Monday, 4 August, 2003

We continue a brief walk with some material on reconciliation by Walter Wink.



Those who are in Christ, (the Apostle Paul says), are a new creation, because God has take the initiative, through Christ, to reconcile us. “In Christ, God was reconciling the world to Godself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us” (2 Corinthians 5:19, author’s translation). As Jan Milic Lochman notes, katalassein (to reconcile) here is used only of God, katallagenai (to be reconciled) only of humanity. God is not reconciled. We are. All we contribute is our response, by becoming ambassadors of reconciliation. That means that we must initiate the reconciliatory process, not wait for the former oppressor to take the first step. Such acts of reconciliation cannot, however, be demanded of anyone; they can only be initiated by the parties involved, responding, consciously or unconsciously, to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.



Everything has the opportunity to be new…in Christ. We are called a new creation because the power of the Holy Spirit makes all things new. Therefore, the way we would expect to act…is no longer an expectation. We act in the way of the new creation in which all are reconciled by God and become agents of reconciliation. The tough part about being an agent or ambassador of reconciliation is that we cannot simply talk about it…we are it! That’s why we say we follow the way of the cross. For being agents of reconciliation means we may just find ourselves left out to dry in the hot sun on a bloody cross for the welfare of others…even our enemies. And yet, there is a promise of new life beyond our imagination within the reconciling responses of the followers of Jesus.



Connection: Live. Live within the power of that reconciliation that changes the course of all things.



Lord of New Life, you bring us into this day and we are called to face life as though you live through us. As the body of Christ in the world, lead us into this new life and the concrete actions of your loving Reign. Amen