“Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” “So watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.” “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone, forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
The above are just a small sampling of scriptures from the Bible that illustrate the centrality and importance of forgiveness to Jesus and His Kingdom. Whether it is receiving God’s forgiveness or offering ours to others, the world simply does not work without it. I grew up in a world where forgiveness was a cultural value that Americans held. However, over the last twenty years or so, the value of forgiveness has faded away and in its place has risen the ugliness of cancel culture. Could it be that we perceive our world as falling apart due to the fact that real forgiveness from the heart is in such short supply these days? Revenge, vengeance, anger, and hate perpetuate the cycle of violence. Living in the light of God’s forgiveness for us, forgiving others, and asking for forgiveness stops the cycle of violence and glues our relationships, our community, and world back together. Forgiveness is indispensable to a healthy world. It is our calling as priests to do the work (avad) of forgiveness in order to protect (shamar) our often fragile world.
Our 9:00 a.m. worship service will be in the Sanctuary with Pastor Kurt and I team-preaching as Beth Garza and the Wesley Singers lead us in worship. At 10:00 a.m., we will have Sunday School for all ages. At 11:00 a.m., Beth, the Chancel Choir, and I will lead the traditional worship service in the Sanctuary and Pastor Kurt, Paul Taggart, and the Modern Worship Team will lead the modern worship service in the Worship Center. Kids’ Church will be led by Mara Dolan at 11:00 a.m. in Room 221. We look forward to seeing you in person or online as we continue our sermon series TO SERVE AND PROTECT to seek to do The WORK of Forgiveness and grow in our understanding of both receiving and giving forgiveness. Consider watching the following video to get your heart warmed up for Sunday.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Steve Brooks
432-559-0208
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