Forgive the past, live in the present
The following is a Counterpoint:
By the Rev. Jesse Bledsoe
After 28 years of ministry, I am blessed to pastor a most wonderful congregation. Buffalo Presbyterian Church of the Presbyterian Church/USA has approximately 330 members and growing. Twenty-six of these members are African American, but the members do not see each other by skin color. We are brothers and sisters in a loving family.
We believe that in Christ there is no Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male or female, and no black or white. Our congregation believes Jesus is Lord; the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are given by inspiration of God and they, and they only, constitute the divine rule of Christian faith and practice.
We also believe in holiness in life. Holiness inspires us to live lives obedient to God, loving others, and seeking to walk as Jesus walked. Our faith prompts us to be kind, one to another; tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us.
There is plenty of blame to go around for the horror of that bleak day in 1979. My personal conviction is that living my faith, loving all people, forgiving those who have wronged me, and seeking forgiveness from those whom I have personally wronged will accomplish far more than words uttered by an organization that was not even involved in the events to begin with.
We are to live in a loving, forgiving present, in order to give all children hope for a better future in our city.
The writer lives in Greensboro.
Comments (4)
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i do not believe in forgiving others who are not sorry for their actions. this, to me, is akin to giving them license to transgress. i believe it is better to pray for them to have godly sorrow so that there can be true healing.
does not god ask us to confess our sins to him? no blanket forgiveness there...
Posted on April 21, 2007 10:59 AM
"We are to live in a loving, forgiving present, in order to give all children hope for a better future in our city."
Amen, Rev., amen!
"does not god ask us to confess our sins to him? no blanket forgiveness there..."
Bucky, I hate to tell you this, but you'e not God. Have you ever thought of what the lack of forgiveness does to you?
Posted on April 21, 2007 1:23 PM
no, you're wrong. i am he...
Posted on April 21, 2007 3:47 PM
I am reminded of a sermon by the pastor of my church. She said "Always look in the direction you want to follow. If you look behind, you are always looking to the past and that is where you will find yourself most of the time. If you look around and never forward, you get stuck where you are. If you look ahead (forward), you usually arrive at your destination."
I am of the opinion that those who are constantly looking behind (especially a couple hundred years) will never arrive at their stated destination. If you are walking and looking behind, you end up walking into harm's way. If you are driving and looking behind, you end up running off the road or into another vehicle, again in harm's way. If that journey is mental and you are looking behind, you make no advancements mentally but rather stay focused on what WAS, not what IS or what is GOING to be. Stagnant things usually rot and decay. The choice is ours. Live and move ahead or remain immobile and stagnate.
Posted on April 23, 2007 1:07 PM