Forgive Us as We Forgive Those

In the Lord’s Prayer Christians pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  Many of us say those words many times each week, and some, every day.  Yet forgiveness is something we struggle with.  For many of us, accepting God’s forgiveness of our failings is difficult.  Even more of us struggle with forgiving those who have hurt us, those we love, or our communities. This evening will invite us to reflect on the things that make it difficult for us to forgive.  How do we deal with anger and hurt that hinder forgiveness?  How do we separate forgiveness from our notions of justice and desert?  What is the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation? What is the relationship between our acceptance of God’s forgiveness of us and our willingness to forgive others?  These are some of the questions we will explore in our time together.