hamilton

Three stories.

• I know I am late to the story. I have paid very little attention to the musical "Hamilton". 
• I have also been reading Bruce Feiler's new book "The First Love Story: Adam Eve and Us". Adam and Eve leave the Garden, their son Cain kills their other son Abel. I can't imagine their pain.
• I have recently returned from Uganda, where I had the opportunity to connect to the ministry of I Live Again - Uganda. I heard many stories of deep pain and trauma. And saw our living out forgiveness is changing lives.

But the thing that links these three stories together is forgiveness. 

• In Uganda, forgiveness is the key to recovery from the trauma of war.
• In Genesis, forgiveness is at the heart of Adam and Eve's relationship and their relationship with God.
• In Hamilton, after Alexander has cheated on his wife and his son, Philip, has been killed in a duel, there is a song about imagination, commitment and ultimately an act of love to re-choose someone after a difficult time. Eliza is confronted with the “unimaginable” decision to forgive her husband’s acts of adultery and betrayal. “Unimaginable” because the audience still feels the heat of the incendiary curse she pronounced on her husband only moments prior:

You forfeit all rights to my heart
you forfeit the place in our bed …
I hope that you burn. 

But by the emotional climax of the musical, we find this moment of profound release and beauty:

There are moments that the words don’t reach
There is a grace too powerful to name
We push away what we can never understand
We push away the unimaginable 

They are standing in the garden 

Alexander by Eliza’s side 

She takes his hand 

 [ELIZA] 

It’s quiet uptown 

 [COMPANY (EXCEPT HAMILTON AND ELIZA)]

Forgiveness. Can you imagine?  

Forgiveness. Can you imagine? 

We are never told about Eliza’s thought process in moving from anger to forgiveness, not that explanations would help. Only that Eliza forgives. Can you imagine?

It's a powerful song - take a listen. But more than that, know that in Christ, there is forgiveness, know that in Christ, you can be forgiven, know that in Christ you can forgive.