Whenever I introduce the Confession in Church I ask people to reflect on what their grateful for as well as what their sorry for. I find myself looking at the way the Church presents God's forgiveness and wondering if we haven't lost something important.
I took part in a service at Greenbelt where during the absolution we blew bubbles. As the tent filled with bubbles I was struck with how the focus was on the gentleness of God whose forgiveness is tender and light, and even playful. It is filled with love, and in the stories Jesus told led to celebration.
What if forgiveness as God does it, is joyful and about reconciliation, creating new possibilities and releasing us to fulfil our potentialities. What if that forgiveness is a model for us in our relationships, both personal, and at the level of communities?
Perhaps absolution is less like the setting aside of a punishment and more a welcome back and an invitation to come and join the party.
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