Hi First Presbyterian!
It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I love what the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19: “God reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.”
What is reconciliation? It is the restoring or repairing of broken relationships. What causes relationships to break? Some relationships may become only “cracked” or “chipped” and not fully broken by an inconsiderate action, a poor choice of words, or a miscommunication. Some relationships may become fully broken through betrayal, deception, an abuse of power, self-centeredness, or violence. All our relationships become broken at some point through death, which is the ultimate loss.
Given the nature and extent of the brokenness of our relationships, what could it possibly mean that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation? I think it’s important to see that Paul grounds the responsibility for reconciliation that we have in the act of reconciliation God carried out in Christ, saying, “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself.”
What does Christ show us about reconciliation? In a practical sense, Jesus taught and demonstrated in his life the importance of offering forgiveness and loving even our enemies. In a theological sense, Jesus shows us through the cross that reconciliation is indeed possible. Think about it. Death is the ultimate breaking of a relationship; yet through his death and resurrection, Jesus shows us that even death – even our own death – is not the end. The resurrection of Jesus promises that those who are in Christ have the hope of resurrection for themselves, which means we also have the hope that our relationships broken by death will be restored. The same power that makes the resurrection of Jesus possible – which is the power of the Holy Spirit – is also at work in our lives on this side of our resurrection. If the Holy Spirit can restore relationships broken by death, then surely the Holy Spirit can help us restore relationships broken by miscommunication, inconsiderate actions, betrayal, deception, or self-centeredness!
Researchers tell us that the pandemic is creating an environment where relationships are breaking at an alarming rate. You probably don’t need researchers to convince you of that. You may be seeing it play out in your own life recently. Let me encourage you to believe in the power of reconciliation – it is the power of resurrection! Broken relationships result in a dead end. There is nothing on the other side of it except hurt and pain. However, just like resurrection, the power of reconciliation results in life and newness!
Just like we see in the cross, there is an element of sacrifice that must go into achieving reconciliation. To me, that means being willing to take the first step yourself. When a relationship is broken, it is very easy to see what the “other person” did to break things. We may even be justified in thinking, “They ought to take the first step in repairing this!” However, through the cross Jesus shows us that sometimes taking the first step, whether or not the “fault” lies with us, is the only way to achieve reconciliation. Likewise, if we are waiting around for someone else to take the first step, we may be doing ourselves and others a disservice. Taking the first step can be very hard. But life, hope, and peace may be waiting for you on the other side.
Peace to you,
Pastor Neff