Fermata Feb 11, 2022: Rest and Forgiveness

Fermata is the weekly newsletter describing some of the past week’s highlights from Notes of Rest, which is my spiritual retreat ministry that interweaves text, music, and questions for the sake of cultivating stillness, introspection, and creativity in communities so that all may rest. I'd love to host a Notes of Rest for your church, seminary, or affinity group. Feel free to reply to this email to start the conversation!

Notes of Rest for Forgiveness, "I Will Trust in The Lord/Oh, Freedom" Devotional

Hi everyone,

Last Saturday I hosted one of the most difficult sessions I ever have: Notes of Rest for Forgiveness. We sat with two texts, Matthew 18:28-35 and Luke 23:32-24. In Matthew, Jesus shares the story of the forgiven servant who refused to forgive others. We thought about who forgiveness holds accountable, and how forgiveness isn't a license for repeated abuse, but rather an invitation to rest. And in Luke, as Jesus fades away on the cross, he uses one of his final breaths to ask his Father to forgive his persecutors due to their ignorance. When so much had been stripped away from him, he still had the ability to call out wrong and resist their dehumanization.

In Black History Month, that is difficult news for me and many who reflect on how much needs to be forgiven at the systemic and interpersonal level. But it can nevertheless  be good news to know that we always have power to call out evil for what it is and resist its corrosive effects on our disposition.

How do you feel about forgiving your oppressors? What's the relationship between mercy and rest?

In keeping with this spirit, this week's devotional for my album Rest Assured is for the spirituals "I Will Trust in The Lord" and "Oh, Freedom." You can read the entire series here.

May The Lord grant us Notes of Rest today, for salvation has come and is coming.

abundantly,
Julian