Jesus connects the mission of the church, the reception of the Holy Spirit, and forgiveness. He makes forgiveness what the church, the community of disciples, does in the world.
Forgiveness is reconciliation, the beginning of intimacy with God. That relationship saves us, by degrees, to become the love that has saved us.
Most of us spend our lives trying to search out the dimmest light. We want to be noticed, but not too clearly. Watch the video of Scott Kisker and Kevin Watson discussing the band meeting.
Could it be that the problem facing the church is much larger and more significant than has typically been realized? Maybe the simplest way to put it is that we are all addicts.