The last five weeks, we’ve been unpacking forgiveness in our worship services, and today we unpack the final box: Jesus. Listening and learning from Jesus’ life, death, and resurrec- tion is a beginning point for cultivating a forgiving heart. In Desmond and M’pho Tutu’s book, The Book of Forgiving, there is this poem:

You have stood at this junction before

You will stand at this junction again

And if you pause you can ask yourself

Which way to turn

You can turn away from your own sadness And run the race named revenge

You will run that tired track again and again Or you can admit your own pain

And walk the path that ends

In this direction lies freedom, my friend

I can show you where hope and wholeness make their homes But you can’t push past your anguish on your way there

To find the path to peace

You will have to meet your pain

And speak its name

This poem speaks to what I think lies at the heart of Holy Week. Before Resurrection is Good Friday. Knowing and naming our hurts, our pain, developing empathy for ourselves and others allows the space for forgiveness to emerge and grow. May we walk this holy journey together.