Author name: The Rev. Ryan Wiksell

Jesus clearly believes that we will be held accountable, on some level, for the destructive choices we make. And Colin Tipping would agree, as would Rob Bell. The reality is, if we fear that our forgiveness will erase someone else’s accountability, then we need to look closer at what it actually means to forgive.

We were created to live forever, delighting in our creator, in each other and in ourselves. Just like those otters were created to splash and play, we were hardwired from the beginning with that “genuine mutual love” that Peter writes about. That was our “imperishable seed”… but we didn’t want it.

Jesus was plagued with cynics, but Thomas wasn’t one of them. Doubting Thomas used his doubt to dig deeper, to seek the Truth, come whence it may, cost what it will. But in his quest for the Truth, notice that Thomas wasn’t trying to prove a hypothesis, or win a bet. He wasn’t looking for data. He was looking for Jesus.

The story of the Chiefs in Kansas City has been like a movie over the past generation, wouldn’t you say? And it’s a movie lots of people tried to walk out of.