As We Forgive…

I have a confession to make.

For some time, whenever I’ve really seriously prayed the Lord’s Prayer and sat down with it, it’s rubbed a little wrong.

Not because I think it’s corrupted, or difficult to understand, or male-centric, or anything else I have heard people level complaints at.

No, it’s because of this one line: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive everyone who sins against us.”

Really, the mental conversation goes, I have to forgive everyone who sins against me in order to get forgiveness myself? Even the counselor who encouraged me to destroy my marriage? Even the manager who completely disregarded how her actions affect other people?

Is that really grace? Did Jesus die for that? Because, not to say it wouldn’t still be really amazing or anything, but I’m pretty sure I’m not going to make that cut. And I thought God had a little more grand style than that anyway…

Of Soymilk and Salvation

What is the dominant flavor (if there is one) in your life? In your church? Work? Family?

I had a minor theological insight while making my coffee today that I thought I would share.

One of the advantages of serving coffee for a living is that you get to try all sorts of things in your drinks and adjust them as many times as you want, as long as it’s slow. Today, I decided to drink soymilk in my latte because I had a sore throat.

I added a typical dose of caramel sauce to the as yet unflavored latte and tried it. I couldn’t even taste it, so I added more and more until I finally stopped when I could tell it was there at 2.5 times the normal quantity.

Now why should you care? Because I was experiencing the dominant flavor of the soy milk. No matter how much else I added, the character of the latte, and thus the overall sensation, centered around my choice of using soy milk. The same thing also happens with gingerbread flavor, for those who are curious.

The question this brings to faith and to congregations is the same thing I asked at the top of the post: what is the dominant flavor in your life?