Forgiven

I preached this past Sunday, so I was in a church that is not my home church. When I arrived, the pastor was not there (I knew that he would not be there), and the lay people were organizing the service using the bulletin. The person who would be leading worship (and who found that out that morning) was working with me to determine who would do which parts of the worship service.  She asked me to do, in addition to the sermon, the Offertory Prayer, the Prayer of Confessions, and the Benediction (all fine).  She also asked if I played the piano because there pianist (along with much of the congregation) was on vacation.  Happy to read prayers - not a pianist.

So I was reading through the pre-printed prayers she wanted me to read, and when I got to the Prayer of Confession, I really didn't want to pray it.  The first half was fine - this is the second half:

Good Lod, extend your grace and mercy as we ask your forgiveness.  IN order to receive your forgiveness, we know that we need to forgive everyone who has offended us. Help us to hold nothing against anyone, for that may jeopardize our gift of forgiveness from you.  (Written by T Anne Daniel, The Africana Worship Book Year B)

I feel as if this is inspired by the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." To me it is a misreading and misunderstanding of the prayer. How can a God who offers forgiveness as a form of grace - freely given - predicate the gift on something that is impossible for us to do. We can't possibly, in our sin, forgive everyone who has offended us. God knows this - knows our salvation cannot be dependent on us alone - because we can't do it alone.

Forgiveness from God is grace, freely given, not held back until our own forgiveness of others is perfect.

I do believe that our grudges and hatred against others can be obstacles to our receiving grace - but the gift is there, freely given, for us to accept. It is God's will for us to forgive; it is God's will for us to be forgiven and forgiving, but we are forgiven - already.