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Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues
The depths of forgiveness
Wrestling with forgiveness as a personal and collective responsibility (Matthew 18:21-35).
Context
The scale of the tragedy of natural disasters is hard to comprehend this week, with the death toll from the Libya floods expected to reach 20,000+, and similar scenes of destruction continue to emerge from the earthquake in Morocco. But are these just natural events? Scientists agree that the extreme weather conditions causing the floods in Libya, Greece and China are exacerbated by climate change. We hold collective responsibility for this, and young people are leading the way in holding world leaders responsible for failing to act to protect the environment, in a landmark ruling in the USA. Young people also lead the way in other peace and justice initiatives, such as around the peace walls in Northern Ireland.
Personal tragedies and destructive relationships can be just as devastating. Sara Shariff’s mother continues to be supported by UK police, as three people are arrested on suspicion of her murder. The women arrested at the vigil into the death of Sarah Everard receive damages and an apology from the Metropolitan police. A report just published by an independent working party reveals nearly two-thirds of females surgeons have experienced sexual assault by their colleagues.
Impacting many Christians, the Church of England confirmed that it is has found the allegations of abuse by Soul Survivor leader Mike Pilavachi to be substantiated. Soul Survivor Watford announced it has engaged Fiona Scolding KC to lead an independent review, and is committed to implement lessons learnt.
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
Today’s reading requires us to grapple with forgiveness. It can be hard enough to forgive a good friend or family member for an unintentional hurt, such as forgetting our birthday. What does forgiveness mean in the context of deeply distressing and tragic events such as those in this week’s news? The example Jesus relates on Matthew points to a complex link between forgiveness and justice. There is the challenging suggestion that even an unpayable debt can be forgiven; how might Sara Shariff or Sarah Everard’s grieving family feel to hear that about their murderers? Then there is the turn around that to receive full forgiveness, we must behave with equity and integrity. There’s a welcome accountability there, echoing the efforts by the young activists to hold leaders responsible for their failure to address climate change.
Have the Metropolitan Police and Soul Survivor gone far enough in their apology, to demonstrate justice? Is forgiveness an appropriate response here? Perhaps those best placed to answer that are the victims. As an abuse survivor, meeting with many survivors in my work, I often encounter pressure to forgive abusers, especially from Christians. This can be so damaging, when there is no accompanying recognition of the harm done, no accountability or reparation. Sue Atkinson explores this from a survivor perspective in her helpful book, Struggling to Forgive – Moving on from Trauma. I continue to grapple with the challenging questions; the priest who raped me never admitted his abuse or sought my forgiveness; why should I even offer it when there is no justice?
People usually tell me that it’s because it will bring me peace. The young women in Northern Ireland suggest that ‘peace is not keeping people apart; peace is people being able to have differences and come together anyway.’ Forgiveness cannot always lead to direct reconciliation with someone who has caused great harm; it often will not be safe for that to happen. In situations of institutional abuse, such as Soul Survivor, there are other leaders, victims and bystanders, who still need to ‘come together anyway.’ Can a model of forgiveness that includes accountability and justice help us to find this peace?
Questions for discussion
- What might forgiveness look like in the context of significant tragedies such as climate damage, murder and abuse?
- How do the ideas of accountability and justice help us to navigate forgiveness, as individuals and communities?
- Is it important for victims to find ways to forgive, in order to find peace? How is that different from, letting people off the hook?
Jane Chevous is an activist, writer, sailor, and leader of Survivors Voices. She researches and writes about abuse, theology, mental health and the sea.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
How easy do you find it to forgive? It is human nature to fail to do right and err into doing something wrong and so, the question of forgiveness – when and how we forgive – is something we must consider.
This past week marked the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 – when terrorists attacked the USA including the Twin Towers in New York. Thousands died, and thousands mourned loved ones dying. How does forgiveness play out in a situation like this? Is it possible? This week, I saw a news article where Melissa Turnage, whose son was killed on 9/11, encourages forgiveness as a means to ease grief. What strength this must have taken.
In a way, her story is reminiscent of this week’s Gospel passage. Jesus teaches us to forgive endlessly, giving the example of the unforgiving servant. A fascinating parable: the king who was owed money by a slave took pity on him, forgiving him and his family, rather than persecuting them. Equally, Jesus warns us that if we do not practise forgiveness in turn, God will judge us accordingly. Forgiveness is therefore a virtue given by Christ for us to work towards. Certainly, not an easy virtue to live out. But Christ teaches us that, in forgiveness, we do not let our rage and our anger rule. Rather, we respect the dignity of all people created in the image of God. Forgiveness is complicated. It can often run contrary to our gut feeling. But Christ commands, and so we must follow.
Joe Allen is a recent graduate of the MA in Theology at the University of Exeter. He works as a Pastoral Assistant in the Anglican Diocese of Southwark, alongside coordinating the work of a fundraising charity in central London.
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