What a Life! for May 29-June 3, 2007

Alfred Stewart
May 25, 2007
Yvonne Knudsen- Smith
June 1, 2007
Alfred Stewart
May 25, 2007
Yvonne Knudsen- Smith
June 1, 2007

When Jesus was praying on the Mount of Olives before the soldiers arrested him, one of the most moving moments of his prayer was that the “cup” of his suffering be taken from him, if possible. None of us wants to suffer; yet all of us do. It is one of life’s great mysteries. Yet, we realize that we never suffer alone because our God has suffered with us.


When Jesus was on the cross, he uttered those absolutely life-changing words: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Remember that these are the words of a man who has been unjustly sentenced to death, beaten, crowned with thorns, nailed to a cross, and at the very brink of death.


What do we do with our sufferings? This is not an academic question. This question holds a central place in our lives. We cannot afford to ignore such a crucial question because the answer can give meaning and purpose to our lives. Our answer means the difference between peace and violence, between serenity and anguish, between forgiveness and retaliation.

If we carry hate and unforgiveness in our hearts, then our sufferings can condemn us to a life filled with desires for revenge and retaliation. Jesus told us two thousand years ago that an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth does not work. “Scores” can never be settled evenly. As one songwriter put it so well, “The score is never even.” Jesus chose to forgive.


Many people today realize that forgiveness is the only way to stop the crazy cycle of violence. In December of last year, the news services carried a very encouraging and redeeming story. It was a letter from three people who had been captured in Iraq. This is what they said:


“We three members of a Christian Peacemaker Team delegation to Iraq were kidnaped on November 26, 2005, and held for 118 days before being freed by British and American forces on March 23, 2006. Our friend and colleague, Tom Fox, an American citizen, was kidnaped with us and murdered on March 9, 2006. We are immensely sad that he is not sitting with us here today.

“We understand a number of men alleged to be our captors have been apprehended, charged with kidnaping, and are facing trial in the Central Criminal Court of Iraq.

“We unconditionally forgive our captors for abducting and holding us. We have no desire to punish them. Punishment can never restore what was taken from us.

“What our captors did was wrong. They caused us, our families and our friends great suffering. Yet, we bear no malice toward them and have no wish for retribution. Should those who have been charged with holding us hostage be brought to trial and convicted, we ask that they be granted all possible leniency. We categorically lay aside any rights we may have over them.

“Through the power of forgiveness, it is our hope that good deeds will come from the lives of our captors, and that we will all learn to reject the use of violence. We believe those who use violence against others are themselves harmed by using violence.”

Signed by: Harmeet Singh Sooden, Norman Kember, James Loney

Jesus taught us to forgive each other as he forgave those who crucified him. We will be faithful to that memory only if we allow the wonderful power of forgiveness and mercy to flow from our hearts to all those who have caused us any suffering, any harm, any pain. If we do not forgive, we will remain in our graves. If we do forgive, we can rise with Christ to new life, now and forever.