“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

A distraught woman told her pastor, “God cannot love me. He will never forgive me for the horrible thing I have done.” The pastor listened as she explained that “horrible thing.” It seems that her baby wouldn’t stop crying, so in a momentary loss of control she shook her baby, she shook her baby so hard that his brain was permanently damaged. Now everyday as she cares for her son she is reminded of her sin. The guilt is often too much for her. She often feels she has no right to be a mother, no right to a normal life, not right to be a Christian. In fact many days she feels she has no right to even live. “God couldn’t possibly love me after what I did!” …broken dishes, broken lives. And Satan whispers to her everyday, “God couldn’t love a monster like you…” broken dishes, broken lives.

Another young woman weeps every year, the week before June 11th and two weeks after. After a number of visits she confides in her pastor that she is unfit to be a mother, doesn’t deserve to be a mother, when she was young she found herself pregnant- it wasn’t rape or incest. She thought she was in love and before she knew it she found herself pregnant. Her boyfriend pressed her into having an abortion. Shortly after that he was gone. She wonders if God could love someone who killed her own baby? …broken dishes, broken lives. And Satan whispers to her everyday, you are so bad, what you’ve done is so terrible that God couldn’t love you or forgive you.

A shell of a man lives everyday with the knowledge that he has hurt others. It wasn’t so much what He did but what he didn’t do. In his selfishness he neglected those who looked to him for support and nurturing- he often wasn’t there for them and if he was there he was self-absorbed. He was indifferent to them. Add to that His addictions and quick temper. Their lives and his life were and are empty of what really mattered……broken dishes, broken lives….. And Satan whispers to him everyday, “Look what you’ve done to those who needed you most…oh you gave them things but you failed to give them what they needed most…God is very disappointed in you…” broken dishes, broken lives.

Another man is nearly crushed by shame. One night for reasons he can’t even explain, he did something he can’t even imagine why he did it. It was wrong and they knew it, right away he wanted so desperately wanted to turn the clock back. If anyone knew what he had done he would die from embarrassment; he lives everyday with the fear of being found out…. broken dishes, broken lives. And Satan whispers to him regularly, “You are so bad, what you’ve done is so terrible that God couldn’t love you or forgive you….” broken dishes, broken lives…

All around us are people whose lives are broken. Some have had their lives broken; others whether they meant to or not have broken the lives of others. The breaking comes in a hundred different ways and each has their stories. And Satan doesn’t care how or why, he just uses anything and everything to separate us and keep us estranged from God. He uses blame and shame, guilt and hurt.

Jesus saw them then and sees us now, and He sighed a sigh of compassion that comes from the very depths of God. Having taken up our humanity, joined all that is God to frail humanness. He came and stood more than among us; He chose to stand as one of us. Seeing the crowds of lost and hurting people, people whose lives were broken, He sighed, they are harassed and helpless; they are like sheep without a shepherd, and then as now He had compassion for them. (Matt 9.36)

The Pharisees roughly and rudely brought to Jesus a woman whose life was broken by adultery. Her actions surely impacted the life of the man she was with and his family- broken dishes and broken lives. What you’ve done is known by everyone, shame on you, and Jesus said to those who would stone her, go ahead stone her… but if any of you is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone at her….And one by one they dropped their stones and left. Jesus stood up from writing on the ground and said, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, Sir”, she said. “Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8.1-11)

Many of us have done shameful and hurtful things. Satan would have us living in fear and shame of what we have done or thought or failed to do. Satan would seek to drag us before the world and say, “Look, Look! at what you’ve done or not done. Look at those you’ve hurt; look at those you failed to protect; look at how you have trampled God’s law under foot. You deserve to be rejected and cast out!” Having enticed us to sin now Satan declares, “You deserve no good thing.” …Then as now Jesus, the God/man, the one who came from heaven for us looks at us with great compassion: Have we sinned, “most definitely,” Have your sins hurt others? Yes. Have our sins offended the one true, holy God? “Yes.” But with Jesus there is forgiveness.

I know what you have done and failed to do. I know the depth and depravity of your sins and I have earned by my death the forgiveness for your sins and the sins of all mankind. Hear My Words revealed by the prophets: The blood of Jesus purifies from all sin. 1st John 1.7) Though your sins are like scarlet they will be white as snow. (Is 1.18) Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst. (1st Tim 1.15) God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ not counting men’s sins against them. (2 Cor 5.19) We are forgiven!...

Understand this: When Jesus says you are forgiven, you are forgiven. He has earned the forgiveness. All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given unto Him and if the Son sets you free- if the Son forgives you- then you are set free- you are forgiven no matter what Satan and the world may say.

We may have hard time accepting that forgiveness. We may say: “Oh, how can that be?” “It can’t be that easy.” To this I say, “Get over it.” You are forgiven. The forgiveness wasn’t cheap or easy look to the cross and all that Christ went through to be reminded of that.

Be careful not to sin a new, thinking God must not know what he is doing forgiving the likes of me. Remember He is His God and His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. As far as the heavens are above the earth, so His ways are higher than our ways. ( Is 55.8-9) God sees us and our lives from a different and “higher” perspective.

Remember how that adulterous woman was told to leave her life of sin. Sometimes that isn’t easy. Sometimes we have a constant reminder of sin like the woman who hurt her child. Sometimes the world chases after us reminding us of what we did and if none of that is there, there is always Satan. Leaving our life of sin, forgiving ourselves, starting anew, living each day isn’t always easy. Our God knows that. That is why He gave us His Word His sacraments, and the body of believers- our brothers and sisters in Christ- to help us in picking up the pieces of our broken lives and getting on with it.

He gave us His Word that He might speak to us regularly. That He might give us guidance, direction, and healing. It is written so we wouldn’t find ourselves listening again to whispers of Satan or a misguided world. His Word is infused with a divine power to help us. Hear again what the Holy Spirit said through the prophet Isaiah, God’s Word will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Is 55.11) By and through the regular hearing of the Word we can find peace, comfort, and direction. By and through that Word we can have help in picking up the pieces.

He has given us the sacraments- real tangible means of grace. Earthly elements joined to God’s Words for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith and the putting back together again of our lives. Look here at the font and the promises God made to you: promises of forgiveness and to dwell with you. Come here to His table that He may take hold of you in a very real way- forgiving you and mending that which is broken. By and through association with other believers’ we can be lifted up and encouraged. All of this so that the pieces of our lives can be picked up and we can go on.

As to those that we have hurt, our Triune God is there to help those we hurt, as well. The promises to see us through all things are for them, as well. This world with all its brokenness is passing away and one day there is full deliverance from the unfairness and healing of this fallen world. Now we will only know it in part but then we know it fully. We pray, “help them Lord as you have helped us.” When it is possible help us to make amends. For those beyond our reach we commend them to your grace and mercy. Help us Lord to love and help those we have hurt. We pray that all whose lives have been broken by sin and unfairness may look to You for Your healing that by Your love all may be made whole now and forever.

Amen