In his book, A Little Book on Joy, President Harrison makes a lovely and comforting assertion in a story about how sinners should live with one another saying, "I didn't come to kill you. I came to forgive you. He wasn't on a mission of retribution. He was on a mission of reconciliation. "If your neighbor sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and home alone (Matthew 18:15). He hadnt come to exact justice. He had come as one justified sinner seeking the repentance of and reconciliation with another sinner. The flesh relishes the thought of retribution. The spirit rejoices in reconciliation" (Little Book on Joy 45).  Retribution, or getting even, is a bad habit of the Old Adam. In contrast to this, reconciliation is the sweet gift of the Holy Spirit. 

For St. Paul says, "¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:16-24).  The Holy Spirit inspired St. Paul to make the assertion that the spirit and the flesh are constantly at war with each other, the flesh preventing we the baptized from doing the things of the spirit, the things we desire to do. This especially comes into play when we look at retribution winning the day over reconciliation. How many of us justify our grudges, make excuses for our hatred, explain away evil eyes, and make a case for our unforgiving hearts. How many of us are given the opportunity of reconciliation, and outwardly we have it, but in our heart we still harbor hatred and seek revenge. My friends, in and of ourselves, we will never seek reconciliation because it is not something that comes naturally, but rather is the gift only the Holy Spirit can give. For the only way we are able to be reconciled to our neighbor is if we are first and foremost reconciled to our Father in Christ Jesus our Lord. As St. Paul says, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.⁹ Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life" (Romans 5:8-10).  On the cross, Jesus reconciled us to the Father, appeased His wrath against us and our sins, and now in Jesus we receive only the grace and mercy of our loving Father.

As Dr. Martin Luther, of blessed and holy memory, says, "And this is our highest comfort, to clothe and wrap Christ this way in my sins, your sins, and the sins of the entire world, and in this way to behold Him bearing all our sins" (LW 26.279).  Jesus assumed all our sins on the cross. He became Adam the false believer, David the adulterer, Rahab the prostitute, Judas the betrayer, Peter the denier, Saul the persecutor, Thomas the doubter, and He became you and the sin that comes along with you. Jesus became the curse of sin for us, and the law condemned Him as the cursed one for the sins of the world. Because Jesus became all our sin for us, and bore our punishment, we now have reconciliation with God. For the Son of God did not come into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him, as John 3:17 declares. In Jesus, we no longer stand under the wrath of the Father, but now instead receive only mercy and forgiveness in Jesus. This is our chief and greatest comfort, knowing that in Jesus we have a God who loves us and forgives us. In Jesus we are reconciled to the Father, and in this freedom, we are reconciled with all around us, not by some good work we perform, but by the working of faith and the Holy Spirit in us. Therefore, when we struggle with reconciliation, it is not for us to discover a way to be more forgiving, or grow more callous in our grudges, but rather repent and seek the forgiveness of Jesus. And where do we get this forgiveness? From the pastor as from Christ Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by his absolution we are forgiven both on earth and in heaven. Jesus forgives our retribution filled hearts and replaces them with hearts that desire nothing more than to be reconciled to all, and consciences that rest peacefully at night knowing that we are forgiven and that we forgive. 

Take heart my friends, not in your works, but in the work that Jesus accomplished for you on the cross. Take heart that in your failure to forgive and in your weakness of retribution, Jesus sends you your pastor to distribute to you the means of grace for the forgiveness of your sins. May your heart be calmed, and your conscience clear, for you are reconciled to God in Christ Jesus your Lord.

Peace be with you. May the devil be silenced, the world be hushed, and the Old Adam be drowned anew so that you hear only the voice of your Savior Jesus who says, "I forgive you. I love you. I claim you as My own forever," Amen.

Jesus' Sheepdog,

Pastor Hull