During the season of Lent, our sermon series is “How Do I Forgive?” and each week we will share 3 practices for cultivating forgiveness based on the theme for that week. These practices come from The Book of Forgiveness by Archbishop Desmund Tutu and his daughter Mpho Tutu.
Those of you worshiping with us in person during this sermon series has or will receive a small packet with a journal, a candle, and a stone to help you engage in these practices of forgiveness.
For those of you worshiping with us online, I invite you to make yourself a journal, find a stone somewhere near your home, and identify a candle you might use for the practices I will share each week.
Below are the practices for week 1, “Forgiving Ourselves.”
Meditation: As you breathe in, visualize love and compassion entering you like a golden light. With each inhalation, imagine the golden light beginning to fill you from your toes to the top of your head. When you are filled, you radiate this love and compassion outward effortlessly.
Stone Ritual: Hold a small stone in the palm of one hand. Bring to mind something you need to forgive yourself for. Transfer the stone to the opposite hand and say the words “I forgive myself for…” and fill in an item from your list. Repeat as many times as needed.
Journal Exercise:
1) Make a list of all the things for which you need to forgive yourself.
2) For each thing you have listed, decide whether the forgiveness you need is from someone else or yourself. If it is from someone else, note that, and we’ll talk more about the Fourfold Path of forgiveness next week. If it is truly from yourself, then it is time to rediscover your goodness.
3) Write a list of all that is good about you. Look at yourself through the eyes of a loving and admiring companion.
