Our hymn helps on to meditate on the promises connected with being children of the Heavenly Father.
Our Gospel in part help us to meditate on the commands of being children of the Heavenly Father and also in part, simply what we do because we are children of the Heavenly Father.
The image here are those time when you act a certain way or say a certain something or look in the mirror and you realize, “Wow! I’m just like my father. I’m just like my mother.”
We are not only commanded, we also simply are, by the Holy Spirit, through the gift of Baptism, in hearing the living and acting Word that declare us holy and is making us holy, we are children of the Heavenly Father and therefore
We are merciful, as our Father is merciful. And this mercy plays out in that –
We judge not; we condemn not; we forgive; we give.
Mercy is one of the primary characteristics of our Heavenly Father.
The Lord, the Lord, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding and steadfast love.
And we love this. We are nothing without His mercy. We love that we who are so full of sin are not judged according to our sin. We are not condemned to the punishment we deserve.
We are forgiven. We are given us our daily bread, all things needed for this body and life.
Jesus is mercy. He is constantly found answering that plea for mercy – to the blind beggars, to the 10 lepers,
to the poor and the hungry and the weeping and the dying,
proclaiming liberty to the captives and oppressed,
and good news to the poor,
and proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor,
and healing many diseases and plagues and evil spirits.
Jesus is merciful. Jesus is merciful and hears your cries today for His mercy and gives it in abundance, not just a little, but with good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, put into our lap.
When it comes to receiving mercy, the more the better.
But when it comes to being merciful, we are too often stingy and measured.
Here’s a little forgiveness, don’t want to give too much.
Here’s a little of me being slow-to-anger, you don’t have a whole lot of time left.
How could I possibly abound in steadfast love. How about just a drop or two of love that kind of wavers?
So let me give you a little of my time,
a little of my energy,
a little of my attention,
a little of my patience,
a little of my prayers,
a few word of encouragement,
a small bit of sympathy in my heart for you,
a tiny sharing of your heavy and exhausting burden that you are experiencing by suffering
in your fallen mind,
in your broken body,
in your weak and hurting soul,
in your so-often-messed-up family,
in your struggle against sin and the devil and the world,
in your struggle against unbelief and doubts and anxiety and anger.
Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you.
What harm is there if I repay evil for evil, yelling for yelling, gossip for gossip?
The measure you use it will be measured back to you.
Why do I alone have to forgive while they still are bitter and angry and mad and haven’t done anything about. Why am I to give when they haven’t given anything?
Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a bit?
If I keep forgiving, I’m gonna get hurt.
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
Jesus is your teacher and Lord, and it is not you who live, but Christ who lives in you, and He says to you,
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also…If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them…But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and you reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Why should I not judge and condemn, do you see how many sins and faults and weakness they have and how they’re not even trying most of the time?
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,” when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
Through these words, God holds up a mirror to see if we’re looking and sounding and acting just like our merciful, Heavenly Father or if we’re looking and sounding and acting just like the world.
And as we’re shocked as to what we are in comparison to what our Jesus wants us to be or what we want to be as children of the Heavenly Father:
We are lead to see the need to receive more mercy, more forgiveness, more leading from the Jesus who opens our eyes, lest we fall into the pit.
We are led to see the need to receive more, with one result being that we can give more.
to be forgiven, with one result being that we continually forgiven.
To not be condemned or judged to hell, forsaken by God, but instead hear that we are children of the Heavenly Father with one result being that we not condemn or continually throw our neighbor the judgment seat, deserving of our anger.
Our Jesus, through whom we are made children of the heavenly Father, took both the log in your eye and the speck in your neighbor’s eye to His tree, His cross.
And there He was judged and condemned for what you deserve,
so that you are forgiven,
so that you are given to,
so that you are lead out of the pit and into heaven to see the heart of God.
It is a heart filled with mercy and promises for you.