A dying SS officer confesses his crimes to a Jewish prisoner and begs for forgiveness, and Simon Wiesenthal turns around and walks out without a word, only to spend the rest of his life asking whether he did the right thing. This haunting story opens a reflection on the words of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 18) about how to confront those who have wronged us and how many times we are to forgive. The sermon does not hide the fact that forgiveness hurts and costs, but it shows that unforgiveness costs even more, and that we ourselves are debtors who have been forgiven an unpayable debt. Listen before you put off that difficult conversation once again.
Confrontation and Forgiveness
Jesus the Way: Through Conflict
Our world is torn by conflicts. We have little influence over those of an international or political nature. However, each of us has an impact on relationships in our immediate surroundings, and even that world is not free from anger, disputes, arguments, and hurt feelings.
As we listen to Jesus’ teachings, we will try to discover what it means that Christ is the Way through conflict. We will reflect on how following Jesus affects the way we deal with anger, resolve misunderstandings, and treat those who hurt us.
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9 sermons
