Pastor Paul's October Newsletter Article

So what took me so long to post this? The world may never know...

Dear Friends,

The other day I read a statistic on the interweb from a clinical psychologist who said he could dismiss 80% of his patients if they could just believe forgiveness was real and was meant for them. Then again I also once read on the interweb that 87% of statistics are made up. So it’s safe to say that finding out how factual this figure is would not be worth the time. But let’s not look for facts; I want us to consider the truth behind this statement.

We would all be healthier if we could learn to give and accept forgiveness.

In the September 19, 2011 edition of the Presbyterian Outlook there’s an article by the Rev. Donald D. McCall, a retired minister now living in Madison, Wisconsin. He writes about his time spent on the Nebraska Parole Board. One of the duties of the Parole Board was to do the first read of appeals to the Pardon Board.

The article is about a man who committed a heinous crime, one that doesn’t often receive a pardon. He was sentenced to 25-45 years, served his time, and was paroled. To make this glorious story shorter, he turned his life around. He moved to Nebraska, became a groundskeeper and was promoted to head groundskeeper. He became a member of Kiwanis and was ordained as a Presbyterian Elder. While the article doesn’t say, my guess is that the man was in his 80’s when the appeal was made.

He wrote in his appeal to the Pardon Board that he “wanted a pardon so he could meet his savior ‘not as a convicted felon’ but as a man worthy of the life he had been given to live in this world.” His request was forwarded from the Parole Board to the Pardon Board with their recommendation. This next piece comes from the Outlook article:

Then it came time to vote. It was an emotionally charged moment when the governor finally announced the decision of the board of pardons and granted him his pardon.

There was a moment of hushed silence. Then a small outburst of praise to God that had been building up within him for over 30 years, “Thank God.” Then someone cried out, “Praise God.” Then a few cries of “Praise Jesus” and “Thank you Lord.” Soon there was a burst of shouting and rejoicing as people praised and thanked God for this man’s pardon. Everyone approached him to embrace him. Tears flowed freely. The governor graciously called for a brief recess.

I do not want to take this space to debate pardons or law and order. The man admitted his guilt and sought forgiveness. He made this request to the state to be pardoned for his crime. He had already made this request to his Lord about his sin. Back to the article:

I sat there stunned by what I was witnessing. I said to myself, “I’m an ordained Presbyterian minister. I pronounce the declaration of pardon every Sunday from the lectern during the course of the morning liturgy. We read the confession of sin as it is printed in the bulletin, and then I say ‘Friends, believe the good news of the Gospel: In Jesus Christ you are forgiven (pardoned).’ In over 50 years of preaching I have never to this day ever heard anyone say ‘Praise God’ or ‘Thank you Jesus.’ Nor have I ever seen tears of thanksgiving streaming from the eyes of the congregants. Instead we go quickly right on to the Gloria Patri and then to the Passing of the Peace … as if nothing had happened.”

He ends his article with this:

I think that the next time the declaration of pardon is pronounced during the Sunday morning liturgy, I’m going to stand up and shout, “Praise Jesus. Thank you Lord!” Well … maybe I’ll just do it as a response in my own mind. I don’t think we could handle a recess in the midst of worship.

I mention this because perhaps I am maybe a little nonchalant about forgiveness of sin. Every week I say, “Friends, believe the Good News of the Gospel!” but I take it for granted, or worse, I don’t behave like I really believe.

So friends, believe the Good News of the Gospel! In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. For 100% of our sin, 100% of the time, believe, and know you are forgiven. That’s a statistic that bears the weight of our sin.

See you in church!

Paul