Charred Cross

I wrote yesterday about some of my thoughts when I read Chapter 3 of the book Becoming Jesus' Prayer. The chapter is about forgiveness.  The authors tell the story of Farmer's Chapel UMC in Iowa. The over 100-year-old church building was destroyed by an arsonist. You can image the anger the church felt towards this person. Even so, the pastor wrote an open letter to the arsonist that was published in the local paper. The letter invites the person to church. Not as an empty, let's act like we forgive people invitation, but with an invitation that shares how impossible, and yet how imperative forgiveness is.  You can read part of the letter at this link (scroll down a little on the page). The blog was (is?) written by an Assistant to the Bishop in Iowa.

The image on my page today is of the cross in the rebuilt Farmer's Chapel.  It is constructed from charred pieces of wood left after the fire.  The authors of Becoming Jesus' Prayer wrote, "Every Sunday morning now, the congregation worships with a visual reminder of the arsonist's act, but more that that every Sunday morning they worship with eh assurance that life come out of death, that hope emerges from desolation."

Do we find forgiveness too difficult to attempt? Or do we know how difficult it is, but accept God's help to do what for us is impossible alone?

Note: Forgive the resolution of the image - it's a screen shot of a video.