Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Luke 7:48

Dear HBIC Family,

One of the most comforting things about our God is that, if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This means that every time we disobey God, miss the mark, and fall short, God’s grace is enough. This means that every time we cry out to God, humbly bow our hearts before God, and ask for mercy, our God’s love is enough to cover us and heal us.

We must praise God because Jesus died so that we might live. We must praise God because the Spirit has come to convict us of sin and call us back to God. We must praise God for the saving grace and forever mercy afforded to us in Jesus’ name. All of our sins have been forgiven. God forgives us and sends our sins as far as the east is from the west; God puts away our iniquities and throws our sins into the depths of the sea.

This week, as I have been thinking about God’s forgiveness, I have been reminded that forgiveness comes with responsibility. God forgives us to set us free. God redeems us so that we are not enslaved to the sins that so easily ensnare us. God forgives us so that we can tell stories of grace, compassion, and mercy, and so that we can become people of grace, compassion, and mercy too. In God’s gift of forgiveness, the Spirit calls us back to God, empowers us to live for God, and reminds us of God’s goodness.

This week we are going to conclude our sermon series on the Parables of Jesus. So far, we have learned about the kingdom being small and growing big and going from obscurity to glory while being a home for all the world. We have learned that forgiveness, faithfulness, and friendship are all core tenets of the kingdom. We have also learned to be prepared for Christ’s return, and to joyfully serve God and others, even when it’s inconvenient and costly.

Our story this week will be the Parable of the Two Debtors in Luke 7. To prepare for this week’s services, I would like to invite you to read and reflect on Luke 7:36-50. As you reflect, I would like to ask you to focus on the following questions:

How is God setting you free most recently?

Who is God calling you to gift mercy, compassion, and grace?

How does God’s forgiveness inspire you and grow your faith?

What is one way God is calling you to tell others the story of your forgiveness?

Last week, I was blessed to lead a prayer service for pastors here in the Atlantic Conference. It was amazing to be physically on the other side of the world, but spiritually connected with sisters and brothers back home in prayer. This has been one of the great blessings even during Covid:  To be able to consistently pray together with others from all around the world. Only for almost two years now, I have been in Harrisburg, and not London!

As we prayed together last week, we spent some time just reflecting on the many good characteristics of our God. I was humbled by the way we kept coming back to God’s love, mercy, compassion, and grace. I was overjoyed that we remembered our God’s goodness. And I was blessed to be reminded over and over that our God forgives. Sisters and brothers, what a blessing to have a God who forgives us!

Love in Christ,

Pastor Hank (Luke 7:48)