Sermon for Proper 19, Year A, September 17, 2023

Here is today's sermon, Proper 19, Year A, September 17, 2023. It is based on Exodus 14:19-31, the Crossing of the Red Sea and Matthew 18:21-35, the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. I show that forgiveness is like crossing the Red Sea in an escape from bondage in Egypt in that refusal to forgive and holding resentments is a form of self imposed bondage. The Sea is a metaphor of Creation as the imposition of Order and Peace upon the primal Chaos and Violence (Chaoskampf). If we are willing to accept the Spirit's invitation in the Cloud, to take a single step toward forgiveness, we can participate with the Lord in the Creation of a New World and new relationships.