Tag Archives: DEbt

Forgive us Our Debts

Income inequalityLiving in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
September 14, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:21-35

 Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’
—Matthew 18:21-22, 33-35

Our class structures have changed or are changing and we are not mentally ready to accept that. The middle class is slipping away and incomes of the working class are stagnant. The jobs that are available are largely in service industries that are under paid. If you have not had a chance to view or read about Robert Reich’s Inequality for All I would recommend that you do.* I think much of the anger and frustration that is being vented across our land is the loss we are all experiencing because of this trend. Decisions made from frustration can and do make matters worse.

Part of the problem is that this country is suffering from an epidemic of greed and if we do not get a handle on that we will never find solutions to our economic crisis. Greed is our idolatry. It results when we cross the line between a healthy desire for progress to an addiction for more and more. As we each strive to protect our own interests, we may do it at the expense of others. This is exactly what has happened in the parable in our scripture today. Someone has not been able to meet his or her obligations and when pressed, he or she takes it out on others.

Jesus instructs us to forgive and forgive and forgive again—to keep forgiving. First, we all ought to really appreciate this instruction for that is exactly what Jesus does for us every day, but I think he may be trying to get at another point. Our inability to forgive is what is keeping us from solving the problem at hand. The master of the slaves knew that and wisely forgave the slave. The slave could not follow his master’s example.

 Oklahoma Fact: in 2012, 30% of children were living in households with parents who lacked secure employment**

Prayer: Forgive us this day our debts as we forgive our debtors. Amen.

*http://robertreich.org/post/94260751620

 

** For children living in single-parent families, this means the resident parent did not work at least 35 hours per week, at least 50 weeks in the 12 months prior to the survey. For children living in married-couple families, this means neither parent worked at least 35 hours per week, at least 50 weeks in the 12 months prior to the survey. Children living with neither parent were listed as not having secure parental employment because those children are likely to be economically vulnerable. http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5043-children-whose-parents-lack-secure-employment?loc=38&loct=2#detailed/2/38/false/868,867,133,38,35/any/11452,11453

 

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Love is an Obligation

choose-loveLiving in the Spirit
September 4, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 13:8-14

 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. —Romans 13:8-10

What is a debt? According to Merriam-Webster*, a debt is a neglect or violation of duty. Think fault, sin, or trespass. This is the meaning that is used in the Lord’s Prayer in some translations. We probably most often think of the word “debt” in association with money or barter. It is something that one person is bound to pay to another or perform for his or her benefit an obligation. A debt is something we owe.

Paul is saying the only thing we owe to anyone is to love them. The bank that holds our mortgages might take umbrage with that statement. Paul would respond that fulfilling an obligation is love. In my book Houses Divided, I spend some time talking about what love is because I think we have love all mixed up with emotions and our lack of understanding about what love is thus becomes a source of division.  If we want the very best for another no matter what the consequences are for us, we love them. Parents demonstrate this everyday as they strive to nurture a child to become self-reliant, knowing full well that at some point that child will leave home and begin a separate life with perhaps children of their own. Jesus demonstrated the fullness of his love for us by going to the cross.

I perhaps hammer on intentionality too much because it is so important. We need to own our own behaviors. The way we don’t commit adultery is to intentionally remember the obligation to our spouse. The way we do not commit murder is to intentionally remember that no matter how angry or hurt or frightened we may be the target of our emotions is also a child of God and we have made an obligation to God to love them as much as we love ourselves. In extreme circumstances, that is the basis of self-defense, but only after all other options for safety have been attempted. The rule of being intentional in our application of love plays out in all the other commandments.

Prayer: Your intentional love of me, O Lord, sustains me and gives me the strength to love intentionally also. Forgive me for the times I fail to love as you would have me love. Amen.

*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/debt

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.