Friday 2 February 2018

Forgiveness brings HOPE



Hope – the power of forgiveness

This week’s assembly theme is forgiveness, a subject that is much debated at times and reflected on by many great people in the past.

Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying that ‘ the weak can never forgive, forgiveness is the attribute of the strong’. Likewise Nelson Mandela said ‘ Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon.’

Both saw forgiveness as both a necessary part of human life, but also a positive action that can lead to hope for a better future.

In Matthew 18 when Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive, he suggested to Jesus that maybe seven times was enough. Jesus answer put the question of forgiveness into perspective – not seven times, but seventy times seven. In other words always.

This was summed up by Martin Luther King Jnr in his words – Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude. In our assemblies this week we have been considering what forgiveness means in practise, what implications it has for us as individuals and what forgiveness teaches us about the love of God.



Our Hope from this  week has been that we may have reflected on the positive power of forgiveness and how it impacts on our lives and the lives of others.