Last Words: “Father, forgive them”
The season of Lent — the 40 days of preparation before Easter — has begun, and Pastor Ken Curtis leads us in our first message of our Lenten worship series: “Last Words.” Each Sunday until Easter, we’ll focus on Jesus’ last words from the cross as seen and heard through the eyes and ears of those who were nearby. In this series, we’ll also explore one of the characters at the cross and reflect upon one of the seven final statements of Jesus as we seek to understand the meaning of Jesus’ dying words for our lives today.
In our first message of this series, we explore Jesus’s first last words from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” We discover in this prayer from Jesus a central purpose of the crucifixion — our need for forgiveness as we all “miss the mark” and stray from God’s path. As we dive deeper, we’ll uncover the ways Jesus models divine forgiveness and our own human responsibility to extend forgiveness to others. With forgiveness at the heart of Christian discipleship, we learn the importance of asking God to forgive us as we extend forgiveness to those who have hurt us.
Sermon Reflections:
- In what ways have you experienced “missing the mark” recently, and how does Jesus’s prayer for forgiveness from the cross speak to that struggle?
- How might viewing Jesus’ first last words from the cross as a prayer, rather than just a statement, change their meaning for you?
- How does understanding that Jesus was praying for you personally (“We are the them”) affect your perception of the cross and Christ’s sacrifice?
- Prevenient grace is God’s forgiveness offered before we even ask for it. How have you experienced this kind of grace in your own life?
- What is a specific situation where you’ve found it difficult to forgive someone else? What steps might you take to move toward forgiveness, inspired by Jesus’ example?
- How does the two-part prayer suggested at the end of the sermon (“Father, forgive me for…” and “Lord, help me to forgive…”) address both sides of forgiveness in your spiritual journey?