Reconciliation Part 1

2 Corinthians 5:16-21
When I was studying this scripture it took me back to my childhood. As a child growing up in North Philadelphia, I loved the holidays. I would mark each day on the calendar. See I would eager wait for Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. It was not the presents or the gifts I was looking forward too; it was not the new clothes; it was not seeing family I had not seen for along time; it was not the days off from school that had me so looking forward to these holidays. See I was not one of those kids who enjoyed missing school, because if I missed school I missed the breakfast and lunch. I loved these holidays simply for the food. See the holidays were the time of year where there was a guarantee of something to eat. We would all travel to some relative’s house whether it is a Grand mom’s or Aunt Pam’s. There would be tables of food all over the dining room. We would get our plates and go around to each table. Each table would have a group of a certain type of food; you would have a table with your greens, and string beans. Tables with different salads, potatoes, garden, coleslaw, you would have your table with all the breads and deserts. Then you would have the table with all my favorites…….. the meat. My plate would be full by this time so I would have to chose one meat and just come back later for some of the others.

Reconciliation
- As I was praying and asking God for a word, He gave me one, and only one that word was reconciliation. This morning as we look at our biblical text, I feel like I did on those holidays back in North Philadelphia, when I saw all of my favorite dishes. There is so much richness to this text that I simply can’t even begin to serve all of it to you. I am sure there is something here for you not only to chew on, but to also digest. I am going to skip the appetizers and get right to the main course. Jesus did not die just for our sins to be removed. According to the text we just read Jesus not only for the cleansing our sins, but also so that we may be reconciled to God. Reconciliation means the removal of hostility and the restoration of harmony in a relationship. It means that the wall separating the hostile parties has been broken down; the breach between them has been healed. Reconciliation is God’s way of bringing us back into right fellowship with him. Its God’s way of bringing us back to where we belong. We can say that when Adam sinned he declared WAR on God, because sin is rebellion and rebellion is like war. What was a relationship of harmony became a relationship of hostility.