We continue a brief walk with some material on reconciliation by Walter Wink.
Continuing the description of the South African pastor and forgiveness…
The summons to forgive came, as it were, from outside them, as a command of the gospel that they could not avoid. Much as they wanted to hold on to the desire for “sweet revenge,” they felt constrained by their commitment to the gospel to forgive. They could not not forgive, because they saw forgiveness as their fundamental obligation to God. They forgave, not for their own sakes, but for the sake of the other. They had to forgive the torturers because God had already done so, and was calling them to do the same.
As the Sermon on the Mount puts it, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”- not so that you can sleep better at night, or to avoid an ulcer, or to achieve peace of mind – but “so that you may be children of your heavenly Parent.” The incentive is the imitation of God.
As children of God we are given the character traits of the one who nurtures and calls and leads us into life by living the life we are invited to share. The image of God draws us into new life. There is no reason to live in such a way but that pull…that power of God to make the world new…to continue to re-create and make the world whole. This is not easy word to hear for it insists that we stop being who we want to be and let ourselves be the beloved that God calls us. The journey of belovedness is a strange beauty we cannot quite comprehend…and yet it bids us to come and be the gift God has made us to be.
Connection: This kind of life – forgiving – demands much prayer and people who can walk with us. It would be interesting for all of us to try and record the times during this day that we will not let ourselves “let go” and begin to see things in a new way.
O God of us all, you inspire us to forgive and it is often an act we would rather not enter for we can be so content to live within the grip of hatred when we are wronged or persecuted or hurt. Grant us the serenity needed to find life within your peace so that we can carry on and enter the new world you create for us each day. Amen.
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