Tuesday, March 25 ~ Unity Through Reconciliation

~~Romans 5:10-11
For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

~~Very few individuals have any real understanding of what it’s like to have an enemy. For the most part, it would only be those who have served in the military in times of war. There have been times in our nation's history where we are at odds with others…like any election cycle these days. Race is always something that continues to rear up, usually just when we start to believe we have come so far.  The world recently laid to rest Nelson Mandela. While issues of race caused rioting and anger here in the U.S., South Africa was at war. Generations of wrong-doing and retaliations made it impossible to even begin to think towards reconciliation. But the book of Romans tells us differently…and Mandela's legacy of walking in faith lets us know for certain there is always room for reconciliation… if we truly want it. But we cannot be reconciled to God if we are not reconciled to one another.  Anger and hatred carried in the heart is equivalent to bricks in a wall of separation, or stumbling blocks on the road to redemption. The unity of God's people depends upon transformed hearts and minds. Hearts and minds transform through acts of reconciliation. And acts of reconciliation lead to our union with God and unity with one another…and all of this is made possible through the forgiveness offered us through Christ. Forgiving another is easier when we are fully aware of the forgiveness we have received even though we were not worthy.   Reconciliation, unity and forgiveness are things we have to decide on daily…just as is the choice to be a follower of Christ.
Reverend Tracy Parker