Forth-giving, forgiveness

I read a little Walt Wangerin, Jr. this morning at my friend Kevan Chandler's house. The collection of stories is called "Ragman" and I recommend picking it up. The title story is only two and a half pages long and you'll likely be crying by the end of it. Later in the book is a letter written to Walt's brother Greg on the occasion of Greg's marriage. Two things

Walt said that struck me:

Firstly, Vows are unchangeable things in the midst of constantly changing circumstances. We always breath out a shaft of clear light into a strange unknown when we make a vow to love another person. We never really know all that it means. We cannot know. Mystery. Meaning and implication are too much to grasp. We choose to love because love is true, we lay down our lives like Jesus not because we really understand what we are doing, but because it is the only True thing to do.

Secondly, Forgiveness is the most important part of a marriage. I can't help but notice that this word is made out of the word 'to give'. Forgiveness means "forward-giving" or "forth-giving", to give forth. When hurt, fear, sin, selfishness, or any other means of division has brought brokenness and we've withdrawn ourselves from each other, forgiveness is how we give-forth our love again. It's the only way we can draw near in love after the divorcing power of sin.

God has forth-given his love to us after we were taken from him by sin and selfishness. Jesus walked toward us and into our sin, through it to kill it on the Cross, and gave himself to us. Forth-giving. Forgiveness.

We have been removed even from ourselves by sin! God has purchased us. The Son has given the children back to the Father and the Father brings forth the healed Bride and gives her to the Son. Likewise God is forth-giving us back to ourselves. Because he has forgiven us, we can forgive ourselves. No longer must we be divided and at war within, living in guilt, regret, hatred or bitterness.

God gives us back to himself, gives us back to ourselves, and we imitate. We give ourselves back to him and to others. We forth-give our love to others when in unforgiveness we had removed our love from them. And here's a last mystery: even we participate in the giving of others back to themselves when we forgive.

Never withhold love. It is for giving.

Reproach, Approach, Reconciliation

When the Israelites finally entered the promised land God said he was 'removing the reproach of Egypt from them'. (Joshua 5:9-12) Here are some definitions of reproach (which is related to reprobate):

reproach (n.)
c.1420, from O.Fr. reproche (12c.), from reprocher "to blame, bring up against," said by some Fr. etymologists to be from V.L. *repropiare, from L. re- "opposite of" + prope "near." But others suggest *reprobicare, from L. reprobus/reprobare (see reprobate). The verb is attested from c.1489.

reprobate (adj.)
1540s, "rejected as worthless," from L.L. reprobatus, pp. of reprobare "disapprove, reject, condemn," from L. re- "opposite of, reversal of previous condition" + probare "prove to be worthy" (see probate). The noun is recorded from 1540s, "one rejected by God." Sense of "abandoned or unprincipled person" is from 1590s. Earliest form of the word in English was a verb, meaning "to disapprove" (early 15c.).

This word has a sense of a lack of relational proximity, of being unwanted, blamed, undesired, worthless. The Israelites were a people who were not wanted or valued. As they enter the promised land God removes that reproach. Have you ever thought about what it would feel like to hear this from God? It's like he's saying to them, "No one wanted you and everyone thought Egypt was so fantastic, right? I am the real God, think about it, who am I with? You or Egypt? I love you Israel."

Then in the New Testament 2 Cor 5:16-21 we are told we have been reconciled to God through Christ and are now given the message of reconciliation.

Reconciliation is a neat word. Check this out. Reconcile comes from conciliate which comes from council. Check out the etymology of council:

council
early 12c., from Anglo-Norm. cuncile, from O.N.Fr. concilie, from L. concilium "group of people, meeting," from com- "together" + calare "to call". Tendency to confuse it in form and meaning with counsel has been consistent since 16c.

So reconcile has in it a sense of having been 'called' out of separation and into attachment. There's an element of proclamation. The people of God were an unloved, unwanted, people of reproach in Egypt. But there has been a proclamation of reconciliation. God wants relational proximity, loving nearness. Watch this: instead of reproach we have approach. God removes reproach with his own approach and call of reconciliation. You are loved, wanted. Didn't he prove his love? When did he die for us? While we were sinners, slaves, unwanted, unloved, under reproach. That is when he approached us and called us together in attachment to himself.

Now we call out on his behalf to those who live under reproach. Now we approach them. We call them to gather with us with the true God who does want them to be near him through Jesus' loving work- his own death for reprobates.

ps. Want to know what the cooooooolest site ever is? www.etymonline.com
pps. Yes, I'm a word-dork.