The power of forgetting

One of the big themes of the message this week was the fact that forgetting is an important part of faith. I was mulling on that as I took a break Sunday afternoon and headed to my home away from home — the movie theater. Funny enough, I was given an even greater chance to mull that thought over thanks to the content of the film.

I went to see "Wolfman," not a particularly theological film — or even a good one for that matter. But in one scene Sir John (Anthony Hopkins) tells his son Lawrence (Benicio Del Toro) not to focus on the past, to let it go. He says, "The past is a carnival of horrors." I couldn't help but think the Apostle Paul would be able to identify with that.

Before he became the great evangelist that wrote a large portion of the New Testament, Paul, who went by the name Saul, was famous for his cruelty to Christians. He underwent a great change in his life and dedicated himself to preaching the gospel. That is the power of Jesus Christ.

One of my favorite recent Christian films, "Amazing Grace," offers a similar thought. In it John Newton, who famously wrote the incredible hymn "Amazing Grace," reflects on his terrible past. Newton was a slave trader who spent years selling humans into a life of degradation and bondage before Christ found him. He was troubled by his past and spent his life trying to atone. At one point he reflects on this when he says "I know two things — I am a terrible sinner and Christ is a great Savior."

That's what Newton was driving at when he wrote "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." I love the great modern version of the song, "Grace Like Rain," by Todd Agnew, who adds the chorus "Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me

Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away."

My favorite musical group is Linkin Park. Undoubtedly not everyone (especially my parents) appreciate their musical style. But I believe redemption, specifically letting go of the past, is one of the great themes in their music. One of my favorite songs is "What I've Done." The whole song offers vivid imagery, but I particularly like the chorus, which goes "So let mercy come and wash away what I've done. I'll face myself to cross out what I've become, erase myself and let go of what I've done."

During our staff meeting, when we reflecting on the text for this week's message, I was struck by Paul's words to the Philippians, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." How powerful it is, when considering Paul's past, that he was able to pen those words that continue to resonate with people of faith to this day. That is the power of Jesus Christ. That is the power of his grace.