The Associate Rector's Reflections...

From Rev. Bill Bennett 

Forgiveness is at the heart of the wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ,and it is the principle way he shows his love for us and calls us to love one another. Forgiveness is both an inclination of our renewed hearts and the actual practice of it with each other: with those who we need to be reconciled with in our lives. It is key to really experiencing freedom and understanding life not as a problem to be fixed, but a gift to be celebrated. The Rev'd Barbara Cawthorne Crafton writes in her wonderful little "JourneyBook" from Church Publishing, YES! WE'LL GATHER AT THE RIVER!:

The Rev'd Barbara Cawthorne Crafton"Sins aren't okay. By definition, they're not okay; if they were okay, they wouldn't be sins, would they? There would be no need for forgiveness. What we would be talking about if sins were okay would be acquittal, not forgiveness. Acquittal means the guy didn't do it. He walks. He's innocent. But when we forgive, that's not the judgment we're making. We're not exonerating. We're just electing to move on. Forgiveness turns out to be much more about you than about the one who hurt you.

"In a curious way - curious and offensive to many people, I might add - the distinction between the victim of a wrong and its perpetrator is not as central to the problem of forgiveness as it always seems. This though runs counter to the way almost all of us feel that it sounds like nonsense, especially to the victim of a grave injury.

"Wait a minute! ... you're saying that there's no difference between me and the one who betrayed my trust so completely that I don't think I can ever trust again?

"Whether I committed the sin or someone else committed against me is not as important to my eventual freedom as is ejecting it from its inappropriate place in the spotlight of my spiritual landscape. Whoever did it - if it is obsessing me - I am the one who must act to change things. As fascinated as we cannot help but be with the question "Who started it?" the more urgent and more useful question is "Who can end it?" The first is a question about the past, and we cannot change the past. But the second is about the present and the future, and these are things we can affect by our own agency."

We have a great opportunity to go more deeply into the wonder and  mystery of forgiveness in the "Forgiveness Weekend" with Mother Crafton which we are hosting here the weekend of September 17-19. This will include a Parish Potluck at Ken and Karen Sommerville's Friday night, a day retreat/workshop at the Church (Shepherd's Hall) on Saturday, 9 AM-3 PM, and Mother Crafton will preach at both Eucharists and teach at the Christian Formation hour on Sunday. Please click here for more information and to register: http://www.cgs-raleigh.org/announcement/forgiveness-weekend-mother-barbara-crafton-sept-17-19

Peace and Blessings,Bill