TOMORROW’S SUNDAY

When one of our sons was quite young he became very interested in chess and because he wasn’t old enough to go on his own we found ourselves travelling all over the country taking him to chess tournaments. One of the places we went to was Coventry. We were very glad to have the opportunity to visit the cathedral. The present one stands next to the ruins of the previous one, which was bombed during the Second World War. We began by walking into the ruins. At one end was a table holding a charred cross and the words “Father, forgive”. At that time, in common with most English people, we didn’t know that our aircraft had created similar ruins in Dresden. At the service of consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral there was at the same time a service being held in a church in Berlin. Prayers were being offered up to the same God, at the same time, in countries that had been enemies, in the hope of a lasting peace. In conversations about forgiveness, unforgivable sin is bound to arise. Is there such a thing? There have been crimes committed against children which many would say are unforgivable as well as horrific acts of terrorism. However, unless we have been personally hurt, it isn’t up to us to forgive. Far better for us to concentrate on anything for which we might need forgiveness. If we are Christians and go to church, then at least once a week we will say “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”. Our trespasses may seem to be minor, but they still represent a falling short of what we could be as we try to follow Jesus Christ.