Become More

The divine heart is one of extravagant welcome. In the story of the lost son, we witness a father who doesn't wait for apologies or reparations, but runs to meet his returning child, embracing him with unconditional love and joy. This picture reveals God’s nature: a God who celebrates the lost being found, the dead coming to life, with music, dancing, and feasting. How often do we limit God's grace by our own human standards of who deserves it? Today, reflect on this boundless love. It’s a love that transcends our judgments and our expectations of fairness. Allow yourself to be embraced by this radical welcome, knowing that in God's eyes, you are always seen, always loved, and always invited back to the feast. And as you receive this grace, may your own heart expand to offer such a generous welcome to others.

Life inevitably brings hurts and disappointments. When we feel wronged, a powerful current of anger or bitterness can take hold, making us feel justified in our pain. We might cling to our righteous indignation, believing that to let go would be to surrender our truth. Yet, as we often discover, holding onto hurt can be more damaging to us than the initial wound itself. It builds a prison within our own spirit. Today, consider the choice before you: Do you want to be 'right,' or do you want to be 'well'? Healing is not about forgetting or condoning the wrong, but about making a conscious decision to release the emotional burden. It is an act of self-love, freeing ourselves from the heavy chains of resentment. As you begin this week, pray for the courage to identify what hurts you're holding onto, and the strength to begin the sacred work of letting them go.

This Father's Day sermon explores the profound choice we face when hurt: whether to cling to bitterness or to "let go." Through the parable of the Prodigal Son's older brother, we learn about God's boundless grace and the challenge of accepting it when we feel things are "unfair." The message is powerfully underscored by a personal story of the preacher's father, a WWII concentration camp survivor who chose forgiveness and inclusivity over anger, echoing Nelson Mandela's wisdom on true freedom.

## The Freedom of Letting Go Imagine a young man, just 17, finding himself separated from his family and imprisoned in a concentration camp during wartime. For three years, he endured extreme malnutrition, cramped living conditions, and the constant threat of disease. He witnessed profound suffering and, upon liberation, discovered his own father had not survived. This was the lived experience of my father, a person who lost his home, his possessions, his freedom, and ultimately, his dad, due to the actions of others. It was a life-altering trauma that could have easily fueled a lifetime of anger and bitterness. Yet, he chose a different path. When asked how he could speak of the very people whose leaders had caused him so much pain without seething with hatred, he simply said, "You can't be upset with a nation of people just because they had bad leaders." He learned to separate the actions of individuals from the inherent worth of people, to be generous and inclusive. His profound lesson for me, and for us, was the power of "letting go." We all experience hurt, righteous indignation, and resentment. It’s easy to cling to these feelings, believing we are justified in our anger. But as Carl Jung observed, "We don't heal, we let go." This is the core of our spiritual journey: choosing wellness over being "right," choosing freedom over the prison of bitterness. Like the older brother in the parable who struggled with his father's grace toward his wayward sibling, we too can find ourselves trapped by what we perceive as unfairness. Jesus’ consistent message invites us to release these burdens. ### Next Step:

What hurt, resentment, or "righteous indignation" might you be carrying today that is keeping you from true freedom and peace? Consider what it might mean to consciously choose to "let it go." ### Prayer:

Gracious God, grant us the courage to release the anger and bitterness that imprison our spirits. Help us to embrace your grace, following the path of "letting go" so that we may live in the freedom and love you intend for us. Amen.

The sermon highlighted the painful journey of acknowledgment and repentance undertaken by the Methodist Church regarding the Sand Creek Massacre. This difficult, yet vital, work reminds us that genuine healing—both individual and communal—often begins with courageous acknowledgment of past wrongs. It is a path of reconciliation, not just with those we may have harmed, but also within ourselves and our communities, as we seek to align with God's justice. This ongoing process allows us to build a culture of healing, fostering environments where truth can be spoken, pain can be shared, and grace can abound. Consider where in your own life, or in the wider world, an act of honest acknowledgment might open a door to healing. It is through this transformative work that we move closer to embodying the love for neighbor that is central to our faith. May we be instruments of reconciliation, walking humbly on the path towards repair and renewed relationship.

Psalm 78 warns against becoming "a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God." In our own lives, and in the life of our church, we encounter moments that challenge our steadfastness—moments when history reveals uncomfortable truths, or personal trials test our resolve. How do we cultivate a heart that remains grounded, even when the path ahead seems uncertain or our past feels burdensome? The answer lies in intentionally setting our hope in God. It means actively remembering God's works—not just the triumphs, but also the persistent grace woven through every struggle. It means clinging to God's commandments as a compass, guiding us towards love and justice. This isn't about ignoring difficulty, but about finding an anchor in the divine when storms rage. May your spirit be renewed today, drawing strength from the eternal faithfulness of God, empowering you to live with unwavering hope.

The mandate in Psalm 78 is clear: "teach them to their children." This isn't just about handing down doctrines or rituals, but about transmitting a living faith, vibrant with personal experience and communal wisdom. The sermon spoke of "passing the baton" – an act that requires looking back to see where we've come from, and forward to where we're going. What legacy are you nurturing and preparing to share? This includes not only the wonders God has done, but also the struggles you've faced, the questions you've wrestled with, and the grace that has carried you through. By being open about our authentic journeys, we equip the next generation with resilience, showing them that faith is not a pristine, untouchable artifact, but a dynamic, lived experience. May we empower them to set their hope in God, not by avoiding the complexities, but by navigating them together.

Psalm 78 urges us to "not hide" the stories of God's deeds from our children, and the sermon expanded this to include the full spectrum of our history—the glorious and the grievous. Our faith tradition, like any human endeavor, is a complex tapestry woven with threads of both light and shadow. Acknowledging the difficult, even painful, parts of our shared past is not an act of disloyalty, but one of profound integrity and love for truth. To truly understand where we come from, we must look back honestly, recognizing the ways our faith community has both uplifted and, at times, caused harm. This brave retrospection allows us to learn, to grow, and to prevent repeating past mistakes. It prepares us to build a more just and compassionate future, honoring all parts of our heritage by committing to the ongoing work of justice and repair. Let us approach our history with humility and hope, drawing wisdom from every thread.

Oh, my people, incline your ears to my teaching." This ancient call invites us not merely to listen, but to engage deeply with the wisdom that surrounds us and the faith that grounds us. Sometimes, true engagement begins with a question, a struggle, or even a doubt. The sermon reminded us that sometimes the "dark sayings" of old are riddles, not easily solved truths, but invitations to wrestle. Consider your own journey. Have there been moments of questioning your faith, or grappling with challenging aspects of history or theology? These periods of sacred inquiry are not signs of weakness, but opportunities for profound growth. Like a seed pushing through soil, a questioning spirit can break open new ground, allowing faith to take deeper root and flourish in richer, more authentic ways. Embrace the questions today, trusting that God meets you in your honest seeking. May your doubts become stepping stones to a more resilient and personal understanding of divine love.

## Embracing Our Whole Story for Future Generations Like many who journey through faith, you might occasionally grapple with challenging historical truths about the church. Consider, for instance, a dark chapter such as the Sand Creek Massacre. In 1864, a prominent Methodist preacher led a brutal attack on Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, resulting in the bloodiest day in Colorado history and one of the darkest for our denomination. How could the same faith that offers such meaning and hope also be intertwined with such profound harm? This isn't a new question. Thousands of years ago, the psalmist wrestled with similar dilemmas, offering Psalm 78 as a parable for future generations. It calls us to "not hide them from their children," referring not only to the glorious deeds of the Lord but also to the "dark sayings from of old" – the riddles and struggles, the misdeeds and failures of our ancestors. The psalm teaches us that we cannot effectively pass the baton of faith to the next generation without acknowledging the full story, both the triumphs and the painful truths. When we face these challenges head-on, when we honestly engage with our past, we create a path for deeper faith and more steadfast hope in God. This intentional work, seen in the church's eventual acknowledgment and repentance regarding Sand Creek, allows us to build a more just and faithful future, ensuring that those who come after us can truly set their hope in God and keep His commandments, learning from our journey. ### Next Step: Reflect on your own journey of faith. What "dark sayings" or difficult histories – personal, communal, or denominational – have you grappled with? How has acknowledging these truths shaped your understanding of God's grace and your commitment to living out your faith? ### The Prayer: Gracious God, grant us the courage to look honestly at our past, to learn from our struggles, and to contend with difficult truths. Help us to share our whole story, both light and shadow, so that future generations may set their hope in You with unwavering faith and build a world that reflects Your boundless love. Amen.