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“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”

Matthew 5:23–24, LSB

Have you ever held a grudge? That person who made your life difficult and made you feel small. This is not uncommon. It wasn’t uncommon when Jesus spoke these words. It is unique to not have those feelings from time to time. People hurt us. People betray us. Jesus knew this and wanted us to be freed from it. Forgiveness is not only for the person who has wronged us. When we forgive, we don’t say the wrong was OK. We give that wrong over to God and leave our hurt and our pain with Him. Forgiveness releases us from the burden of that pain. Jesus taught us to pray that we forgive as we have been forgiven. There is no greater forgiveness than what we have received, so to know this fully our Lord wants us to give forgiveness fully. This is hard. Letting go of pain is hard. Yet, we hear the call for us to forgive frequently. Anger and pain prevent us from fully knowing Christ’s love and from sharing His love with others. He wants us to walk in the full knowledge of who we are in Him and to reflect Him in all aspects of our lives. Our Lord forgave the men who beat Him, mocked Him, scourged Him, and nailed Him to the Cross. He forgave the thief next to Him. He forgives you and your brother or sister, too. It is in this, we are to find our peace.

Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.