Easter 2
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.
-- John 20:23
What an awesome and frightening task to be responsible for the sins of the world. Whether the world's sins be forgiven or retained depends upon our response. How does the church respond to the sins of the world? What is the effect of our condemning a situation rather than offering forgiveness? Immediately upon hearing of this responsibility for the sins of the world, we hear the story of doubting Thomas. If sin is that act or condition of life that separates us from God or neighbor, then death becomes the principle tool to effect that separation. We can only believe that Christ overcame the sins of the world if we believe that in him God has conquered death. Thomas expressed the doubt that exists in most of us. We doubt that God can conquer the power of sin in us. The reason we retain the sins of others is that we fear that God has not conquered sin in us. We pray, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," and then we can only pray that God is more gracious to us than we often are to others. In our world, the sins of racism, sexuality, and greed, among others, separate us from our neighbor. It is the awesome responsibility of the church to determine how to convey the forgiveness of Christ to the world.
-- John 20:23
What an awesome and frightening task to be responsible for the sins of the world. Whether the world's sins be forgiven or retained depends upon our response. How does the church respond to the sins of the world? What is the effect of our condemning a situation rather than offering forgiveness? Immediately upon hearing of this responsibility for the sins of the world, we hear the story of doubting Thomas. If sin is that act or condition of life that separates us from God or neighbor, then death becomes the principle tool to effect that separation. We can only believe that Christ overcame the sins of the world if we believe that in him God has conquered death. Thomas expressed the doubt that exists in most of us. We doubt that God can conquer the power of sin in us. The reason we retain the sins of others is that we fear that God has not conquered sin in us. We pray, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," and then we can only pray that God is more gracious to us than we often are to others. In our world, the sins of racism, sexuality, and greed, among others, separate us from our neighbor. It is the awesome responsibility of the church to determine how to convey the forgiveness of Christ to the world.
