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Hello St. John’s Family,
Pardon for sin, and a peace that endureth…
Many will recognize those opening words of the third stanza of the cherished hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness. Thomas Chisholm’s beloved hymn speaks to God’s great faithfulness and mercy across our lives. We sing of how God’s pardon of our shortcomings, achieved through Christ, leads us to enduring peace and restored lives.
Pardon is a word that’s generated significant debate in recent weeks. Numerous and proactive pardons from one administration, followed by sweeping pardons and commutations, including persons who committed violence against police, by another have raised questions for some and deep pain and distrust by others of all political stripes. The questions raised transcend politics; they strike at the core of what is right and wrong. Which raises another question: in this atmosphere of deep distrust and animosity, how should people of faith assess this, then respond in a way that’s faithful to Christ’s teachings?
Tied to the concept of justness/justice – being just or fair to all parties as dictated by reason or conscience – a bedrock of both the Christian faith and civil society is that transgressing agreed-upon laws and codes (covenant) carries a cost. A pardon addresses the cost of one’s wrongdoing in a way that releases the offender from further obligation. Thus, a pardon means that someone who has transgressed what is right and just does not experience the full cost of that transgression.
For people of faith, we recognize how we’ve all been pardoned of our sin: our constant inability to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves. That pardon is accomplished through the work of Christ Jesus, who took on the weight of our shortcomings and defeated them through his life, death, and resurrection. Our pardon is contingent, though, on our heartfelt acceptance of Christ’s love for us as our Savior, which will yield a profound change in our life. We know we cannot address our shortcomings on our own, and while we’ll never be perfect, we earnestly attempt to live according to Christ’s good and just ways. It is Christ’s all-compassing love and desire for reconciliation with us that addresses our sin, providing restoration and a pathway to the peace that marks his reign.
Ideally, pardons in our society will function in a similar way. Though the full cost of one’s wrongdoing can never be addressed, those convicted of an offense must address the legal penalty of that offense. We hope that penalty will bring a recognition of the offense: a clear understanding an action was wrong, genuine contrition for the offending act, and a desire to change for the better. While the fairness and effectiveness of our criminal justice system is highly questionable, there are clear cases where offenders are effectively rehabilitated and restored. In those instances, pardons are one way where the positive changes can be acknowledged, and a person can return (earlier than scheduled) as a productive member of society.
Of course, we know ideals and reality are often quite different. Pardons are now routinely political tools: prizes used to reward support or score “points.” Essentially a loophole employed for transactional gain, many pardons undermine justice in our society and further entrench the tit-for-tat, retributive gamesmanship that has come to dominate (bordering on destroy) our government. This occurs by both parties, in federal and state governments, and it’s wrong. We need to name that.
As people of faith, we must be clear these acts are wrong and serve to undermine the integrity of both civil society and the Christian faith. That has amplified in recent days, threatening to undermine and harm the first responders that protect our governmental institutions themselves, and is completely unacceptable. We must also recognize the pervasive brokenness of our system got us here, and we have a say in that. Until we demand honesty, integrity, and just actions from our public officials – and for officials to stand up, call out, and hold each other accountable when breaches occur, including within their own party – we’ll be stuck longing for any “peace that endureth…”
On Sunday, we’ll continue our exploration of how the Holy Spirit works in our lives as we study 1 Corinthians 12 and 13. Examining Paul’s “body” metaphor, we’ll see our deep connectedness to each other through the Holy Spirit, and how God seeks to extend goodness and blessing through us to many others. I hope you’ll check out 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, then join me in worship!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Brad
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