I’ve been stuck on a passage in the Bible for a while. It’s Luke 6:27-36. I won’t quote it all here. But it’s from the Sermon on the Mount and includes sayings of Jesus like, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you… turn the other cheek.” Take a minute and the read the whole section and ask yourself the question, “Is that me? Do I do that?” I’ve concluded that God still has a lot of work to do with my heart.

But as I look around I don’t see a whole lot of love, grace and forgiveness in our country either. I hear Christian leaders talking about standing up for ourselves and getting back at those who have done evil to us. I see politicians dragging each other through the mud. I see a lack of forgiveness and grace and love in our culture.

Over the last few weeks there have been controversies over the building of a Mosque in NY and burning Qurans in FL. I’m not here to chime in on those particular topics, because they’ve been debated and over-debated. But what I’m not seeing from anyone on either side is a lot of forgiveness. I see retribution becoming a theme.

I’m not saying that there shouldn’t be any justice. When someone commits a crime, big or small, there should be justice and punishment. But there should also be forgiveness from the offended party.

Have we forgotten that being a Christian means that we must forgive everyone who harms us as Jesus has said in Luke 6? Or like Jesus did when He went to the cross and forgave the people who were killing Him.

Forgiveness means that we treat people with grace. We treat them better than they deserve to be treated. We don’t take revenge, because that’s not our place; it’s God’s place.

Forgiveness means letting go of resentment in our personal lives and loving our spouses, family members, co-workers and bosses even though they may have hurt us in some way.

Bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness burn in our hearts and destroy our lives. God’s way is better. Some people will be bothered by what I’ve written. And I think that’s because a lot of us are hanging on to resentment and won’t let it go. Some of you might say, “You don’t understand how I’ve been hurt!” And that’s true, I don’t understand, but I also don’t understand how much it hurt Jesus to be betrayed by a friend, abandoned by disciples, spit on, whipped, mocked and killed by people He created. Yet He, somehow, was able to say, “Forgive them.” I don’t that kind of forgiveness is humanly possible, but I believe that the power of Christ’s love in a hurting heart can turn resentment to forgiveness and love. We need to ask for God’s help.

A lot of poeple in our country are talking about getting back to the values that made us a great nation – a great Christian nation. But I would say, how about getting back to the virtue of a forgiving heart? That is what would separate us from the rest of the world and draw people’s attention to Christ – if we could forgive each other the way Jesus forgave.

What is your definition of a good church? A place where people can go to worship God and have fellowship with other Christians? A place where people can learn about God and be taught about the truth of the Bible? A place to bring our kids so that they can learn about Jesus and have a solid moral foundation? A place to find friends and a sense of community? A place where we can find a way to serve?

Any and all of these definitions are wrapped up in the idea of a “good church.” But there is also something missing, because the church is not a place at all; the church is a group of people. But more than that, the church is a group of people united to Jesus Christ and committed to His mission.

As it states on the front cover of our bulletin, “Our mission is to love God, love others and make disciples of Christ.” This mission comes from Jesus Himself. In Mark 12:30-31 Jesus commands us to love God and others. In Matthew 28:19-20, He commissions us to “go and make disciples of all nations…” Jesus wants each of us to grow as disciples, and he wants to see others become disciples.

Life can get busy sometimes, and I know that it can be easy to lose sight of our mission and forget what we are here for. I know that it happens to me. But I find that focusing on God’s plan for our lives and His Great Commission helps to bring the joy back into ministry and service. Jesus gave his followers a mission and then gave them the power of the Holy Spirit, and the world was forever changed. We are also part of this world-changing mission.

Accomplishing the mission can mean stepping out of our comfort zone and taking risks for God. It can mean sacrificing something that you want for the sake of another. It can mean doing difficult and challenging things as we trust in God’s power and give Him the glory.

Some say politics and religion should not be mixed. I say that our faith must inform all of our decisions, including those that relate to politics.

Now that the election is over the question we must ask is – What do we do now? The primary answer to that question is: PRAY. In I Tim 2:1-2, Paul writes, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” Paul tells us that our leaders should be prayed for, regardless of who the leader is. For many Christians, President-elect Obama was not their choice, but he is our next president, and he needs our prayers.

I would like to highlight two aspects of this election, one a cause for praise, the other a cause for fervent prayer and deep concern. Let’s start with praise. Barack Obama is the first African American to be elected to the presidency of the US! This is encouraging for a country that 50 years ago required blacks to sit in the back of the bus in some states. As we prepare to adopt two boys from Haiti, I look forward to pointing out to them that they can achieve great things in this country. We are all created in His image!

One area of great concern that I have relates to the protection of our children. Please pray for the unborn children in our country. This is not simply a political issue, but rather a critical moral and spiritual issue. As Christians we are called to stand up for those who cannot defend themselves (James 1:27). Please pray that our president and congress will see these unborn babies as people, because that is what they are, human beings who need someone else to speak and pray for them.

Lord, I thank You for the blessings that you have showered down on this nation, and I pray that You would bless President-elect Barack Obama with wisdom, compassion, and the ability to see the truth. Amen.