Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?” So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them. Genesis 50:15-21

In the last few weeks of Gospel lessons, Jesus has been teaching methods to name and heal breaches between people. He urges us to tend our relationships and nurture the church by being honest with those who hurt us, and to be brave in seeking forgiveness and reconciliation. Forgiveness is at the center of Jesus’ ministry: the four things we pray for in his prayer are sustenance, protection from temptation, protection from evil—and forgiveness.

Needing to forgive and needing to be forgiven go right back to the beginning. In Genesis we see family after family struggling with the challenges of forgiveness and reconciliation: Cain and Abel, the sons of Noah, Ishmael and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his ten guilty brothers and one innocent brother.

The short reading from Genesis in last week’s lectionary is the coda to the family drama of Joseph and his brothers. What haunts me is that even after decades have passed, the brothers’ guilt and fear from selling Joseph into slavery are not erased, that Joseph, who is wildly successful and able to save his entire family from death is still held at a distance. The brothers have harbored a guilt so deep that even after all the tears, affirmations and assurances of Joseph, they do not believe that they are forgiven and that Joseph loves them, an injury to them and to Joseph.

The ending of the Book of Genesis brings into sharp focus our other readings from Sunday’s lectionary. The message from Paul in the letter to the Romans and Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness in the Gospel according to Matthew emphasize the primary work of loving God by loving and forgiving each other. They teach that

• The one debt we can’t pay off is the debt of love to others, because we have been loved first by God. Forgiveness is not a check-the-box-you’re-all-clear matter. The work of forgiveness is one that goes on and on and on.
• We are limited, broken-and-breaking, compromised creatures, and forgiveness is a part of maintenance of human society and families.
• Forgiveness is not transactional. You can’t just say “I’m sorry,” or “I forgive you,” and be done and restored as if nothing had ever happened. Forgiveness is lived—it is practiced.
• Hurt, fear, alienation have staying power. We indeed may need to forgive seven times, or seventy-seven, or seventy times seven times.
• Forgiveness is work–hard and heartbreaking.

In his book Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that “life together forms Christians for forgiveness precisely by ridding them of the illusion that they can live without forgiveness.”

I’ve experienced fights that break the wholeness of family and have reluctantly come to realize that I can’t fix those relationships. I can only struggle to forgive and ask to be forgiven. Broken ties with others are like pieces of a broken vase or bowl. Even if you glue the pieces back together, the cracks will be visible, and the glass is more fragile than it was when whole. Glued edges might still be sharp and edges might still be able to cut and draw blood.

Perhaps the call to continual forgiveness is like the repair to precious things in the Japanese art of kintsugi, using golden lacquer to fill the seams of broken shards when gluing the pieces back together. Filling the seams with gold doesn’t restore the original, unmarred piece, but it creates something new from the brokenness. Kintsugi is my image for the new, repaired, beautiful humanity Jesus offered from the cross when he said, “Forgive them, Father, for they do not know what they do.”

Surely gold filling the seams of things broken, even with sharp edges left, is what Christians take on in our baptismal vows. Just as we love because he loved us first, we learn that we forgive because we were forgiven first.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Kintsugi.jpg

Jen+

Rev. Jen has set her office drop-in day as Wednesday of each week from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. for anyone who would like to stop in and visit. You are always invited to make an appointment for a time convenient for you. Mondays are her Sabbath day.

Sunday Morning In-Person Morning Worship Service, September 24, led by The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Oldstone-Moore, 10:15 a.m.

You can stream the service via St. Andrew’s Facebook Page. Click on this link to view the Live Stream. We will start the Live Stream 5 minutes prior to the start of the service.

Click here for the service booklet for September 24.

SHARED YOUTH EVENT WITH GOBIN FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

The first shared event for Middle and High Schoolers is viewing the movie “Coda” and discussion to follow on Friday night, September 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Knuth’s home, 150 East County Road 300 South. We will be planning event by event for this group.

FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO: THE CHURCH AND LGBTQ

To augment the Adult Forum on September 24, the documentary “For the Bible Tells Me So” will be shown tonight, Wednesday, September 20 at 5:30 p.m. in Hamilton Hall. This 2007 summary introduces five Christian families, each with a gay or lesbian child. In addition, there are interviews with church leaders and theologians about the Bible and the questions–and some of the answers about scripture, church, Jesus, and queerness/homosexuality. If you are interested in seeing this movie and the scheduled time conflicts, let the office know. We can easily schedule another viewing. The video is 95 minutes long.

LGBTQ, THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AND YOU

For the past several decades, the question of sexual orientation and the church have been topics of great importance–and often great conflict–for Christians. On September 24 we will have an Adult Forum after Sunday service (teens and children are welcome per parental consent) about the Episcopal Church’s decisions to include LGBTQ clergy and marriage. We will look at the biblical basis for these decisions, and also strategies for your everyday discussions with friends and family about our “open and affirming” church.

LAKE EUCHARIST

A big thank you to all who participated in the Lake Eucharist on September 17. We had a glorious morning in the fresh air, surrounded by by the beauty of creation and enjoying the fellowship in food and fun. A special thank you to the Jedeles for their hospitality at their home on Raccoon Lake, to Tim and Paul Jedele for the boat rides, to all for the delicious food and the camaraderie of the day..

MONTHLY LUNCH BUNCH

The Lunch Bunch gatherings are resuming the 2nd Wednesday of every month. They will be held from 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in Hamilton Hall. All are invited! Lunch will be provided. Free will offerings are accepted.

OCTOBER 3, TUESDAY 4:30 PM: BIBLE AND BOOKS GROUP

Our Bible study/books group(s) are starting up again. We will be reading Rachel Held Evans’ Searching for Sundays, a book about “loving, leaving, and finding the church.” Please let Rev. Jen or Renee know if you would like the office to order a copy of the book for you—we will place orders next week. The price is $18. There are also copies available through Evergreen Library Consortium if you have a library card, and copies are available by Kindle and on used book websites.

BAPTISM AT ALL SAINTS NOVEMBER 6

All Saints Sunday is especially designated for the holy rite of baptism. If you are thinking about being baptized or having your children be baptized – or if you are curious about the rite and its meaning–let Rev. Jen know.

SEPTEMBER 20 DEADLINE: $200 DEPOSIT FOR PILGRIMAGE TO ENGLAND JULY 9 – 17, 2024

Join us for an exciting, challenging, and uplifting pilgrimage to England from July 9 – July 17. We will travel through key sites of Anglican spirituality and service with a focus on abolitionism. Please click here for an informational brochure or pick up a hard copy in Hamilton Hall. Financial Aid is available! If you have questions, contact Rev Jen. The projected cost is $2,400 plus airfare. To reserve a place on this unique pilgrimage, send a check for $200 per person made payable to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church with “Pilgrimage” on the memo line by Wednesday, September 20, 2023. Payment will be in three installments due October 15, January 15, and March 15.

THIS WEEK’S SHOPPING LIST FOR NON-FOOD PANTRY

Please add body soap, bleach, Comet, and Pine Sol (or similar cleaner) to your shopping list for the NFP. Every little bit helps our budget go farther in helping meet the needs of folks in Putnam County. The next Non-Food Pantry will be Saturday, September 30. There is a sign-up sheet posted in Hamilton Hall for folks to help with a product pick-up and/or as well as for help on September 30 at the monthly distribution. FYI: Baskets at church are now dedicated for the NFP and not the food pantry.

A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?

Every week the Wednesday St. Andrew’s newsletter has a reflection about life and faith. Most are observations about daily life and where we experience God in the midst of the “same old, same old.” We would love to feature your thoughts – – a few paragraphs that will help us all see more clearly how the Holy One touches us in our ordinary lives. Please let Renee or Jen+ know if you are interested.

FREE DAILY DEVOTIONAL

We have some large print Day by Day daily devotionals in the sanctuary that you are free to take home for your personal devotions–and if we know that people would like copies, we can order the right amount. Many of you may also appreciate the on-line version of Day to Day. Click here.

COMMUNION AT THE WATERS

Once a month Sunday services are continuing at The Waters. The next service will be Sunday, October 8 at 2:00 – 2:45 p.m. If you’d like to help with this ministry in any way, please contact Rev. Jen or Renee. All are welcome to attend!

ON-GOING COVID PROTOCOL

We continue to respond to both our county’s current CDC designation and to the current variant. Masking is optional. Those who serve bread and wine will mask so that anyone who comes to the altar can feel secure. Decisions on COVID policy have moved from the Reconvening Committee to Rev. Jen and the Wardens.

We have heard that the daily reflections and scripture readings provided during Lent were appreciated. The meditations are written by persons from Gobin UMC and Beech Grove UMC. They will be in the newsletter each week and go from Wednesday to Tuesday, except for Sunday. Whether you enjoy these every day or as the Spirit moves you, may this resource continue to bring you spiritual food for the journey. Blessings!

Click here to view the readings and accompanying links.

Your prayers are asked for: