04-24-26

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 24, 2026
In our staff meeting here at the church yesterday, we had a discussion around forgiveness. We focused on a couple of passages from scripture, including Ephesians 4:32, “…be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” The question I put before the staff sounded like a simple one, but I don’t think anyone found it to be simple. I asked why it was that Jesus, Paul, and others made clear that we are to forgive, but at no point did they offer a how-to manual or Forgiveness for Dummies. There would be those who would suggest that because forgiveness was commanded, we should just do it without question. Personally, I have a number of problems with that suggestion, most importantly, I do not believe true restorative forgiveness can happen in response to a command. How many children, after hurting a friend, are told, “Go over there and say you are sorry, or so help me…”?  The child will probably learn very little about the concept of forgiveness, and in most cases, will not experience anything redemptive. In fact, the child might walk away from it feeling resentful.

Since there is not a detailed plan in scripture, at least that I can find, I think about Jesus’ approach when people asked him questions. Had Peter gone beyond simply asking about how many times he needed to forgive and actually asked Jesus, “How do I get to the point of offering genuine forgiveness,” it seems plausible that Jesus would have done what he often did—answer a question with a question. I imagine Jesus saying, “So Peter, what do you think? How do you find the capacity to offer forgiveness to another human being, especially one that has hurt you?” By asking the question, Jesus would be acknowledging how forgiveness is a journey; a journey that we have to take if the desired aim is going to be discovered. Yet just because Jesus might put that back on Peter (or us), I don’t think he’d be advocating for a solo journey. Jesus would accompany us throughout the journey, and with each step, we might invite someone else to join us—perhaps a friend, counselor, spiritual director, Stephen Minister, pastor, prayer partner, etc. It’s a journey that we must undertake from start to finish, but it doesn’t have to be a solitary endeavor. 

For the forgiveness you pour out with amazing abundance, O Lord of Mercy, I am forever blessed. Yet forgiveness does not come easily for me, and so I pray for the forgiveness I have received to be a source of encouragement to take the first step and then the next… Yet in your grace, bring me a companion or two along the way. Amen.