“How To Fold a Towel“, by Rev. Mike Holly
Today in worship, we as a church family turn our attention to an important process of making relationships last a lifetime as well as a central part of God’s attitude towards each and every one of us: Forgiveness. A wise person once said that that weak persons cannot or will not forgive because forgiveness is “the attribute of the strong.” While I agree with this statement, I would go a step further. True forgiveness is the attribute of the faithful.
Why take forgiveness to that next step? Partly because I believe that we can only practice true forgiveness once we know what it means to be truly forgiven. In the church, we mediate on this often whether it be in our Prayer of Confession or as we gather together to receive the bread and the cup as forgiven people at Holy Communion. One of the first things that every child in the faith learns is that God loves us. The second is usually that God forgives.
If God has forgiven us, then it creates a possibility for us to learn to forgive one another. We begin with the small things. How can we ever learn to forgive the big things in life if we cannot let those little things go? In today’s Scripture reading, Joseph forgives after being sold into slavery, abandoned and forgotten by his own brothers. How amazing is that act of forgiveness? Now, about those little things…
~Mike Holly
The Word
Genesis 50:15-21
Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?” So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.
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