This week’s scripture is the well-known tale of the Prodigal Son. As previously mentioned, I’m an oldest child so this one never sits entirely well with me. That said, I get it. I see the point. Good to forgive and all that. Message received.
Until Erin preached this week and (spoiler alert) revealed that the story is less about forgiveness and more about…freedom? Yes, freedom. Freedom to live differently, liberated from shoulds and either/ors. Freedom to embrace complexity. It was a great message because it made the point (ever so subtly) that benefits of forgiveness accrue not so much to the forgiven as to the one doing the forgiving.
In his book World Within a Song, Jeff Tweedy of the band Wilco explains how this works. In an early chapter, Tweedy confesses that as a rocker who came of age in the 1980s, he spent decades actively hating the ABBA song “Dancing Queen” simply because it was a product of the disco era. Then one day a few years ago, while meandering through the grocery store, he heard “Dancing Queen” playing from a speaker and was bowled over by the “exuberant sadness” of the song. Before he knew what was happening, he had fallen for it.
Here’s Tweedy on his change of heart: “Melodies as pure and evocative as the one in “Dancing Queen” don’t come along every day. I’m sad for every moment I missed loving this song…I truly recommend spending some time looking for a song you might have unfairly maligned. It feels good to stop hating something.” Tweedy continues with some thoughts specifically on forgiveness, “Music is a good place to start if you’re interested in forgiveness. For yourself, mostly, I assume. Because records can’t really change much over time, but we sure can, and do. Better late than never.”
The grace that God extends to us begins as forgiveness and ultimately blossoms into freedom. When we enact this same grace toward one another, letting go of past grudges and perceived wrongs, we open ourselves up to new joys. Liberated from the weight of our angers and griefs, we are set free.
Perhaps, this week, we can follow Tweedy’s advice. Perhaps we can stop hating something or some group or some idea simply because we are used to doing so. Perhaps we can forgive someone without the expectation that they will change, but the hope – instead – that in the forgiving, we ourselves will be changed.
- Susie Pratt