Forgiveness

“…How often should I forgive? As many as seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy times seven.”
Matthew 18:21-22

Who is Jesus Christ and what does it look like to follow in Christ’s Way? Our Sunday series about following Jesus continues!

This Sunday, Jesus tells a parable about God’s reign and the forgiveness that comes in Christ. Unimaginable debt forgiven by the unimaginably gracious love of God. And what that means for us in forgiving others.

Fredrick Buechner, in his book Wishful Thinking: A Seeker’s ABC, said about forgiveness, “What Jesus apparently is saying is that the pride which keeps us from forgiving is the same pride which keeps us from accepting forgiveness, and will God please help us do something about it.

“When somebody you’ve wronged forgives you, you’re spared the dull and self-diminishing throb of a guilty conscience.

“When you forgive somebody who has wronged you, you’re spared the dismal corrosion of bitterness and wounded pride.

“For both parties, forgiveness means the freedom again to be at peace inside their own skins and to be glad in each other’s presence.”

Is there a place in your life calling for forgiveness? To give or receive? The Good News is that Jesus the Christ leads the Way in forgiveness and reconciliation with abundant grace. For in Christ we are forgiven and set free to live freely in love. Graciously given.

In what way or ways have you noticed yourself following Jesus this week? Noticed someone else following Jesus? In forgiveness, in service, in encouragement, in words, in actions . . .

Jot it down, snap a picture, and post it on the board in the entryway at church. I’m eager to see! Let’s be examples to one another of lives lived in Christ.