i4give Sunday - i4give week
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” Ephesians 4:32
We pray:
Lord of the journey,
may we be aware in these moments together,
of the great company,
past, present, and to come,
with whom we join to worship you.
And with your Spirit among us
may we look for a time
and work for the day
when there will be joy at sunrise
and peace at sunset,
and all will be free as Christ is free. Amen.
(pg 14 - Forgiveness - A Study Guide)
“There is freedom in forgiveness”, as the www.i4give.com website conveys
If we have offered forgiveness, including to ourselves, we know the truth of this.
Such freedom helps us be wholly present in the moment, each new day dawning. It helps us see people afresh, uncluttered by matters that might otherwise infect a next encounter.
The timing of this 2022 i4give week seems quite providential. It allows a time for spiritual renewal, after the tiring and depleting period of pandemic.
Most of us will be able to recall moments when we and others have not been our best selves this past while.
Perhaps there has been an amplification of existing relational difficulties. Perhaps other unresolved matters now come to mind.
i4give week in early February is an opportunity to deal with mistakes constructively in the spirit of the One who says, “Behold I make all things new”. (Revelation 21:5)
The Meditations and Prayers in “Forgiveness: A Study Guide” might assist on i4give Sunday, 6 February. https://cdn.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/3944378/2-FINAL-Forgiveness-A-Study-Guide-E-book.pdf
To enhance the freedom that forgiveness brings we need to sustain a choice to heal and not to harm.
The grace of Jesus will support our endeavour to find healing around what we have done and what has been done to us.
Whilst we may bring a global perspective to this and be aware of many mistakes that need repair, i4give week is an opportunity for a deeply personal pilgrimage as regards forgiveness. Those who study forgiveness know that the little things count. We gain strength as we forgive both ourselves and others for the little things we get wrong. We all make mistakes. If we can deal with them in a forgiving spirit, our life together is so much better and we are stronger for more.
We are so grateful to dear Danny and Leila Abdallah for founding i4give.com as their gracious response to tragedy.
https://www.i4give.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Press-Release-i4giveday.pdf
They are providing us with a most timely opportunity to deepen the freedom that forgiveness brings.
The promise of Jesus is “abundant life” (John 10:10). To receive more of this abundance, we are asked to practice the prayer Jesus gives us - “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”.
May we and many of our nation experience more genuine freedom through our engagement in the purpose of i4give week in early February.
May we carry this forward and deepen our intention through our Lenten journey, remembering with the saints that “we are an Easter people and ‘alleluia’ is our song”.
https://www.ncca.org.au/ncca-newsletter/december-2021-1/item/2658-lenten-study-2022-2021121
May the grace and peace of Jesus flow this February; making us whole, we pray. AMEN.
Bishop Philip Huggins.
