In the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday, we pray

 and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us;

Or in the newer version 

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Giving forgiveness as we ourselves have received it 

is a key mark of a Christian, 

and it’s so important 

that it’s the only thing listed in the Lord’s Prayer 

that we are supposed to do. 

(All the other parts in the Lord’s prayer have to do with God.)

What we first receive from God, forgiveness of sins, 

we are to pass forward to others as well.

All our readings this morning are on the theme of forgiveness.

In our first reading, Joseph’s brothers, who had really sinned against him by selling him as a slave, 

still have a bad conscience about their actions so many years later, and so when their father Jacob dies, they wonder if Joseph still bears a grudge towards them and will pay them back in full for what they’ve done to him. Now that their father is no longer around, 

Joseph might be unrestrained in his anger, and since he’s a powerful man, he could inflict a lot of damage.

But Joseph has forgiven his brothers, 

and when they say they’re sorry again, 

he reveals that he has learned so much. 

He now knows that God wants the best for us, 

and that God was even able to turn this hardship into something valuable: “God intended it for good” he says.

Joseph was a changed man who knew a lot more about himself and also God, and he knew like the Psalmist did, that the Lord is merciful and gracious,

that God’s steadfast love isas high as the heavens are above the earth, as far as east is from the West, so does God have compassion for her children.

—

God’s qualities of mercy and forgiveness are a model for us. And so Jesus issues a challenge: if a sibling in Christ sins against us, we should not only forgive them seven times, but 77 times!

And Jesus tells a story about a servant who owes an enormous debt to a King that he could never repay. Yet the King has compassion on the servant, which is an illustration for the abundance of God’s mercy and forgiveness toward us.

And like that first servant who is supposed to pass that mercy and forgiveness on to his fellow servants, so we, having received mercy, we are called to extend that same forgiveness to others.

One of the ways this passing on of forgiveness is most apparent is in the Sacrament of Baptism, which we celebrated today. 

Harrison and Presley were washed in the holy waters, their sins forgiven. 

This concrete reminder on this day is something they can ground themselves with their whole lives. All that separates Harrison and Presley from God’s love has been erased, and they are united as children in God’s family forever.

When we witness a Baptism, we remember our ownbaptism as well, and the reason we gather with other Christians on a Sunday morning. We remember that we are forgiven, loved and free, as the waters of baptism have washed us and we are born anew from the Spirit.

But then comes the trickier part: 

We need to try to live the baptismal life, and part of that involves forgiving others as we have been forgiven. 

However, we don’t need to do this alone. 

The baptized have sponsors that help them grow in the faith. 

We are part of a community that makes vows to help each other, and live as beloved member’s of Christ’s church.

Remembering baptism empowers us to forgive as we have been forgiven.

But this can be sometime quite difficult—especially when we’re not just thinking of simple minor annoyances. 

Forgiveness Can Be Hard

1. When we have been treated unfairlyPerhaps someone received an opportunity, promotion, inheritance, or recognition that we believe should have been ours. Forgiveness can be difficult when we feel we have been wronged. 

Forgiveness can be a challenge

1. When someone refuses to apologizeWe may think, “Why should I forgive them when they don't even admit they did anything wrong?” Jesus' teaching challenges us to consider forgiveness even when we don't receive the apology we hoped for.

Another example:

1. Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is ourselves.

When we have done something dumb, either by hurting ourselves or  others, we can easily keep beating ourselves up over it for days, months and years. It can be hard to forgive ourselves for our mistakes.

Yet in all instances, whether forgiving the person is easy or hard, 

it’s good to remember Jesus’ parable, 

where the King forgave the first slave so much: ten thousand talents, 

an astronomical amount, 

in today’s currency maybe 10-100 billion dollars,

And yet that servant wasn’t able to extend mercy to his fellow servant who owed him 100 denarii, or about 12,000 $

What God has given us in Baptism, is an astronomical gift compared to what we can give to others,

As the words of the hymn say so poetically: “how trifling other’s debts to us, how great our debt to you”

Every time we remember our baptism, we remember that we stand before God not because we have earned forgiveness, but because God has graciously given it to us. We are forgiven people—and therefore we are called to become forgiving people.

*Hymn of the Day 605 “Forgive Our Sins As We Forgive”