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Good morning. They are wonderful things, ‘cancel’
buttons. When we make a mistake on our calculators, or hit the wrong
button on a cash machine, we can just press ‘cancel’ and start again.
It’s easy. But when the deep aspects of life go wrong, things are more
complicated. Our sins against God, and each other, can’t be erased just
by a finger pressing a cancel button. But they have, we believe as
Christians, been absorbed by a body pushed around and broken.
In the Lord’s Prayer we say: ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those
who sin against us.’ There’s an important distinction between excusing
and forgiving. Excusing is this: ‘That’s alright. It doesn’t matter. You
couldn’t help it. You’re not really to blame.” But forgiveness is this:
“Yes, you’ve done it, you really have. I realize you’re sorry, and now
won’t hold it against you. Things are back to where they were between
us. Completely.” I believe God forgives and it is costly – I don’t think
he excuses.
Forgiveness is for giving away. If we have been forgiven so much, then
we must forgive others. For following Christ involves forgiving the
inexcusable, it means, in fact, loving our enemies.
Love for those who like us is ordinary. Love for those who are like us
is narcissistic. Love for those who are unlike us is extraordinary. Love
for those who dislike us is revolutionary.
Our Father, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Amen.
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