Forgiveness

Yesterday (June 4) we celebrated Pentecost, the Feast Day on which we remember God giving the Holy Spirit to normal people so that they might go out into the world with the Good News.  One piece of scripture that we read in worship was John 20:19-23 in which Jesus breathes on the disciples (those that knew and followed him during his life) and he tells them “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Jesus thinks that it is a really big deal to forgive sins- to relieve people of the burdens that they carry around from their wrongdoings- burdens that are too heavy for us to carry for long because we get bogged down under the weight of them.  (Remember the character played by Robert DeNiro in the movie The Mission?)  So, Jesus went around during his ministry forgiving people, relieving them of their burdens so that they were free to live a new life!  Remember the story of the paralytic man in Mark’s Gospel whose friends lowered him down through the roof of the full house so that he could be healed by Jesus?  Mark 2: 1-12  Jesus first pronounces the man’s sins forgiven.  The religious authorities take issue with this and wonder who Jesus thinks he is, forgiving sins like that…like God.  To prove that he has the power to forgive people he does something that shows his power.  He tells the paralytic man to get up and walk.

Forgiveness is hard.  Really hard.  It takes a lot of power.  Sometimes more power than we have within ourselves.  If you find yourself having trouble forgiving someone, try this meditative exercise.

Imagine coming into the presence of the merciful love of Jesus.  This merciful love is so great that people instinctively humble themselves before the magnitude of it.  It’s a love force field.  What does this love force field sound like?  Look like?  You’ll probably need to sit in quiet openness to get a sense of what this love force field sounds and looks like.  Once you’re familiar with this love force field, feel free to ask Jesus to show you who else is there.  You can ask the Living God to show you what the person who wronged you looks like within this Love. 

God’s love for us is demonstrated in the power of Jesus and given to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is the power of forgiveness.