Lutheran Seminary's God Pause "Moved by the Promise" Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Saturday, 3 January 2015 - Scripture: "A Hymn to God the Father" by John Donne (1572-1631)

Lutheran Seminary's God Pause "Moved by the Promise" Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Saturday, 3 January 2015 - Scripture: "A Hymn to God the Father" by John Donne (1572-1631)
1. Wilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,
And do run still, though still I do deplore?
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more.
2, Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin, and made my sin their door?
Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallow'd in, a score?
When thou hast done, thou hast not done,
For I have more.
3. I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
But swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son
Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;
And, having done that, thou hast done;
I fear no more.
I first read this poem by John Donne during my first senior year in college (Yes, it took me five years). It struck a very personal note in me. It asked some of the same questions I had and expressed the same bafflement that I felt about this God who offers grace upon grace upon grace. Will God truly forgive the sins I have done? Will God forgive the sins that I have helped others do? I, too, have a fear that at life's end I will discover this grace to be absent or inadequate.
Thankfully, in the end it does not matter what I think or what I fear. God has said, "I have forgiven you," so therefore I must trust that it is so. Nothing I can do or say will change what God has spoken to be. So, I guess all there is left for me to do is to live in hope and to sing God's praises. Isn't it amazing that our God cannot help but to love and forgive?
We have indeed sinned, Lord, but you have forgiven us. Help us to live more fully into your love and to set aside our old ways. In the name of Jesus, your love made flesh, I pray. Amen.
Tor Kristian Berg
Pastor, First Lutheran Church
Bothell, Wash. 
Master of Divinity , 1994
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