The special impact of last words

We've been busy in our conference shaping our church life to the Great Commission of Matthew 28: Follow Jesus. Make disciples. Transform the World.
I don't think we could have a better focus.
I guess I have been so inundated with our priority that Luke's account of the ascension caught me by surprise as I was preparing to preach this week. Luke has this beautiful story of Jesus teaching the disciples and then, as He was lifted up into heaven, He blessed them. The story has long been a favorite of mine. I find goodbyes to be hard. To be able to look at a goodbye as an opportunity for a blessing -- well, THAT's a great witness.
I have always recognized that last words have special importance. The church has long revered the last words of Christ on the cross. It is not uncommon for an entire three hour worship service on Good Friday to be built around Christ's last words from the cross. But I think that Matthew and Luke give us the most significant last words of all: the last words of Jesus to his disciples on earth. And, when Jesus is saying these Great Commission/Ascension words, He is the Risen, Resurrected Lord -- not the suffering Son of God hanging on a cross. These last words to the disciples couldn't possibly be more important. Red underline and exclamation points! These words give us our marching orders straight from the lips of the Resurrected Son of God.
This year, I paid more attention to the teaching of Jesus (Luke 24: 44ff)--that REPENTANCE and FORGIVENESS were the themes that were to be proclaimed in his name to all nations (v.47) Hmmmm. Repentance and forgiveness.
Maybe those two themes struck me so strongly because I see them so rarely in church life. I get lots of calls for repentence as long as it is one person pointing out the need for repentance in someone else. But I see precious little repentance in the lives of people in the church. More often, I spend my time with people who are vehemently defending their patently unchristian behavior. Repentance? That's for the others who don't agree...so it turns out to not be repentance at all. Just stubborn unwillingness to admit being wrong or needing to make a change. Repentance? I really don't see much of that in the church--in pastors or in laity. It's easy to point out how other people need to repent. And often, people come to my office for me to force their pastors to repent from some unwelcome change at the church. And pastors are quick to point out how the laity need to change. But repentace is, as best I can tell, something that everyone things somebody else needs to do.
And forgiveness? I must say that from my new perch as a district superintendent, I don't see much forgiveness, either. I hear a lot about the offenses of my pastors from aggrieved church members. Someone brought me a list recently of all the things his pastor had done wrong beginning from the first week the pastor came several years ago. Forgiveness? Not a smidgeon. Nothing but an ever-growing list of offenses. And I don't think it is a bit easier for pastors to forgive. Church people can say and do some of the most hurtful things...and pastors can -- and do--hurt each other.
Our culture is steeped in accusations and condemnations. Attack the other person/political party/idea is the overwhelming practice of the culture. So maybe we don't even recognize the way that has permeated into the life of the church -- so much so that we have pretty much snuffed out what Jesus said was to be the cardinal characteristics proclaimed in his name.
Repentance and forgiveness? Are those the characteristics of our lives, our families, our churches?