Then the congregation returned to the church to share the Peace with a joy and a reality that comes only when issues that divide people and lead to hurt are honestly faced and dealt with. The congregation took reconciliation seriously, and though it undoubtedly meant that the worship service lasted a great deal longer than usual, they were committed to life together as a faith community. We might have some very long church services at times, not the one hour and out kind. But, how much more healthy and authentic and faithful it would be than seeing church members who have done wrong to another or been wronged by another church member stop coming to worship, or avoid getting too close to one another, or start going to another church. Again writes If you forgive people, you belong to them, and they belong to you.
Forgiveness is about belonging to one another.
When given and received it is about saying yes to life together. It is about letting the grace of God bond us to each other. It is about reconciliation of lives and hearts that get broken and need to be healed and made one again. In the stories of Hagar and Sarah and of Joseph and his brothers, we see the very thing happening that still happens in our lives when disagreement arises or when we have been involved in some conflict and hurt. And we spend our time and energy trying to justify, rationalize, fortify our position as the right one.