Hosted by the Faith To Go team in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, David Tremaine and Charlette Preslar, and joined the each week by a special guest, the Faith To Go Podcast highlights themes from the Sunday Gospel reading for you to take into your faith discussions and reflections throughout the week.
from NPR
Questions:
1) What did you learn in this story?
2) Who has been causing harm in this story? Who has been harmed?
3) What would forgiveness look like in this story?
4) What would repentance look like in this story?
5) How could forgiveness and repentance lead to deeper and stronger relationships in this story?
Views and Qs: Restorative Justice
Watch this video together and then use the discussion questions below to reflect as a family.
Discussion Questions:
1) What is "restorative justice?" 2) How would restorative justice help victims of crimes?
3) What is the difference between punishment and restoration? 4) Why do you think the person who did the harm can so often do the most to heal the person that has been harmed? Have you experienced this in your life? 5) Why does incarceration increase the likelihood of violence in our communities?
Feast and Faith: Moving Toward Restoration
For this week's dinner discussion we will focus on the process of forgiveness Jesus shares with his disciples.
Prayer -
Lord Jesus, for our sake you were condemned as a criminal:
Visit our jails and prisons with your pity and judgment.
Remember all prisoners, and bring the guilty to repentance
and amendment of life according to your will, and give them
hope for their future. When any are held unjustly, bring them
release; forgive us, and teach us to improve our justice.
Remember those who work in these institutions; keep them
humane and compassionate; and save them from becoming
brutal or callous. And since what we do for those in prison,
O Lord, we do for you, constrain us to improve their lot. All
this we ask for your mercy's sake. Amen.
Discussion -
This week we are reflecting on the process Jesus describes for his disciples about how forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration are supposed to happen within community. He describes a process of direct communication, repentance, forgiveness that ultimately restores relationship:
Questions -
1) When someone hurts you, what does your process of forgiveness and reconciliation look like?
2) Do you think we grow in our relationship to others when we forgive or are forgiven, even if we have been hurt or have hurt them? Why or why not?
3) Does our criminal justice system mirror Jesus' vision for forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration in community? If so, how? If not, why not?
4) What could we change about the process of justice in our institutions in order to lead to deeper relationship and restoration of communities and people in our world?
5) Think of a time you forgave someone for something they did that hurt you. How did that act of forgiveness change your relationship with them?
Final Nugget -
Jesus is inviting us in this time to reframe how we think about justice in our relationships and communities, moving from punishment to restoration. Where do you see the opportunity to practice restorative justice in your life?
Stay and Pray: A Devotion for Families at the Close of the Day Each week we feature a way for your family to reflect and pray together. For families with older children this is an at home liturgy for your family to participate in together. It is a daily devotion for families adapted from The Book of Common Prayer.
Before you begin, take a few moments to decide who will read the scripture reading and who will read the collect and closing.
Read the Psalm and Lord's Prayer in unison.
After a moment of silence, begin with the Psalm.
Psalm 149
(read in unison)
1 Hallelujah!
Sing to the Lord a new song; *
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.
2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; *
let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his Name in the dance; *
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people *
and adorns the poor with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in triumph; *
let them be joyful on their beds.
6 Let the praises of God be in their throat *
and a two-edged sword in their hand;
7 To wreak vengeance on the nations *
and punishment on the peoples;
8 To bind their kings in chains *
and their nobles with links of iron;
9 To inflict on them the judgment decreed; *
this is glory for all his faithful people.
Hallelujah!
Reading
(read by assigned person)
Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus said, “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
Prayers for Ourselves and For Others (take this time to each offer one person/event that you would like to hold in prayer as well as one thing you are thankful for)
Dear God, tonight I ask your prayers for.......
and I give you thanks for ..........
Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
(read in unison)
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen
The Collect
(read by assigned person)
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Share some of your conversations in the comments below: