Today we remember Sunday. When we move from the Lenten and seasons where we concentrate on the life, death and Christ to the Season of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit at work in the daily lives of ordinary people.

Of all the church seasons, the Pentecost season gets the least amount of fanfare which is unfortunate because the life of the Holy Spirit at work in the world goes hand in hand with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.

The season of the Holy Spirit is the longest in the church year. Perhaps it needs that much time because it is about the call of a Christian and the Church's mission to fully cooperate with God in loving, healing and transforming not only our individual selves but our communities and even the world!

This dear friends is not about trying to save ourselves through good deeds - no, this is being transformed from our selfish selves to our saintly selves – day in and day out, being reformed into the image of Christ- growing in faith, hope and love for ourselves and others.

And some days transformation is really hard work. Covid -19 has already been a lesson in transformation work as our lives have been thoroughly disrupted and we've had to change in so many ways. And now with the brutal and tragic death of Mr. George Floyd and the horrific aftermath of the last few days in our state and nation, this hard work of tranformation has only intensified for the people of God.

I know those of you listening know about working hard physically. I've seen it – I've lived it. And I know you admire people who work hard. But not all hard work is physical. There is spiritual work to be done as well. And it is hard too. So I greatly admire people who are willing to do this kind of work. People like you.

So let us Listen To the word from today's Gospel (John 20:21-23)

Jesus said “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. As you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.

(pause ---- I'm gong to ask a series of questions now – slowly – because I want you to hear them and think about them..)

What does it mean to forgive someone? What does it mean to not forgive someone? What does it feel like to forgive someone? What does it feel like to not be forgiven? How does it actually work to forgive someone ? How does it actually work to not forgive someone? Is forgiveness only between individuals? Can there be forgiveness between communities? In this moment in time of crisis within our state - like all crisis – including the pandemic- fear and opportunity co-exist with each other. And we are presented with the choice over and over again as to where we will reside- in a state of reactionary fear or in a state of life affirming opportunity.

We may go back and forth -between fear and trust– and so do our neighbors. So we must breathe in faith, and breathe out.fear ... moment by moment, day by day. Trust God's Spirit to guide us just as God's spirit led the people long ago in the wildnerness with a fire by night and a cloud by day.

– In the next week I hope you will spend some time pondering these questions about forgiveness – especially between communities -

– and then - also ponder this good and bad news from the gospel of John

Jesus said Peace be with you. As the father has sent me so I send you. If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven, if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.

As Christians this is our fundamental spiritual work. These words from John (along with others from scripture) are the marching orders from Jesus to his disciples.

Strange thing is … I wasn't really given the tools as to how to do the physical and spiritual work of forgiveness until 15 years ago as I worked the twelve steps of recovery.

Now let me be clear - My congregation, pastors, family, seminary, and church all said I should forgive and was forgiven, and more importantly SHOWED me how to forgive as they forgave me over and over and over again – Thanks be to God .

But that's different than what Jesus in the Gospel of John is getting at... So often it seems as if Jesus says “You think this …., but I say this....”

We think forgiveness is about words or ritual, but Jesus says it is more about love – which is an action verb rather than a noun. Forgiveness is about healing our relationship so we can sit down and eat a meal together without being angry or afraid. Or welcome someone into our home without being afraid because of they color of their skin.

Reconciliation is much deeper spiritual work than the liturgical ritual of confession and forgiveness we practice on Sunday mornings at the beginning of worship - which often takes very little time or effort on our parts.

If we are truly honest, sometimes – not all the time – the confession and forgiveness part of the liturgy is kind of like when an adult tells a child to say they are sorry - and they say it begrudgingly – and then the adult says - “Now say it like you mean it!” I fear sometimes my confession – our confession – rings a bit of “the truth is not in us”.

This past week the Catholic Dioceses of St. Cloud settled with the survivors of clergy abuse and the bishop apologized on behalf of the church. That apology was a long time in coming. And of course the Bishop who offered it – wasn't the offender. Yet as a representative of the church, he accepted the responsibility for the church to be held accountable. I bring that up not to point fingers at the and the abuse and lies that have so scandalized the church in the last few decades. I bring this up because it is our story too! The whole body of Christ has been wounded by abuse and cover ups of all kinds. The ELCA has its own stories. The church at large has abused and lied and denied all kinds of abuse not only by clergy but lay people as well - regardless of denomination. It's a hard truth and many individuals and congregations are trying to heal from it.

How do we as good Christians get to the place of meaning it when we say we are sorry – or even being sorry ? How do we get to the place of granting forgiveness when someone else says they are sorry – or really is sorry even if they don't say it?

We look to Jesus and his command to love each other as he loved. To lay down our lives as he says in John or to take up our cross as Jesus says in the gospel of Mark.

How do we become forgiving ?

We desperately need the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts and help us to be brave. Brave enough to face and tell the truth. And brave enough to risk being hurt or misunderstood.

Lord have mercy and send your Spirit anew so we will:

• lay down our need for control, • lay down our defenses, • lay down our denials of responsibility for the harm we have done to others, • lay down our illusions of how things should be and look based on our point of view, • lay down our pride, • lay down our fear of conflict or upsetting someone, • lay down our sense of superiority, • lay down our rationalizations, • lay down our justifications for not being accountable, • lay down our greed, • lay down our apathy That's a lot of laying down and surrendering – taking up our cross and giving up our self interest for the sake of another. It is hard spiritual work. But God's spirit is already at work within us, so healing will come to all who are ready to receive.And that means we must trust that the Holy Spirit is for us and with us and not just the disciples ages ago.

TRUST in God the Creator of Life, Jesus the Redeemer of the World, and the Spirit of Peace.

Do you trust that God is alive? Active in your life? In the midst of chaos? Bringing hope and healing? Some people believe God is just sitting up there in heaven mad as a hornet and watching all this happen without doing anything about it. Well I don't. I believe the God of love and hope is at work in the world – especially through those who answer the call to share hope, love and peace and do the hard work of reconciliation – of forgiveness .

Do you trust that God breathes life into all things – even situations that seem hopeless? I do. I have experienced it. I have been transformed more than once in my personal life. And each time it was hard spiritual work. That transformation of going from a dark place into the light didn't happen quickly or even definitively. The spiritual work of transformation took sustained desire and effort and help from others. I healed, but I also have scars that come to my attention on occasion.

An occasion such as this. When I see a black man moaning “I can't breathe and calling for his mother as he lay dying. “

I know of another man who slowly suffocated as he was dying – our Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps he too called to his mother Mary.

Jesus would have intervened if he had physically been on the street with George Floyd … perhaps Jesus was there with the one who video taped the tragedy so those who were called to protect are held accountable. Most certainly Jesus was and is present in the people who cry out “ Lord have mercy!” “help him! He can't breathe”

Jesus said “Peace be with you! As the father has sent me, so I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven. “

The Spirit's work of forgiveness calls us to the spiritual work of reconciliation. The sin of systemic oppression of brown and black people is not unlike a life threatening addiction. And most of the time those of us who are white and living within this system are in denial of how we profit from the trauma that happened and continues to happen to Native Americans and African Americans due to a false sense of supremacy and superiority of white people throughout American history. I have been pretty clear in my call as a child of God to be a healer and to encourage people to be their best selves. I know I have been uniquely gifted to Listen, Learn and Pray and encourage others to Listen, learn and pray as well. So I offer the following to you as a way to ponder the events of the last week and the last centuries in the history of our country.

1. The first step to healing in 12 step recovery work, is admitting I am powerless over the effects of racism and it's not all about me – this way of life – this system has become unmanageable.

2. the next step required in the spiritual work of transformation requires me to lay down my will for things to get better without me having to change at all or feel some discomfort and have some hard conversations 3. the third step is praying for the Spirit to show me the ways I can participate or cooperate in reconciliation between people and communities.

The wound of racism is deep and has festered - it needs attention – it can not heal without compassionate, consistent and careful attention.

As children of God, most of you listening – children of God who are white, educated and well fed - if we aren't part of the solution – we are most certainly contributing to the problem.

There are so many ways you can be part of the solution. First , hear this and believe it - No one is blaming you individually for racism or sexism, ageism or classism – or any other injustice – these realities are not only individual, but community issues.

Having said that, all of us are are accountable to God for how well we as individuals love our neighbor. That is why we continue confessing our sin Sunday after Sunday and seek to make amends day after day.

And all of us are responsible – meaning we are ABLE to RESPOND to the pain, grief and suffering in our state and nation in ways that are pleasing to God and helpful to our neighbors of all shades and in all kinds of communities.

Real transformation – real change – is a long process requiring time and manyconversations. In the meantime people of God – sinners and saints- broken and blessed of all shades and classes I invite and challenge you this week to Listen, Learn and Pray in the following ways.

LISTEN to the Holy Spirit, listen to scripture, listen to the stories of people who are very different from you, listen to people who have a different point of view or disagree with you, listen to people who have studied something you don't understand, listen before you form or share an opinion.

LEARN- Don't bury your head in the sand. Go to the source for your information. Listen to the whole press conference, rather than someone's interpretation of it. Go to websites to learn about the issues first hand. Read, watch or listen not only to familiar news outlets – but find new ones to gather information from as well. If you watch FOX news – listen to CNN for a week so you hear that point of view. If you listen to CNN watch FOX for a week so you can hear that point of view. Tune into PBS news or Minnesota Public Radio as well as the regular network channels. Don't be arrogant and think you know everything for goodness sake.

PRAY fo Public safety officers. For all families affected by the death of Mr. George Floyd including the police officers. For all leaders. Respect all leaders and how difficult their jobs may be. For humility. The ability to listen well to others – rather than planning what you think or are going to say. For transformation, honesty, healing, the Holy Spirit to kindle within the passion to love as Jesus loves.

If you are still listening - thank you for your walking with me in this process of discernment. Always remember when the work is hard, Breathe in faith and breath out fear because God is for you, Jesus is with you and the Holy Spirit is within you.

Amen.