Bloghardt's Reflector

“If now I seek the forgiveness of sins, I do not run to the cross, for I will not find it given there… But I will find in the sacrament or Gospel the word which distributes, presents, offers, and gives to me that forgiveness which was won on the Cross.” (AE 40, 214)

The Messy-ness of the Gospel

Bondage. That's law and works. That religion is neat and clean. Don't eat, means, “don't eat.” Speak to the rock before you strike it. Strike without speaking and you die. Do this, do that, and live.

To protect and neaten the Gospel, Pharisees build hedges. They shelter and add levels. We hear this all the time, “If we actually tell young people that they are free, they'll commit adultery.” Or, “If we say that we are not bound to certain worship forms, then people will go all contemporary.” Or, “Yes, I suppose it works to just pray the Lord’s Prayer, but it's better if you hold your hands in seven different positions for each petition.” We pull back a bit on the Gospel in favor of the Law, making sure that we hold our hands just right for orans.

Recently, I've seen it done with forgiveness. “If we say that all forgiveness – whether proclaimed by laity or by clergy – is the Lord's forgiveness, then the next thing you know... (insert here).” Lay forgiveness has got to be somehow “less than” forgiveness granted by the clergy. It has to be, since, well, clergy are ordained and everything.

Otherwise...we'll end up with laity consecrating the elements or baptizing! Or, we'll have women preachers. Or... or... people won't come to us for confession. Or...people will just be giving Jesus to one another all over the place! My goodness, we certainly can't have that!

Law. Just law. All Law. Theology done in the way of the Law ultimately leads to wrong or weak answers! And Law theology doesn't last! Eventually, Law theology degenerates into no theology. Check with contemporary worship or the Episcopalians and Methodists. Open hearts, open hands, closed minds to the true Gospel.

They can always cover themselves with “We are smart.  You are stupid.  You should know better, Bloghardt.  Everyone knows this is the way to do theology...” 

Have you ever found it strange that it always "works" best the way they do it? They'll teach you how to really make it work, all you have to do is listen.  The Law is neat and clean.  It'll work for a generation. Maybe.  But, let the hearer beware:  their teachings always ends in the slavery.

The Gospel goes this way: The Lord speaks, we receive. We then say back to Him, what He has said to us – however messy it is! He says that we are to forgive those who sin against us. The only forgiveness that we have is His forgiveness – won for us on the Cross and delivered to us in the external Word. That forgiveness is passed unto our neighbor and the sins that they committed are forgiven. No bigger or better just because the fella has a stole on!

“But…that will cause...” No, it won't. Not even necessarily. And even if whatever it is that you are trying to guard against actually happened, it wouldn’t be because we confessed what the Lord gave us to confess. He gives us Jesus, who is the Truth.

All forgiveness is God's forgiveness – no levels, hedges, or “better.” Say back to Him what He has said to you. Then, say it to your neighbor too. They need that life-giving Word. And the forgiveness Jesus give through you isn't less or cheaper than Jesus' forgiveness through your pastor. It’s still won on Calvary, still free, still without strings, still for all, even them.

Messy, isn't it? Imagine... all that forgiveness, all over the place, given by anyone splashed in Baptism and fed by His Body and Blood. That's the way the Gospel is. It's easy sometimes, and messy and complicated other times.

This one, though, isn't that messy. After all, “I forgive you,” really does mean, “I forgive you.” He does too. In the name of Jesus. Amen.