Repentance

This past week we meditated on the nature of repentance and God’s gift of forgiveness. In preparing for prayers this week I reflected on my own shortcomings that constantly pull on the grace of God:

I have let people down

I have come up short when my friends depended on me

I have promised to do the right thing and then gone back on my word

I have said words in anger I wish I could take back

I have passed by the stranger in need

I have turned a cold sholder and made others feel unwelcome

I have selfishly put today ahead of tomorrow

I think that Sara and many others sometimes have the same feelings of guilt too. What is forgiveness? God forgives us on the balance sheet up in the sky. What does this mean for us? Should we be without the feeling of guilt?

Sara gave the message this time. We read through the parable of the two brothers, one who said he would do his father’s work in the field but went back on his word, and the second who refused, but later went out to work in the field. Obviously the second brother is the one who did his fathers will.

We read psalm 51, a beautiful expression of repentance and forgiveness written by king David. Reading the works in a couple of different versions with contemplative Taize music in between really set the mood for reflecting on what repentance means for each of us.After the lesson, Sara left silence for people to focus on what they needed to repent of, and announced Jesus’ forgiveness on us all.