Thursday 20 March 2014

Thursday - reconciliation

Romans 5:  10-11  … we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Throughout our history of the Christian Church  the word "reconciliation"  ebbs and flows.   Some decades the Church focussed upon reconciliation and in other decades,  reconciliation was a forgotten word.   Jean Calvin  stated that all Presbytery meetings have a time of reconciliation.    In this decade,  our Church is involved in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada with First Nations peoples.  This is a nation wide commission of reconciliation.   Yet what about our local churches?   Do we have  a time each Sunday during worship for reconciliation?  What about in our daily lives?   Reconciliation has a three part focus:  conversion,  confession,  celebration.     First we have to acknowledge and identify that we have wronged and been wronged (conversion).  Next we seek and ask God's forgiveness as well as the party we have injured in thought,  word, or deed.  Then there is a big celebration (Lord's  Supper)  knowing that we are forgiven and our hearts are cleansed.... and who doesn't like cake... :)
   
What does the word “reconciliation” mean to you?    Does  love, peace, and justice have anything to do with reconciliation?

Prayer:  Great God,  we rejoice that through Jesus Christ our Lord,  we have been reconciled and forgiven.  Amen.

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