Exploring Jubilee: Step 1 - Forgivess
Passages: Deuteronomy 15:1-2, 1 John 1:9, Psalm 103:12, Luke 4:18-19
Preacher: Mark Kingston
Let me tell you a story...
Last fall, I got into the habit of walking around the church grounds, praying, “God, what’s the purpose you have for our church in this new season? What’s the new thing You’re doing here?”
I prayed this prayer a lot. And then, one day, as I was walking and praying around the carpark I heard a quiet whisper: “The word you’re looking for? I’ve already given it to you. Look around.”
So I stopped and turned around. And there it was: a sign: "Jubilee Community Garden".
I realised: it's Jubilee! That’s the word. That’s our call. God planted that word here years ago. And now it's time for that seed to grow and flourish...
So as we begin 2025, we'll explore together what Jubilee is and what it might mean for us.
WHAT'S JUBILEE?
Jubilee isn’t just an ancient rule from Leviticus. It’s God’s radical, wild, audacious idea. Every 50 years, everything reset. Debts forgiven. Land restored. Slaves set free. Families reunited. Lives rebuilt. Freedom. It’s not just a law; it’s a heartbeat, a vision of what the world becomes when God’s Kingdom comes near.
And here’s the thing: when Jesus started his ministry, he took this ancient practice and said, “I’m the Jubilee. Through me, it’s here.”
Everywhere He went, Jesus lived Jubilee. Healing. Forgiving. Restoring. Setting people free. Jubilee matters - so let's take a closer look.
STEP 1: FORGIVENESS
Think of Jubilee as a journey that guides us into God's peace and fulness. The first step of this journey is forgiveness.
Forgiveness is the first step in Jubilee because it clears the way. It deals with the past—the mistakes, the guilt, the grudges—and opens us up to God’s freedom. But forgiveness? It’s hard. We’d rather explain, justify, or bury our mess. But when we hold onto it, it eats us alive. It shrinks us. It robs us of joy.
And God’s Kingdom is too good to miss because we won’t let go of something.
So on Sunday, we let go. We wrote down what we need to release—sins, regrets, hurts—and burned them. Here's the result!
SUMMARY
Here are the 3 key ideas:
The first step of Jubilee is saying “I’m sorry,” and seeing grace flow - to you and through you.
Forgiveness isn’t just a gift we receive; it’s a gift we give.
When forgiveness happens, we’re freed up to receive the good things God wants to pour into our lives.
NEXT WEEK
Next week, we’ll look at the second step in Jubilee: Freedom. If forgiveness helps you deal with the past - your guilt, regret, and shame, freedom is about being freed from what holds you back in the present.
To bring this to life, we'll look at the amazing way God freed Israel from their captivity, both physically as slaves and spiritually under the oppression of Egyptian gods.
