Locked in a Room with Open Doors

By Ann Kuffner 

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free. And then you discover that the prisoner is yourself.” (Lewis Smedes)

Forgiveness is a slippery concept. The work of forgiving requires great courage. Given that there are so many unhelpful ideas about forgiveness, it’s a wonder that anyone ventures down this road. Yet it is one of the most essential processes to maintaining healthy relationships.

There are some basic components to the practice of forgiveness. This sermon will explore forgiveness, what it looks like, some steps you can take, and how to apply them.  

Mark Johaningsmeir is an ordained United Methodist minister. Before retiring he served congregations in Minnesota and Colorado. 

Johaningsmeir first came to Mexico in the early 1990s and fell in love with the people and the culture. Every year after that, in the dead of winter, he’d leave his home in the land of snow and ice to escape to a land of color and exuberance. He explains, “I was like Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ when it changed from black and white to technicolor.”

In 2006 Johaningsmeir moved to Mexico initially living in Guanajuato. In 2010 he met Judith Jenya. They fell in love and he moved to San Miguel. Judith and Mark married and built a house in Mexiquito, where they now care for several dogs, cats, and a pond full of koi. He became a UU Fellowship San Miguel member and got involved. He has assisted in many Sunday services. 

Unitarian Universalism is a liberal faith inviting its community to gather around a set of harmonizing values and principles for living. Our UU Fellowship welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientations, and gender identities. Belief in a divinity is not the central issue around which we gather for worship and generous action. Rather, we come together with a belief in community, love, compassion, social justice, reverence for nature, and the spirituality of music, all within the interconnected web of existence.

UUFSMA donates generously to support nonprofit organizations that provide health, educational, and environmental services for underserved communities in the San Miguel region. Please support this work by clicking on the website home page Donate button. 

To participate in our online Sunday Service, visit www.uufsma.org and click on the Zoom Service button on the home page. If requested, enter password 294513. Sign in from anywhere Sunday mornings between 10:15-10:25am.

Enjoy previous services at https://www.youtube.com/UUFSMA.

In addition to continuing live Zoom services, UUFSMA has returned to in-person Sunday services. Masks are optional, but a distanced area is reserved for those preferring. UUFSMA meets at the Hotel Posada de la Aldea, Ancha San Antonio 15.