From the Heart of the Pastor

Do you remember the Amish schoolhouse shooting of 2006?  It was a tragic scene.  A gunman entered an “old order Amish” one room schoolhouse, eventually shooting ten girls, five of them died.  The shooter then killed himself.  It was a vivid commentary on a depraved and sin sick world.  The episode reminded us of the long reach of sin in our society.  If there was any group of people we would consider insulated from sin, it would have been the pre-teen children in that schoolhouse, right?  When something so horrible affects even the most isolated group of Christians we can know, without a doubt, evil is real.  The amazing result of all this is not the reminder of evil in this world, but the presence of forgiveness!  What an appropriate context to consider the next phrase in the Model Prayer, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” Matthew 6: 12.  The Amish of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania did not merely give lip service to the concept of forgiveness, they put their faith into action.  Among the 75 mourners attending the funeral of the deranged gunman, the majority were Amish.  What forgiveness!  The national media was shocked by the selfless forgiveness demonstrated by the Amish families.  We should not be shocked.  The prayer Jesus taught us reveals the reason behind this astonishing forgiveness.  Jesus answers the question the media was asking:  “How could they forgive like that?”  The answer is; they forgive because they have been forgiven.
          In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us that we can only forgive others when we have truly experienced the awe inspiring forgiveness of the cross of Christ.  The truth of the matter is that I don’t deserve forgiveness any more than that gunman.  When I realize that I am as deserving of death as that killer, then I have a whole new perspective on forgiveness.  If I am unwilling to forgive those who hurt me or the ones I love, how can I expect God to forgive me?  The pain I have caused God through my own sin is infinitely greater than the pain that anyone has or ever will cause me.  If God by his grace can forgive me, should I not forgive those who hurt me?  Has someone hurt you?  Would you be willing to forgive them today?  Would you be willing to let the gospel shine through your life today?  Call that person, talk about your hurt and FORGIVE them.  Don’t forgive them so you can be good; forgive them because God is good.  To God be the supreme glory in all things!
 
In Christ,
Blain Craig

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