I was listening to a podcast on forgiveness on my drive home from work the other day, and they were interviewing a psychologist Robert Enright who has been working with children in Liberia. You may remember that that country had been wracked by civil war. He was talking about a Skype session he had when a young boy stepped up in front of the camera and asked, “Should I forgive the person who killed my momma?” Then, a little girl appeared and said, “I loved my sister so much… should I forgive that man who took her life?”

Enright said it just broke his heart. And yet he knew that if they didn’t… if they couldn’t… the bitterness and resentment would be carried not only for a life-time – but possibly for generations to come. Hatred of this other group would be handed down to children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Enright went on to define forgiveness, at least in part, as a is a willingness to abandon one’s right to resentment.

What strikes me is that according to that definition, we do inherently have a right to be bitter or angry. And, at least initially it may be important for us to feel those emotions. But long term, we have to ask ourselves, “Is this something I want to continue carrying around inside me long term. Do I want this other person – or people – to live on inside my head and heart in that way? Do I want what this other person did to control my life in any way shape or form?

Maybe you know what it’s like not to want to forgive – not wanting God to forgive. It’s human. The need for revenge is a powerful emotion.

And yet the truth is when we carry around it around with us – the person it hurts the most is ourselves.

Let us pray: Loving God, we begin simply by lifting up to you those people who may have harmed us or cheated us or betrayed us. Wash over us with your grace and help us to let go of any bitterness or resentment. Even though we may never be able to reconcile – or even to forget the offense, begin even now to cleanse our souls of hatred. And as you do, replace those emotions with an overwhelming sense of your peace. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

“Today’s message was written by my friend, Rev. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.” -Joe

There’s a legend about the great artist Michelangelo pushing a huge piece of rock down a street. A curious neighbor, sitting lazily on the porch of her house, called to him and inquired why he labored so over an old piece of stone. Michelangelo is reported to have answered, “Because there is an angel in that rock that wants to come out.”

Friend of Dial Hope, think imaginatively. Color outside of the lines. Think of rocks as those challenges which you have met. Think of rocks as those things you have tamed, or those times when you brought order out of chaos. Whenever you find angels in rocks you are being creative. It is our creative potential that puts us in the image of God, for it is our charge in life to be creators. Some of you will be creative with pen or brush, others with touch or thought. Be you a teacher or a veterinarian, a parent, or a chef, an engineer, or a musician you will fulfill your post through creativity.

Vincent Van Gogh used to say that “many painters are afraid of the blank canvas, but the blank canvas is afraid of the passionate painter who is daring and who has broken that spell of “you, cannot!”‘ The creative person paints. In Genesis 1:26 we read, Then God Said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.”

Let us pray: Loving God, whom we see in every summer flower and flowering stream, teach us to see you as well in the haggard faces of the old, the gaunt, or bloated bodies of the poor, and the imploring eyes of children. Help us who are called by your name to have your vision of the world of the future, as a place where the lion lies down with the lamb, the person with two coats shares with the person who has none, and everyone takes care of children and the aged. Release us from our bondage to self-interest. Grant today your amazing grace to those who are ill in body or spirit. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Not long ago, as I was reading through the Bible for my devotional time, I found myself being drawn to all the places where people cry out to the Lord. It was striking to me that throughout scripture people cry out to God – a lot – both individuals and the whole community together. They cry out when they are hurting, oppressed, hungry, poor, lost, and when they feel far from God. The beautiful thing is, whenever the people cry out, God answers. God responds.

There seems to be something about coming to the point where we know that we need God’s grace and need God’s healing that opens us to receive it. When you find yourselves in the dangerous and difficult places of life, may you remember the witness of our scriptures – God is faithful. In the book of Exodus, God says, “If they cry out to me… I will certainly hear their cry.”

Let us pray: O Lord God, you are our light and our salvation, whom shall we fear? We remember how time and time again, people have reached out to you and you have answered. We have cried and you have saved. Today we cry out to you again. We cry out for those who are lonely, those who feel the weight of the world on their shoulders, for those who are desperate for healing, or for love, or even for food and shelter. We cry out to you for those who are in harm’s way. Come save and deliver. Come rescue and heal and comfort. Come and show us the way to new life. Amen.

“Today’s message was written by my friend, Rev. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.” -Joe

Helen Keller once said, “Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence.” We are unduly nervous around darkness and silence. We shine flashlights into the dark rather than grow accustomed to it. We fill any silence of over 30 seconds with noise. One of the signs of maturity is increased comfort living amid the dark and silent periods of existence.

When Tomas Carlyle and Ralph Waldo Emerson met for the first time and realized the depth of their kinship, they sat together without saying a word. They simply enjoyed being with each other. There was no need to chatter.

The Psalmist said, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46). Isaiah said, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40).

Let us pray: Creator God, we marvel at your small wonders and your overarching grandeur. We crouch down to examine a centipede or a gecko and we stand on a mountaintop to try to take in the Milky Way. We listen to the time cry of a newborn kitten and we cringe in the face of the roar of a thunderstorm. This day we give you thanks and we ask your blessing, that you will “raise us up on eagle’s wings,’ bear us on the breath of angels, make us to shine like the sun and hold us in the palm of your hand. Though the grace of Jesus Christ. Amen.

There is an old legend about a man who was shipwrecked on a deserted island for two years. He actually did pretty well for himself. He made a home and grew a garden. He found a freshwater spring and often caught fish. One day, a boat appeared on the horizon. A small rescue boat was launched and reached his shore. The sailor got out of the boat and handed the man a stack of newspapers, and he said, “Compliments of the captain. He wants you to read these before you decide whether you really want to be rescued!”

There is indeed a lot of brokenness and heartache in the world. But our faith teaches us not to avoid suffering, not to stay on the island or somehow escape from the world. No. The Christian faith teaches us to follow Jesus who was sent right into the heart of the conflict, the poverty and the suffering of the world.

Yes, when we reach out to help others who are in great need, it often puts us at risk. Often our hearts are broken as we experience their pain. However, most of us discover God’s healing redeeming presence most profoundly – not in our escaping – but our giving.

Our prayer today was written by St. Francis of Assisi. Let us pray:

Lord make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not seek so much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.