Forgiveness – Stephen Thorp

What can Lent teach modern people like us?

The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd Justin Welby, has just recently attended a meeting of Bishops and Primates abroad (The Anglican Consultative Council, Accra, Ghana) where he has described how the secularisation of western society has dramatically changed the morality of financially rich, independent Europeans over the last 30 years. Indeed, with 75% of people under 30 in the UK claiming to have ‘no religious affiliation’, the Archbishop saw this as further evidence that we live in a post-Christian world and society.

The Archbishop also noted that along with financial independence, people have sought other personal and individual freedoms, longing to be free from the traditional norms and external constraining authorities and influences. Such as ‘how we live’, ‘who we love’, ‘how we change and manipulate our bodies’, ‘produce our children’ and even ‘how we die’. He then went on to describe how this modern post-Christian morality, was not only a morality for the wealthy, powerful and intellectually well educated – but also a morality that does not believe in human sinfulness and failure. Nor does it believe in forgiveness or hope – and this is where the church struggles.

However, Lent is a time when we are all invited to pause, take stock and reflect upon the way that we live, both as individuals and as part of a broader society. And sometimes this reflection isn’t easy, because although we appreciate that much of what we do is positive and good – much of it is not! ‘To err’ they say ‘is to be human’, but sometimes our errors and mistakes have unintended consequences, inflicting damage not only upon our own lives but also those of the people around us. The ripples of our ‘sin’ (as the Bible puts it) often spread further than we can possibly imagine, having a negative impact not only upon those we love and come into contact with, but also within our communities, our society and the world – and even the God who loves it.

Lent is therefore a time when we can reflect once again upon the glorious story of a God who so loved the world that, despite its sin, he stepped into it. Whose love led him to take upon himself the terrible consequences of our sin ‘in the person of Jesus’ by dying for us upon a cross, so that we might not only be forgiven but also have hope for the future. All we need to do is the one thing that modern people find so hard to do, which is to say sorry, sincerely repent (turn away from our sin) and recognise that in Christ we have a Saviour who loves us.

We may not be able to change the misfortunes or moralities of the entire world but we can make it better where we are – and as always, it always starts with us!

“Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1.15

What do Boris Johnson, Prince Andrew and Novak Djokovic all have in common?

They all believed that they were free to do as they wished with little thought of the consequences or how their actions might be felt, perceived, or viewed by others. Sue Barker, the BBC’s tennis commentator and presenter, was spot on when she spoke to Radio 4 about Novak Djokovic being thrown out of the Australian Open because of his lack of vaccination status.

“We wanted the No 1 player in the world. He could have been there by being vaccinated. I know he’s chosen not to and that is his right, but it is also his choice and with that choice come consequences and this is why he is where he is now.”

Novak Djokovic may have felt that he was entitled to play, but his choice not to be vaccinated led others to think otherwise. Boris Johnson may have felt that behind the closed doors of Number 10, there was little difference or distinction between meeting for work or for drinks, but when it became public knowledge against such a stark background of the pandemic and its restrictions, many were aghast that the Prime Minister and his colleagues should think that they were above the rules. Prince Andrew’s story is still unfolding, but with his military titles and patronages already stripped from him, along with the use of his HRH title, it is clear that the consequences of previous choices and company are profound.

It’s easy for us to point the finger and accuse others of hypocrisy, but in truth how many of us haven’t bent or ignored the rules from time to time to suit our own dreams, desires and convenience? We all have a natural tendency to put ourselves at the centre of the universe and expect the world to obey us. Sometimes our misdemeanours are frivolous and of no real consequence, but sometimes they become huge, affecting not only ourselves but also others. The Bible calls this waywardness ‘sin’, and perhaps the word sin should be spelt with a capital ‘I’, because so often the causes of sin are the pursuit of ‘me, ‘myself’ and ‘I’. In other words the putting of myself first, spoiling our lives and those of the people around us.

The Christian will be aware that God hates sin, but he loves us and through the loving and selfless actions of Jesus Christ and his death upon the cross, God takes the tremendous pain and consequences of our sin upon himself and offers us, in exchange, the forgiveness of sins, freedom to start again and the hope of a new life – a hope which is eternal.

Let’s be clear, in this life none of us are perfect or ever shall be, but in Christ we are given a new life and a new perspective, one which helps us to be a bit more loving, thoughtful and considerate not only about the people around us but the consequences of our choices and the way we behave.

“And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6.8

Easter – A New Day Dawning!

There is no doubt that this past year has been a very difficult time for us all, and for those who have sadly lost loved ones it will be a year which they will never forget. Although no one would pretend that the government has got everything right when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s roll out of the vaccination program with nearly 25 million people receiving their 1^st dose of the vaccine as I write this letter, has been well received and applauded. This wonderful progress gives us all a sense of hope, that there is indeed ‘light at the end of tunnel’ and that hopefully one day soon our lives will be more like normal. Which is why the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine in at least 13 countries across Europe seems strange. Fears that the vaccine may cause blood clots has prompted the EU to follow ‘the cautious principle’ and restricts its distribution until they are confident that it is safe to do so, despite the fact that both the World Health Organisation and indeed Europe’s own European Medicines Agency has consistently said that there is no evidence that the AstraZenica vaccine is unsafe, and with only 40 suspected cases of blood clotting being reported out of a distribution pool of 17 million, the rate is less than that you might expect to find in the population generally. With many scientists feeling baffled as this development, the general conclusion is that this move is more politically motivated than data driven.

But of course, any delay in vaccine distribution has the potential to sadly cause more suffering and death.

However, this sense of jumping to a conclusion without due consideration of the evidence is precisely how many people behave when it comes to thinking about Easter. They like the trappings of being with family and friends (in normal times) as we move into Spring and the Easter holidays, complete with chocolate treats and Easter eggs, but they don’t give any more serious thought to the significance of Easter than they do the ‘Easter bunny’! But this is a shame, because, if they were to really consider the Easter story, and contemplate the significance of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, They would discover that not only is there a compelling case for Jesus to be the Son of God and the Saviour of the World, where the ‘facts’ speak for themselves, but the debate is much more significant, lively and robust that they would imagine. In fact, it’s life changing and life-giving! For you see, at the heart of the Christian gospel is the ‘Easter story’ which brings light into the darkness, life over death, and hope where there is despair. For many it would seem ludicrous to pass over the hope of a life-giving vaccine simply because one had been failed to give due weight to the evidence or come to it with some form of unfounded prejudice. It’s my hope that you won’t treat the Gospel story with the same distain, but allow a new day to dawn in your heart as you consider the evidence, ask all the right questions and come to it fresh and with an open mind.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Easter.

Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. John 20.8

The Incredible Art Of Forgiveness

The Trial Begins Of Two Men Accused Of Murdering Stephen Lawrence

In the light of the recent chemical weapons attack upon the Syrian citizens of Douma, alongside March’s assault upon Sergei and Yulia Skripal when a Novichok nerve agent was used in Salisbury, one could be forgiven for thinking that the world has sunk to a new low and that the world had become a much darker and dangerous place. What has become of our moral values, common decency and respect for human life?

In recent weeks, we have seen the American, French and British authorities take military action against those who use chemical weapons, but there have also been two incredibly moving stories which perhaps given the circumstance have not been given the prominence that they rightly deserve. The first was the comedian Patrick Kielty’s BBC documentary entitled “My Dad, the Peace Deal and Me”, exploring the legacy of the Good Friday Agreement as it reached its 20th anniversary. Patrick’s story is poignant as his own father was murdered by paramilitary gunmen during ‘The Troubles’ – men who were subsequent released from prison as part of the agreement. Patrick’s view was nuanced, because although he admitted that he couldn’t forgive the gunmen, he accepted that their release was necessary if there was ever to be reconciliation. He was stunned by an interview with Richard Moore, who as a child had been totally blinded by a rubber bullet fired at him by a British soldier – and yet Richard had forgiven his assailant and had made great strides to find him in order to say so, resulting in a lasting friendship. How could Richard forgive the soldier so?

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[Patrick Keilty carrying his father’s coffin in 1988]

This was followed by an amazing interview given by Neville Lawrence, the father of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, whose story has regularly been in the headlines for 25 years. Two men had been convicted of Stephen’s death and yet it’s understood that five were involved. Neville revealed how he had forgiven them all for the murder of his son. Like Patrick, Neville’s story was incredibly hard and painful, and described as a ‘life sentence’ that would never go away, and yet he had forgiven his son’s murderers. How could this be possible?

It seems that both Neville and Richard had discovered an ancient Christian truth which is that forgiveness is not dependent upon the perpetrator saying sorry or even being met with. It’s an act of the heart and mind which allows the victim to find peace, ‘to let go’, and won’t allow any anger, hurt or pain they feel to fester and become a well of bitter malice within them, which probably does nothing to bring about reconciliation, and may not even be known by the perpetrator, but simply mars and cripples their own life henceforth. It comes from a deep-seated understanding that you are not going to hold a grudge or allow hurt to define you. Naturally, this isn’t easy – and shouldn’t be remotely confused with ‘letting other people get away with it’ or not wanting justice. Neville Lawrence wants justice as keenly as ever he did – it’s just that he won’t allow his anger and hurt to corrupt and corrode his heart and soul.

True forgiveness isn’t ‘a trick of the mind’; it isn’t secretly hoping for revenge or holding on to resentment. It has to be genuine and is therefore both a true art and an act of grace. Whether forgiveness is or isn’t asked for, it certainly isn’t deserved – it can only be given. It’s therefore a beautiful thing – a gift, which allows the victim to find peace, and can wonderfully, occasionally lead to repentance and reconciliation by all parties.

The Christian will see clear parallels between this and the Gospel story – how our sin naturally makes us all perpetrators, leading to the death of Jesus upon the cross where he graciously and lovingly takes upon himself the punishment for our sins (justice demands it) so that we might be reconciled and freely forgiven by God when we turn to him in sincerity, faith and repentance.

The stories of Richard, Neville (and perhaps even Patrick, who began to wonder if he had actually forgiven his father’s murderers after all) demonstrate that by God’s good grace and mercy there is still a lot of love and light in the world – and the world isn’t quite as dark as it might be.

“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” Luke 11.4