Forgiving the Unforgivable (9/22/2011)

Weekly Pulpit -- Warren Sentinel -- September 22, 2011

I was particularly challenged by sermon on September 11^th. Now that's not as vain as it sounds. You see, I preached on the topic of forgiveness on a day that I (and probably many others) were struggling with forgiveness.

While I don't normally preach according to the lectionary (an agreed upon schedule of scripture passages many churches follow), it just so happened that the gospel text for this particular Sunday was on forgiveness. So even though I was tempted to preach on something different, the very fact that I myself was struggling with forgiveness led me to believe that this was the very thing I should preach on. If I were to limit my preaching to that which I've mastered, I'd be out of a job!

It can be hard to forgive even when someone apologizes to you for what they have done. But should we forgive when there is no apology offered? This isn't the specific question addressed in Matthew 18:21-35, but I think it is related. In that passage, Peter asks Jesus how many times we should forgive. Peter thought maybe seven times should be enough. That does seem like a lot, right? Well Jesus responded that we should forgive 77 times (or 70 times 7 times, depending on which translation you prefer). Either way, Jesus was saying that we should be willing to forgive many many many times – many times more than I normally would want to forgive.

As part of my sermon I played a video clip of Miroslav Volf, an evangelical theologian, answering the question of whether we should forgive when no apology has been offered. His answer was far more brilliant and convincing than anything I could have come up with. He responded that we definitely must forgive even when an apology hasn't been offered. Why? Because the God that we worship does this. We worship a God who offers forgiveness to all and for all. There is no sin that is too great for God to forgive. And God offered us forgiveness, through the life, death, and resurrection of his son nearly two thousand years ago – long before we had a chance to sin, let alone apologize.

During my sermon I quoted some of the last words of Jesus as he hung dying upon the cross. He said, “Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing.” Having been mocked, beaten, and nailed to a cross, Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of the people who were in the very process of murdering him. Part of me wants to ignore these words because “I'm not Jesus.” But the fact is that as a follower/apprentice of Jesus, I'm called to become more and more like him.

And so I asked the congregation this question, “How did the events of September 11, 2001 make you more or less like Jesus?” It is a challenging question but not an unfair one. Each of us who claim to be followers/apprentices of Jesus are, I believe, in the process of either becoming more like him or less like him.

So on a day set aside to remember the horrific events of September 11^th – a day when we proclaim that we will “Never Forget” – I believe that we are called to never forget that we have been forgiven. Even more, I pray it will become a day on which we will never forget that we ourselves have forgiven the unforgivable.

KJV, NIV, or HQV? (8/4/2011)

Weekly Pulpit -- Warren Sentinel -- August 4, 2011

The Authorized Version, also referred to as the King James Version (KJV), was first published in 1611. This year marks its 400^th anniversary. While the KJV wasn't the first English translation of the Bible, it is for some the preferred English translation to this day. I find it quite difficult to read and prefer to read and preach from the New International Version (NIV), first published in 1973. I recently purchased the 2011 update of the NIV and am very pleased with it too.

400 years after the publication of the KJV, there's a new Bible in print. My parents, David and Diana Weber, have served as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators (www.wycliffe.org) for the past forty years. They have committed much of their lives to helping to complete a translation of the Bible into the Huallaga Quechua language. This Saturday, I will stand with them and with hundreds (possibly thousands) of Huallaga Quechua speakers in Huanuco, Peru as we celebrate the publication of God's Word in their language. What a joyous day it will be!

According to Wycliffe Bible Translators, there are over 6,800 languages spoken in the world today. Of these, over 2,000 still do not have the Bible in their own language. As of next week, there will be one less people group that lacks access to the Bible in their own language!

I know that I often take having the Bible in my own language for granted. Behind my desk sit nearly twenty different English translations of the Bible. And with a few keystrokes I can access about twenty five English translations at www.biblegateway.com. And I'm guessing that there are far more than twenty five English translations of the Bible.

Sadly, well meaning English speaking Christians still argue with each other about which is the “best” English translation. My own opinion, for what it is worth, is that the “best” translation is probably the one that you will read most and understand best.

The KJV and the NIV may each be great translations, but neither of them are of any benefit to someone who doesn't read English. Instead of arguing about which English translation is best, why don't we simply rejoice that we have so many to choose from, and do whatever we can to help those in the world today who still lack a Bible in their own language?

Jesus told his disciples that they would do even greater things than he. (John 14:12) I've always struggled to believe this promise. But recently, as I began preaching through the book of Acts, I was struck by the fact that on the first Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection that his disciples actually did do something greater.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they miraculously spoke about God in the many languages of those who had gathered in Jerusalem for one of the annual Jewish festivals. As far as we know, Jesus probably didn't speak more than two or three languages.

When people from around the known world began to hear God being spoken of in their native tongue, they were bewildered and utterly amazed. (Acts 2:6-7) Others made fun of them for thinking they heard their own languages being spoken and suggested that they must be drunk! (Acts 2:13) But the Apostle Peter boldly proclaimed that this was the work of the Holy Spirit.

I believe that God desires for all people to have access to his Word in their own language. This week I will celebrate that this is the case for yet one more people group. As the Bible is translated into the remaining languages that still lack a translation, we can eagerly look forward to the day when people “from every nation, tribe, people and language” will be gathered together in God's presence. (Revelation 7:9)