
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St
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Happy the man whose sin is forgiven Psalm 32 Sermon preached on Sunday 13th February 2005 by Much of the work of a priest is hidden - private and personal conversations within which through listening one attempts to offer pastoral care. People come and go - conversations about all kinds of aspects of human life and its attempts to embrace hope and peace. Sometimes there are real moments of grace when growth emerges; for most of the time it is almost impossible to know what difference these hours of sharing make. In life I think that one needs to be careful about looking for results - much is hidden, unknown and beyond control. I share this with you because one of the most difficult dimensions of the human experience that I have encountered in pastoral care is forgiveness. I wonder if you find it difficult to forgive - to let go of hurts and pains. If someone does us harm how do we forgive? Let go? Forgive and forget? The reality of this goes deeper - faced with our own failures and mistakes can we forgive ourselves? What do we do with our own guilt - and sometimes human guilt can become so acute that it can paralyse us. Body, Mind and Spirit are inter- related - dysfunction, unforgiving hearts and a guilt ridden sense of self can effect us physically. Psalm 32 was written by a man who was rejoicing with happiness because
he had been liberated from a pressure so acute that it was making him
ill. What was this pressure? Guilt - unresolved feelings of resentment
about someone who had done him harm? If you look at the first few verses of Psalm the writer tells of the debilitating illness. He was groaning, his bones were aching and his strength was sapped. Having given the diagnosis the author switches to a personal testimony of repentance. He confesses his sin fully to God. The speed of God's forgiveness was stunning. No wonder the Psalmist began rejoicing and singing! The forgiven sinner's joy took several forms. It resulted in the writing of this Psalm which opens with the resounding declarations of spiritual truth. We can be happy because God forgives us our sin; we receive forgiveness from him. The message of the Psalm is that God the Father embraces his penitent children with loving intimacy. In return those children adore their Father because he has freed them from their guilt and given them a new start in life. We share in the author's personal story of a God-centred journey to forgiveness. For your prayers and reflections:
The Reverend Dr James Woodward |
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