“All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19 NIV)
According to Charles Wesley, reconciliation is… the message of Christmas:
Hark the herald angels sing,
peace on earth, and
mercy mild,
God and sinners
reconciled!”
Jesus came that we might be reconciled to God, and Paul states explicitly that God has called us to share in this ministry of reconciliation. However, there is a word of warning to all would-be reconcilers. True reconciliation is hard work. It takes commitment. It takes unswerving tenacity. The cost to God’s only Son was high. We should refuse to settle for cheap imitations…
As we celebrate Christmas, will we laud and honor Jesus, affirming that He is God incarnate [reconciling the world to Himself] and proclaiming the Good News to others? Will we continue to wait expectantly for His return, living as holy people until the time God appoints for the Second Coming? We as individual believers and as the body of Christ must decide how we will answer these questions, remembering that our answers have eternal significance.
-- Adapted from Kevin Baker in “Hail the Heaven Born” and the companion Leader Guide
#6008
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