Romans 14:1-12

Pentecost +18 – Year A

Romans 14:1-12

If we do not live to ourselves or die to ourselves. How do we keep falling short of community between the faith generations – those who have had faith for a long time and those just creeping into it? Forgiveness between these generations is important and seldom seen.

A Baylor University series in faith and ethics on Forgiveness has several interesting articles. In particular, turn to page 29 for Thomas Long's piece, "To Err is Human; To Forgive . . .?" ["The New Testament is always calling us to do what we cannot do. No, we ourselves cannot forgive, but as we strive to forgive we are given God’s forgiveness as a gift. We are not called to create forgiveness; that is beyond us. We are called instead to participate in a forgiveness given to us as a gift."]

Our experience is the passing of judgment upon one another, not the participation in a larger forgiveness. Let's continue working toward Frame of Reference 2.0 and beyond.