“and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Liturgy:
“Father God, author of all salvation.
We come to your altar with the only offering You desire:
Our heart,
Broken,
Penantant,
Laid bare before you.
God we invite your searching gaze into our hearts;
To examine us through and through.
Search every room and corridor.
Leave no table unturned.
Forgive every wicked way within us.
Through your salvation
The old has gone the new has come,
And we are made clean
By the blood of the lamb.
You are the only one who could pay our debt,
And, though we do not deserve it,
we receive the fullness of your grace.
In accepting your free gift
We respond with a life devoted to You;
Devoted to the fruits of repentance.
Oh Lord, fill us with strength
For we recognize that forgiveness can be difficult.
But if you can forgive us,
How much more can we forgive others?
Holy Spirit, help us
To give mercy as we have been given mercy,
To release our anger towards those who have wronged us,
To choose redemption instead of vengeance.
We pray for the unity of your church
And long for the reconciliation of this world.
We will not give up on our brothers and sisters,
But choose daily to forgive one another.
”
Scripture:
Matthew 18:21-35
Matthew 5:23-34
Psalm 139:23–24 (ESV) — 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
Psalm 51:16–17 (ESV) — 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Daniel 8:9-10 (ESV) — 8 To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Matt. 26:27-29 (ESV) — 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”
Colossians 2:13–14 (ESV) — 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Colossians 3:12–13 (ESV) — 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Ephesians 1:7-10 — 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Luke 3:7-9 (ESV) — 7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
2 Corinthians 7:10 (ESV) — 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
Psalm 32:1-2 (ESV) — Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.