Womanist theologian Karen Baker-Fletcher describes forgiveness as a source of healing that can help break repetitive cycles of hatred and violence.
Forgiveness is grounded in love that demands justice. Forgiveness is a God-given grace that frees the sinned against to pray for the salvation of sinners to free the world from further hatred, violence, and desecration. Forgiveness is … the act of desiring divine overcoming of evil while also desiring the salvation of those who have been seduced by it. Forgiveness is grounded in a tough divine love that prays for the power of righteousness to persuasively, powerfully move sinners into righteousness against all visible odds so that evil is overcome.
In contrast, hatred desires the permanent annihilation of the other. Hatred has a negative capacity to infect the souls of well-meaning people of faith and the faithless alike when they are on the receiving end of sin. Hatred tempts the hated to hate. Forgiveness frees the sinned against, liberating them from continuing the cycle of hatred they have experienced. The pain of woundedness in forgiveness does not simply evaporate. That would be a denial of creaturely and divine humanity. To the contrary, the pain remains but is transformed into the healing force of compassion for a deeply wounded world and to joy wherever a witness to healing appears. [1]
Through their work in social justice movements, embodiment teacher Prentis Hemphill names the inherent strength of a conscious act of forgiveness.
Forgiveness and grace have much more to offer any culture than we give them credit for. They are rare sightings these days, yet where I have seen them, when I’ve been offered them, I realize that they are not the weak, pitiful emotions of people who don’t value themselves. They are the generous gift of people who know their worth cannot be diminished or compromised. When we offer grace or forgiveness, we refuse the false correlation between our worth and actions. But I’m not speaking about the kind of grace or forgiveness that coddles or panders. We don’t forgive out of our own desperation for another person; we forgive to invite one another back into our highest selves, back into our commitments. There is an acknowledgement that someone has been wronged or hurt, and forgiveness extends the possibility of trying again. I have struggled my way through forgiveness and grace, just as most of us struggle with them because of how often our hearts have been broken and how often we’ve been betrayed. I think it’s important for us to heed the warnings. Maybe eventually we can all learn to forgive far and wide, the way religions have taught. But for me to think of it that way is too tall an order. Maybe now we only need to forgive close in, nearby: the people in our families and our communities, the people we struggle alongside. Rather than denounce mercy, we try it in small doses. From there maybe forgiveness and grace spread and cover us, become more of the air we breathe. [2]
===================+>
| Psalm 116: Filling One Another With Courage |
 Click Here for AudioI’m increasingly hearing Christians question the value of their churches’ Sunday gatherings, and churches embracing online streaming services has only accelerated the discontent. I wonder if earlier generations were equally frustrated with the church, but carried a greater sense of duty to persevere. Or perhaps there was simply greater social pressure to attend church which in many communities has now disappeared. Regardless of the cause, if we are serious about our faith but struggling with attending a church gathering, then at some point we must wrestle with what Scripture says about it.The writer of Hebrews clearly instructs believers to “not give up meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25), but we often overlook why we’re supposed to meet. The writer of the letter could have listed many reasons for gathering—to offer our worship to God, to learn sound doctrine from our teachers, and to be equipped for our mission as Christ’s disciples. But instead, the author of Hebrews offers a more basic, human, and pastoral reason. We are to meet regularly to “encourage one another.”I wonder if the growing dissatisfaction with church gatherings—both physical and virtual—is rooted in their failure to accomplish this most basic function. They may be informative with profound preaching. They may be entertaining with riveting music. But those are qualities easily achieved from a stage or screen. The kind of “one another” encouragement commanded in Hebrews, however, is personal, relational, and reciprocal. It’s not accomplished by passively sitting in a theater seat watching a performance. This kind of encouragement requires us to be fully present and engaged. It’s the arm-around-a-shoulder, praying-together-with-tears, let-me-help-you-carry-that-burden kind of gathering. It’s the kind where no one is invisible and everyone is known. And it’s the kind where personal stories of God’s goodness and power are shared.To fill each other with strength—the literal meaning of encouragement—requires two things. First, we must carry one another’s burdens. Paul says to bear each other’s burdens is how we fulfill the law of Christ (see Galatians 6:2). And, second, we must help those tempted by despair to see God’s power and goodness when their circumstances are blocking their vision. This is why God’s people have always shared the stories of his faithfulness as part of their worship. Psalm 116 is part of this ancient tradition.The psalm is composed as a testimony. The writer is sharing in the assembly of God’s people how YHWH’s compassion saved him from anguish and death. Psalm 116 is meant to give others hope and courage so they will continue trusting in the covenant faithfulness of YHWH even when it appears that “the cords of death entangled me.” This is also why we should continue to meet together and share our stories of God’s faithfulness. We have sisters and brothers who are “overcome by distress and sorrow” and who “have been brought low” by the world. They desperately need to be reminded of God’s goodness. And we should keep meeting because sooner or later our roles will reverse. We will be the ones brought low, and we will be the ones needing to be filled with courage of others. DAILY SCRIPTURE PSALM 116:1-19 WEEKLY PRAYER From Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 – 1945) O God, Early in the morning I cry unto you. Help me to pray And to think only of you. I cannot pray alone. In me there is darkness But with you there is light. I am lonely but you do not leave me. I am feeble in heart but you do not leave me. I am restless but with you there is peace. In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience. Your ways are past understanding, but You know the way for me. Amen. |
