Burdens and Grace

One of the illustrations I used today in my sermon in Barboursville:

Have you ever seen the movie The Mission? The film is set in South America, and there is a character named Rodrigo Mendoza. He is a mercenary and slaver of the indigenous people of the area. To condense the plot, Rodrigo kills his brother in a duel because Rodrigo’s fiancée has declared her love for the brother. Rodrigo has immense guilt over his action, even though legally, since it was a duel, he is not guilty of a crime.

A priest, Father Gabriel, challenges Rodrigo to take up a penance for this guilt. Rodrigo joins the Jesuits in their trip back to their mission, which is built above the Iguazu Falls (imagine Niagara Falls, only larger), but he drags with him a net containing his armor and weapons – through the forest and up the mountain to the mission. It’s a burden that is too large for anyone to carry anywhere, especially up a mountain.

We are like Rodrigo. We carry the burden of our sin with us, and we are stubborn. There are times when we refuse to let go of it.

God’s gift of his son, Jesus Christ, changed everything. Everything. No longer do we have to wonder what we are to do today to earn God’s grace. No longer are we on a treadmill of sacrifices. We never have to ask, “How long must I suffer in order to be forgiven.”