Dear Glen Mar friends,

There’s a saying that the happiest animal in the world is a goldfish… because it has a 10-second memory.  It also has a pretty short lifespan, based on my limited interaction with goldfish won at county fairs. But point well taken. This Sunday, we’ll look at the topic of forgiveness through the lens of the prodigal son. How would Ted Lasso’s advice of “Be a Goldfish” apply to forgiveness and the father’s willingness to embrace his youngest son? What about the older brother? What about us?

As Christians, sometimes God calls us to have the memory of an elephant.  Jesus says, “Remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” and “Do this in remembrance of me.” God tells the Israelites to remember what it was like as slaves (and to treat foreigners well because of it) and remember that the Lord liberated them. God tells the Israelites to remember the commandments and to remember God’s faithfulness. When it comes to remembering God, and who we are in relation to God, we are called to have the memory of an elephant.

When it comes to remembering faults committed against us by others, we’re called to have the memory of a goldfish. God has a goldfish memory when it comes to our sins—removing our sins from us as far as the East is from the West (see Psalm 103). We are called to have a short memory when it comes to the transgressions of others. Jesus forgave over and over in Scripture, and calls his followers to forgive quickly and often (see e.g. Matt. 6:14, 18:22).

I hope you’ll join us for worship this Sunday, in person if you can, and online if you cannot. Either way, I think you’ll find it a blessing.

See you in Church,

Pastor Mandy

For more information on what’s going on at Glen Mar, check out our blog “This Just In.”