Christmas has a unique power to reunite families, drawing people back to shared tables and old traditions. Yet this gathering also exposes old wounds, resurrects buried conflicts, and tests relationships strained by time and hurt. The season's emphasis on peace and goodwill creates pressure to reconcile, but genuine forgiveness cannot be manufactured by holiday sentiment. It requires the supernatural grace that flows from remembering how much Christ has forgiven us. Paul's instruction grounds forgiveness not in our feelings or the offender's worthiness, but in the stunning reality of Christ's forgiveness toward us—complete, unearned, and freely given while we were still His enemies.

In 2015, a white supremacist named Dylann Roof entered the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, during a Bible study. He was welcomed, given a seat, and handed a Bible. After sitting with the group for an hour, he opened fire, killing nine people including the senior pastor, Clementa Pinckney. The nation reeled in shock and grief. But at Roof's bond hearing just two days later, family members of the victims stood to address him. One by one, through tears, they spoke words that stunned the courtroom: "I forgive you." Nadine Collier, whose mother Ethel Lance was killed, said directly to Roof, "You took something very precious from me. I will never talk to her again. I will never, ever hold her again. But I forgive you. And have mercy on your soul." Their forgiveness was not weakness or denial of justice—it was supernatural grace flowing from the cross. As one family member explained, "We are the family of God. We have to forgive." Their Christlike response became a powerful witness to a divided nation.

Prayer: Merciful Savior, You forgave those who crucified You. Teach us to forgive as You forgave us. Where bitterness has taken root, plant Your grace. Where relationships are broken, bring Your healing. Let this Christmas be marked by forgiveness that flows from Calvary. Amen.