Last Sunday our worship was led by Mrs Carol Cotton and Mrs Janette Wanless. Carol began with
words from Psalm 100 giving thanks for the love of God which endures forever. Janette led our
prayers and Jill read from Romans 8 – nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Carol’s theme was love and forgiveness. God forgives us with a deliberate grace-filled choice to
pardon and forget. The Bible is permeated with references to his loving forgiveness. Dying Jesus
asked for us to be forgiven. When we come to him he wipes the slate clean for past, present and
future. By continuing to nurse guilt we mock his gift. We can repent and go forward in freedom.
Matthew 6 v4 reminds us that if God can forgive us we must forgive others. This can be very hard.
Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch Christian, was imprisoned for rescuing over 800 Jews from Nazi
persecution. Later, faced with her prison warder, now a Christian, asking for forgiveness, she was
able to do so by calling on God’s strength. Janette prayed for help from the Holy Spirit to forgive where needed, to guide those in power
towards justice and thanked God that Jesus intercedes for us
Love and Forgiveness
