| Today is a much shorter piece from James Alison as he looks at sin, death, resurrection. Furthermore, as it became clear that the whole purpose of raising Jesus from the dead was to make forgiveness possible (i.e., none of this happened for the benefit of God, and all of it for the benefit of humanity), so it becomes clear that forgiveness which flows from the resurrection affects not only such acts as we may have carried out, but, much more importantly, what we had hitherto imagined to be our very natures. If death is something that can be forgiven us, we were no only wrong about God, but we were fundamentally wrong about ourselves. We are fundamentally able to forgive - in and through all things. God is not made at us and therefore does his son in so that we can somehow be on God's good side again. No. Through the resurrection, the fullness of our humanity is put out in front of us. Death need not control. Sin and all the brokenness that we seem to want to push off onto someone else is not the final word among us. Forgiveness reigns. This goes back to a comment about who we are to be as followers of Jesus - what is our mission - what is our life -what is it that defines us? Forgiveness. If this is our life. We are the creatures that carry the image of God with us in and through all our days. This is not wishful thinking. Yes, there is stumbling but there is also bits a pieces of bring forgiveness to life and seeing what life it makes for all involved. Imagine what a congregation would look like when we first thought forgiveness and then embodied that life of resurrection?!? Connection: No excuses - only forgiveness and a new day - again - and again. Lord of the Resurrection, let your Reign direct us and support us and encourage the life you have promised among us.. Amen. |
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