“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” – 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

I find it very empowering to think that I have been given a “ministry of reconciliation.” To believe this, as Paul suggests, we as Christians must view Christ not as simply a sacrificial lamb, but as the one through whom God reconciled the world to himself. If we are, therefore, to live Christ-like lives, we must view ourselves as well as Jesus not from a human point of view, but as new creations born of that reconciliation. To become “the righteousness of God” seems well beyond my spiritual pay grade. But to be an ambassador for Christ? That seems possible.

Lord, thank you for entrusting the message of reconciliation to us through the example of Jesus. Being an “ambassador for Christ” seems daunting, but you remind us that in Christ, all things become new. Amen.
-Michael Boss

“Therefore if any person is in Christ, they are a new creature; the old has passed away; behold, new things have come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

My first car was a 1960 Rambler Rebel. I think it cost me about $100, and the only thing memorable about the vehicle was the dash-mounted push buttons for the automatic transmission. The car lasted me for just over a year. I became an expert on changing tires, as nothing I could afford to put onto the rims would hold air for much more than a week. I learned to block the wheels when changing tires because, on more than one occasion, the parking brakes failed to hold. The car would roll off the jack, which would then spin in my hand around the jack-handle like an airplane propeller. On the 4th of July, 1970, I was out with friends getting ready to enjoy the fireworks on the north end of Seattle when the engine under the hood caught fire. Apparently, the wiring harness shorted and ignited the grease, oil, and filth that had been holding the engine together. That was the end of that. My first car had gone the way of mortal metal; I sent it off to a salvage yard.

Salvage. Saving that which is of value. That’s what the word means. Although the demise of my first car meant I was going to have to find something else in which to roll, it had served me well and faithfully. It taught me to leave early. To this day I don’t go anywhere without inserting enough time to change a flat tire while en route.

I believe that when we are “in Christ” we are in something far more faithful than any bucket of bolts. What’s more, it is Christ behind the wheel. It is Christ with Triple-A (“A” for “Angelic”) Road Service to take care of emergencies along the way. I never have to sweat the details, for Christ takes care of the details. Even when I am doing “good” things, it is Christ working in and through me, and for that reason, I find it is well with my soul.

God, I look in the mirror and recognize a deflated ego. I know it is mostly dirt and grime holding what’s left of this life together, and yet it is well with my soul, for you are behind the wheel. Your brakes hold. Your jack works. You salvage all that is of value, and that (amazingly) includes me! I thank you from the bottom of my crankshaft. Amen.
-Fr. Keith Axberg

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” – 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

As a tutor at Skagit Valley College, one of the things I have to do with my Accounting 201 students is teach them how to do a bank reconciliation. To do it, you take the cash ledger and the bank statement for that period and try to make the final numbers on the documents agree. (You can also do it with your check register and your bank statement.) It is something that gives students a lot of trouble if they are not used to paying attention to details, and I frequently have students giving me blank looks when I ask them if a certain number appears in both the ledger and the bank statement. Eventually, through comparing the two documents, we find deposits that are in transit and outstanding checks (debits and credits in the ledger) that need to be reflected in the bank statement balance. On the bank statement, we must find the various bank charges and interest income that are not reflected in the ledger. Eventually, we do come to the correct balance that agrees with the contents of both the ledger and the bank statement.

According to the Apostle Paul, we are in the business of reconciliation. We are having to do something much more complex than a bank reconciliation – we are having to help reconcile our lives to God’s standard. Our sin is something that is impossible to reconcile for us alone, which is why God sent Jesus to die. His death in our place serves as that missing piece that reconciles us to God. We also are called to help others find those missing pieces to reconcile their lives to God. That might be helping them to understand the love of God, or it might mean helping people rid their lives of things that are hurting them. Either way, we share in an important ministry.

Gracious God, we thank you that you reconciled us to you through Jesus dying on the Cross. Help us to help others do the things needed to be reconciled to You. Amen.
-Jen McCabe

“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.” –2 Corinthians 5:20

St. Paul just won’t let us get away with simply occupying a seat at the game. He wants us in the game. Watching others from a quiet place on the sidelines is just not enough. Christ’s actions have made us – the “anyone who is in Christ” – a new creation. And now we are ambassadors.

And all around us are sisters and brothers who, reconciled to God through Christ, are taking their part. Ambassadors.
There are many kinds of services. Whether we are washing each other’s feet or listening to another’s heart-felt story or feeding the world’s hungry or praying for healing or whatever ministry you and I are called to, we have our assignment. We are ambassadors for Christ. It’s a noble calling.

Dear Lord, as we are your ambassadors to the world we live in, please bless us with discernment and the desire to serve you as you have served us. Amen.
-Tom Worrell

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation…” – 2 Corinthians 5:18

In 1966, when I first began teaching, corporal punishment was still widely employed in schools in Oklahoma. I took a misbehaving 6th grade boy to the principal and was horrified when I had to be the witness for his paddling. I vowed then and there to avoid taking any more students to that principal, and, if I ever became a principal, to find alternatives to physical punishment.

In 1972, we moved to Terre Haute, Indiana where Ron had a position as a reference librarian at Indiana State University. There’s a federal prison in Terre Haute, and Mike had been there for several years on drug charges. He was on a release program to take classes at Indiana State University and had lots of questions for the reference librarian. Soon, Ron was inviting him over for meals to meet me and our two young sons. He romped and played with the boys, and more importantly, introduced me to the concept of “restorative justice.” Mike was completing community service hours as a part of his re-entry program.

Fast forward to 1984, when we had returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma and I became a principal at Park Elementary. When I went to meet the retiring principal, he had a paddle hanging on the wall of his office. After almost 20 years, not much had changed with corporal punishment in Oklahoma.

The teachers, who were still using corporal punishment, were initially a little surprised when the students they sent to the office would come back with a plan to make right the offense they had committed. I was determined to implement the practice of reconciliation and restorative justice in my dealings with students. As a new principal, I had been told to listen, learn, and not change anything the first year. However, the teachers were intrigued and began to ask questions. Soon we were involved in studying the tenets of reconciliation and discussing ways to implement them throughout the building.

My ministry at that time, “administration” allowed the opportunity to implement reconciliation in place of punishment for our students. It was, indeed, well with my soul.

Thank you, God, for reconciling us to you through Christ and for giving us the ministry of reconciliation. Help us to follow your lead as we help heal and restore the world. Amen.
-Cathey Frederick

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

I have been utterly amazed at the ability and faithfulness of God in making me new. No matter what stage of my life and what difficulties I have been in, God has the right answer for what I need. A new mentor, a different job, anything. I have learned to focus on God’s new plan.

Dear God, help us all to focus on Your plans. Amen.
-Barb Cheyney