Today’s Reading: Romans 12:14-21
Daily Lectionary: Joshua 6:6-27; Acts 10:18-33

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. (Romans 12:14)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. I can tell you something is a sin because it’s in the Bible. Fine. If you want to know why, wait till it’s been done against you. It’s called wrong because it hurts. Sin breaks stuff. It’s easy to see why something is a sin when it’s done against you. It’s harder when you’re the one hurting others, accidentally or otherwise. We get so wrapped up in our passions that we lose sight of the damage we wreak, but when someone hurts us, things get cleared up real quick. It can leave you wanting a God who punishes others more than a God who forgives you, spending each day watching those who hurt you, waiting for them to get theirs. Sometimes they do, but more often than not it looks like they don’t. Even if they do, it doesn’t give you peace.

If all you can really hope for in life is to see someone else hurt, you don’t want peace for yourself, and you’ll never get it, either. There’s too much sin in this world to keep track of. Even more, it says something about the kind of God you expect. He says He treats all sinners the same. That includes you. Either He forgives you and those who sin against you or He doesn’t. They’re connected, even into the prayer we pray each day. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

It’s not God dangling your forgiveness in front of you for you to earn by coming up with something of your own. It’s a reminder that all forgiveness, for you and for those who sin against you, comes from the same place: the Cross. Remember that Jesus died for your neighbor. “Vengeance is mine,” says the Lord. He doesn’t ignore what was done against you. He pays for it Himself on the Cross. There’s nothing left to repay because Jesus has already paid the price. You can even go look at it. See the crucifix. It’s God’s justice for every pain caused by someone else, for every pain you held onto, and for every pain you’ve caused, too.

Vengeance is the Lord’s. He paid it to His own Son. He overcame evil with good. Start there, and there is a place for kindness and love for your enemy to be sustained, and even to grow. Bless those who curse you. Call them sinners whom Jesus died for. Heap burning coals on their heads. Show them the source of all that’s pure. Show them the censer full of burning coal that touched Isaiah’s tongue and put away all his sin. Show them what forgiveness looks like. Show him where it comes from: not your heart, but the Cross. That’s forgiveness that overcomes evil with good. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Amen.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch