THE SOUND OF FORGIVENESS

I attended church in the Temecula Valley of Southern California. It went by the moniker Chorus Church. Its slug line was: Many voices, one song. I liked the message it sent of unity within diversity. It is a young church meeting in an Elementary School. They have done an excellent job of creating a space for worship within the walls of a multi-purpose room.

The Lead Pastor shared a message on forgiveness. At the conclusion of the sermon he asked that each person pull out a blank quarter sheet sized card. He told us to write a past offense, grudge, or anything that we might need to release to forgiveness or to forgive.

He then set a paper shredder on the platform. Using his own card he placed it in the shredder’s mouth. It was clutched in the fine teeth of the shredder. At the whirling sound of the shredder the Pastor said, “That is the sound of forgiveness.” The once whole card was now in neatly ripped pieces at the bottom of the basket.

People were encouraged to bring their cards forward to place in the shredder. So as music played and the elements of communion were available people, as they felt lead, went forward. They took the cup, broke the bread all to the sound of forgiveness.

What a wonderful description! It was a twenty-first century example of God’s grace and forgiveness in our lives. God is ready to shred whatever we are willing to place in his grace filled hands.