Lent
March 29, 2019
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
All this is from God, who 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, God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. –2 Corinthians 5:18-21
God entrusted the message of reconciliation to us. This expectation could not be clearer. So why are we so divided? Why do we seem to work harder at doing Christ’s job of judging people rather than our assignment of reconciling people? What does reconciliation include?
The Greek word translated as reconciliation here, katallassó*, has three descriptions. It was originally used for the exchange of coins; properly, to change, exchange (especially of money); hence, of persons, to change from enmity to friendship. It is applied to marriage partners (1 Cor 7:11), but usually in the redemptive sense of a sinner reconciling to the Lord. And, finally, decisively change, as when two parties reconcile when coming (“changing”) to the same position.
The Identity Statement of my faith group. The Christian Church’s (Disciples of Christ), speaks to its ministry of reconciliation: We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one body of Christ we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us**. We as participants in this group commit ourselves to this identity. My guess is that most faith groups have some similar statement. The challenge is how do we make it real?
The definitions above provide some guidance. The first speaks to economic justice getting a fair return on one’s investment which plays out in moving from enmity to friendship. The second definition takes it further than friendship comparing reconciliation to the covenantal relationship of marriage which is used Biblically to illustrate our redemptive state in relationship to a loving, forgiving God. The last step takes the personal relationships of friendship, marriage, and God’s redemption to the community level where people work to find common ground for the Common Good.
We live is a diverse culture where many faith groups exist, and many people live who practice no faith at all. That was true of first century Galilee and Israel. Jesus intersected with them all, loved them all, and set the standard for how we are to live in our diverse world today seeking reconciliation.
Prayer: Make us all reconcile-rs as we let go of the need to judge others and learn to love them. Amen.
*https://biblehub.com/greek/2644.htm
**https://disciples.org/our-identity/