Forgiveness & Reconciliation

Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa wrote in his book, "There Is No Future Without Forgivene," that as the citizens of South Africa dealt with the atrocities of apartheid and sought to rebuild trust, they decided to avoid two things:  1) A “Nuremberg Trial approach” which seeks to establish the guilty party.  That works when there is an outside victor.  But in a civil war there is no outside victor and few are without guilt.  2)  "Community Amnesia" which says, "Well it's all over now." or "Now that they are gone the problem is over." as if nothing ever happened and the problem is swept under the rug.  Tutu says that unless issues are faced and reconciliation takes place, there is no hope, because the future will always be muddied by the pain of the past. 

I so often see this kind of corporate pain at work in congregations.  A conflict arises, which may trigger a lot of emotion.  There is already wounding and conflict present under the surface in the congregation, which goes back many years.  Like the Hatfields and McCoys, the primary players are long gone and no one remembers the core issue or who was involved.  Then a current crisis triggers a lot of anger and anxiety because the conflict was not dealt with then, and it continues to fester now.  If it is not faced in the present, it will continue consume the energy and spirit of the congregation.  Conflict avoidance is only a temporary fix and will never bring the peace a congregation desires.

Tutu says that a hopeful future belongs to those who can take the following steps:

+  Listen to hear each other's pain.

+  Speak the issues that divide.

+  Confess and forgive

+  Build trust through a plan of action

None of these things can happen under our own power, but Christ, our Lord, promises that “where two or three are gathered in His name, He is in the midst of them” to give them the power to care, to love, and to forgive.  Concerted prayer, honesty, and a willingness to make amends, by the power of the Holy spirit, can the set the congregation on the road to recovery.