THE BLESSING OF RECONCILIATION

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever experienced the blessing of reconciliation?

I hope you have because it’s one of the most beautiful things to witness and/or be a part of. Here’s my experience:

It was the year 1992 and I was in my third year after an emotionally painful divorce. My ship had adopted a local elementary school and Sailors could volunteer their time there by working with the children. I signed up and was assigned to assist two third grade classrooms, serving as a quasi-teacher’s assistant. My intent was to make a difference in the kids I would get to work with. Little did I know that the Lord had something else in store.

You see, one day as I was leaving the school building, I ran into the Assistant Principal, Ms. White, in the hallway outside of the school office. She was a beautiful, African American woman who was dressed professionally and had a pleasant personality and demeanor. We had met before just in passing but for whatever reason, our conversation became a little more personalized.

I remember that I had asked her if she had plans for the upcoming weekend and she stated she was going to see a movie. As beautiful as she was, I assumed she was going with someone else but still I asked her and, of course, she said she had a date. I’ll admit, I felt a little dumb at that moment but then Ms. White added, “I’m going with someone but he doesn’t know what direction he’s going” before getting summoned to the office by the P.A. system. I was left standing there to figure out what she meant by that last statement.

After that encounter, I left and couldn’t stop thinking about her and what she said. I was going to be in the building one more time before my ship got underway for six weeks and so if I was going to do something, it had to be fast. And so, I decided to send Ms. White flowers and ask her to go to dinner, wording the card so she would remember our conversation and know it was me because I didn’t want to put my name on it and then have someone question her about interaction with a school volunteer.

The next week, I followed my usual routine. I went to the school and walked to the two classes I worked with. If I didn’t see Ms. White then my efforts would have been for not but at least I tried. I finished my work without seeing her and then started to make the long walk down the hallway to exit the building when all of a sudden, she appeared. She walked up to me, checked to see if anyone was watching, and then said, “I loved the flowers you sent...and the answer is ‘Yes’”. We agreed to meet at a local restaurant the following evening and the dinner was amazing for both of us. We talked and talked, finally ordering dinner after several hours. There was obvious chemistry immediately and from that point on, Ms. White was Grace to me and I was Mark to her.

The next day, I went to sea and hated that I was leaving right after spending such wonderful time with Grace. After going to sea, I decided to tell my parents all about the special lady I was seeing and the conversation was going well until I mentioned Grace’s race and that didn’t go over well, much to my disappointment and anger. I was never brought up in a prejudicial environment and I was hurt finding out that there was a problem just because of the color of my girlfriend’s skin. My father stopped talking to me that day but my mother accepted things and embraced the relationship.

Undeterred by my father’s rejection, I proposed to Grace and we set a wedding date in December, just weeks after my return from deployment. The wedding was beautiful and my mother and sister came from Pennsylvania to attend. They joined most of Grace’s family (and she has a big family) who converged on Virginia from all parts east of the Mississippi. And with that, we began our life together with the Lord at the center of everything.

During our first year and a half of marriage, we made several trips to Pennsylvania to visit family there. Everyone would be excited about us coming except for my father of course who would conveniently be absent when we came. In the summer of 1994, things changed.

My sister contacted us and said the family was getting together for a reunion. My three sisters and brother would be there with their families and she wondered if we would like to come and I immediately asked how this was going to work with my father and his attitude toward us. She shared that my dad wanted to make things right and so Grace and I made the long trip north from Virginia to see family and my father for the first time since we got married.

When we arrived at the house, Grace asked me to go in first and so I did. As I walked through the front door, my father immediately started to weep uncontrollably, saying he was sorry. I had never seen him that distraught before. I sat beside him, put my arm around him, and told him in was okay, that I loved and forgave him. He didn’t understand how I could feel that way after the way he had acted and I shared with him how Jesus loves and forgives those who don’t really deserve it, even saving them, and if He could forgive those whose sins led to His suffering and death, then we can forgive one another.

Next, Grace came in and met my father for the first time. My dad wept even harder this time but Grace showed him the same love and forgiveness I did. It’s just one of the reasons why I always tag her first name with the word “Amazing” as she is a special woman in the Lord Jesus Christ.

You know, after that powerful day of forgiveness, a day when the blessing of reconciliation was on full display, my father treated Grace like she was one of his daughters, loving her unconditionally. But that wasn’t the most amazing part of this true story. The truly incredible outcome was that my dad gave his life to Jesus and attended church faithfully every Sunday from 1994 until he passed away in 2011, saved by the blood of the Lamb and destined for eternal life.

In the end translation, the Lord wasn’t just working to reconcile my father to Grace and I. Rather, He was trying to reconcile my father to Himself and He used Grace and me as instruments to make that happen.

Now this wonderful memory came rushing to the forefront as I read today’s scripture verses. For through these words, we are reminded of God’s redeeming, reconciling work through Jesus, His Son. Look again at these words from the Apostle Paul as he wrote to the church in Corinth:

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. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Paul just finished talking about how a person is made a new creation when they accept Jesus as Savior, a transformation made possible by a God who “reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” as He was “reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them”.

We only know and understand the true blessing of reconciliation through remembering how God reconciled all sinners to Himself through Christ Jesus and it was this “message of reconciliation” that the Lord committed to Paul just as He commits it to us today. It’s a message that all Christians should be ready to share, a vital component of the Gospel message.

For reconciliation with God was made available to all people because of Jesus. All one needs to do to receive it is believe.

Thanks be to God for His willingness to forgive us and offer His Son as an atoning sacrifice to cover our sins and save us. I’m so thankful my father accepted that offer after experiencing the blessing of reconciliation first hand.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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