The Heart of the Gospel

A friend was telling me not too long ago that she has a great aunt who won’t go to church anymore. She went through a terrible divorce and she feels she is no longer worthy to be in worship. Because she is unable to forgive herself, she is unable to believe God forgives her. I felt sad when I heard her story, because forgiveness is at the heart of the gospel. But the truth is many of us do have a hard time letting go of the past. So often, we beat ourselves up over past mistakes and failures.

The philosopher Soren Kierkegaard wrote this prayer: “Hold not our sins up against us, but hold us up against our sins, so that the thought of You when it wakens in our soul… should not remind us of what we have committed, but of what You did forgive, not of how we went astray, but of how You did save us.”

The next time you feel haunted by the past, remember this prayer. Let past mistakes serve as a warning of what not to repeat, but more importantly, let them be a reminder of God’s saving grace.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God loves you and has forgiven you. May you forgive yourself.

Our prayer today is taken from the prayer of Manasseh – which is included in the Greek and Slavonic Bibles. Let us pray: O Lord Almighty, God of our ancestors, of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob… immeasurable and unsearchable is your promised mercy. You have appointed repentance for me who am a sinner. For I am weighted down with many an iron fetter.

And now I bend the knee of my heart, imploring you for your kindness. For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, and in me you will manifest your goodness. For unworthy as I am, you will save me according to your great mercy, and I will praise you continually all the days of my life. Amen.