… Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As God who so loved me has sent me, even so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive sins, they are forgiven; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.” ~ John 20: 21-23
In The Rising**, Wendy M. Wright talks about these verses in John and says “What they {the followers} receive in this sacred aspiration is the power to forgive. It is as simple as that. This is the miracle of Easter, that whatever is bound, enchained, enslaved, or unfree, can be loosened, liberated, and freed through our forgiveness. In fact, if we do not exercise this God-given capacity, our lack of action is not neutral. Without forgiveness, we hold each other bound. Without being forgiven, we cannot be free.” (p. 131)
POTENTIAL ACTION: Since our lack of action is not neutral, maybe you’d be willing to join me over the next week in sharing/saying these Four Things That Matter Most*** to family members, friends (and others!):
-
- Please Forgive Me [For Any/All Hurts You Have Sustained From Me]
- [If There are Things You Wish I Could Forgive, Know That] I Forgive You
- Thank You [For Being Part of My Life]
- I Love You
Expressing these four things does not suggest that hurts are gone or that you somehow excuse all that transpired. It does, however, affirm the desire for love and peace.
Let’s encourage one another to actively increase peace. Winning peace with our family and friends would be a great start, wouldn’t it?!
May it be a great day, filled with peace and the Spirit’s movement though you…
** from The Rising: Living the Mysteries of Lent, Easter, and Pentecost by Wendy M. Wright
*** from the book The Four Things That Matter Most by Ira Byok, with added words in [ ]
Lectionary Texts for Sunday, May 1, 2022:
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