"From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way...So we are ambassadors for Christ, since 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 5:16-21).
Paul calls us to be Ambassadors of God, who are as Dirk Lange puts it, "called out to the streets (ambassadors do not stay in their own countries)...to become a ferment of hope in the place God has given it, letting God's future break into the world." As ambassadors of God, we are not merely administers of God's grace and love, but first we are recipients. For we too are broken people. But as we are redeemed back into God's righteousness through Jesus Christ we are called to follow his lead; called to work for God and for others. We best way to follow Christ is to "encounter Christ in the other;" in the caring for the neighbor I don't really know, in the loneliness of person sitting next to me that I have yet to smile at, in the strength of the stranger who walks past me on the street in need of an extra hand. Yet how many times do we struggle to see Christ in the crying baby, in the drunken beggar, in the frightened refugee, in all those who living in the brokenness, whether or not their tears are visible. The season of Lent can be a vicous struggle, but it's not suppose to be easy. It's purpose is to redirect our point of view from focusing on ourselves to grow in our love for God and our neighbor. Paul reminds us that our righteousness comes to us through Christ whom reconciled us back to God. To be claimed by him means we are called to pick up our own cross and follow the way he sees God's righteousness in the strangers and aliens. In other words, we are called to be the face of Christ for others to see and do likewise. Comments are closed.
|
Ian MacdonaldAn ex-copywriter turned punk rock pastor and peacemaker who dedicates his life to making the world a better place for all humanity. "that they all might be one" ~John 17:21“Prius vita quam doctrina.”
~ St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) * “Life is more important than doctrine.”
Archives
October 2024
|