This weekend is the moment everyone has been waiting for since the day we said we were doing a series on the Lord's Prayer. We are finally going to answer that age old question: is it debts? Is it trespasses? Is it sins? (Wait, where did sins come from?)
Part of what we are dealing with is that every single one of these words is a translation from Greek. None of the New Testament (or Hebrew Bible for that matter) was written in English. So everything we do is an interpretation.
And bonus for us, there are two different Lord's Prayers, in two different gospels, with two entirely different words in the Greek that we think of as debts, trespasses, or sins.
Does it matter?
Maybe. Maybe not. The jury is still out, honestly.
What certainly does matter, however, is the forgiveness we are called to give. In some of Jesus's sayings, he implies that we will not be forgiven by God if we withhold from others. Which is a bit terrifying, if we think about it.
His point, I think, is that mercy is at the heart of who we are and who God is. It is never deserved. Nevertheless, it is an essential part of how we are called to live.
Something to ponder.
And yes, the answers are waiting.
Though, they may simply lead to more questions. We will have to wait and see.
Blessings,
Rev. Janie
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