2 Corinthians 5:17-20
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 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. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Confession: Like a good preacher, I cribbed the title for this essay from another pastor. I am such a good pastor. I can not recall their name or where they were from, but I remember that the title made me think about what I smell like spiritually.
Do I smell like springtime flowers or the skunk that sprayed my dog a few years back?
Is my attitude and life focused on the things of God?
Or am I just going through the motions of being a good church member?
At one time or another, we have walked with Christ and away from Christ. We all have played the fool, and the messes that we made have had consequences, but do not damn us to a life without Christ. Jesus uses the same road we walked away from him to bring us back through the ministry of reconciliation. We need to share this ministry with our brothers and sisters who walk this road with us.
Although we may feel like it, we are never alone—the opportunity to be in sweet communion with Christ and our community is ever present.
The Apostle Paul experienced community in every city and town that would have him. He poured into those communities the power of Christ that he had experienced on the road to Damascus and his three years in the wilderness, pressing into the presence of Christ.
If we are not moving and growing in our relationship with Christ, we are walking away.
The key to staying on the path is a daily surrender to Christ in our word, action, deed, and character.
This summer, God has been speaking to me. The word that has come is pause. That is all I know, and that is enough for me. As I walk with you as your pastor, I would ask just one thing: pray that God and God's son, Jesus, is so present in my life and witness that I glow with grace, gratitude, and healing. This season of faith’s perfection is the time for us to practice the ministry of reconciliation; to do that, Christ must be real to us. We don't have to go very far to encounter Jesus—just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and if you can't trust one another just yet, trust Jesus to take your hand and walk with you.
God Bless,
Rev. Daniel Bradley
Comments