Resurrection is Just the Beginning

Easter 2019
Based on John 20:1-18
First delivered Easter 2013
Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr


            The scripture passage this morning is full of movement. Early in the morning, Mary walked to the tomb where Jesus was. When she saw the stone rolled away and the tomb empty, she ran back to tell the disciples. Then Peter and John run to the tomb. They look and see and walk back to their homes. All this movement in the first few verses.

            But then the movement stops. Peter and John walked home, but Mary stayed. She lingered at the tomb. Have you ever experienced a time where you find yourself just sitting, not able to leave? Perhaps it was after a game, and it was a season-ending defeat. Your team had been so close, but fell short. And as other fans shuffled out of their seats and out of the arena, you just sat there in numb silence. You weren’t quite ready to leave. The news breaks of a terrorist attack, hundreds of people dead. You turn on the TV and see it on the news and they keep playing the same information over and over, but you stay glued to the set. You can’t get off the couch and go about your day. You have to linger.

            Mary was not ready to go home. She was not ready to go on about her day. She needed to stay awhile at the grave of her friend, her Lord, the grave that was empty, desecrated by grave robbers. She had to take another look. But this time she saw something she hadn’t seen before. The tomb was not empty. There were two angels in there. One was sitting at the head, and the other at the foot, of the stone slab where Jesus once was.

            Do you know there is another instance of a stone slab with two angels on either end in the Bible? In the ancient Jewish temple, in the Holy of Holies, there was a slab. And on that slab was the Ark of the Covenant. Inside that ark was the two tablets of the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God, a plate with manna, and a stick that always was budding called the rod of Aaron. And on either side of the ark there was fashioned out of gold two angels, facing toward the ark, with their wings touching above the ark, bowing in reverence.

            I wonder if Mary thought about that image, as she looked in on that slab where the two angels were sitting on each end. In this tomb, that once was the holy of holies, for God in the flesh had been there. But now, the ark of the covenant is gone. The presence of God has left this place.

            And so Mary turns away. She turns her back on the tomb. Perhaps she is also turning her back on her religion. She saw those angels, she saw an image that brought to mind the symbols of her faith, of the Holy of Holies. But the memories, the symbols, didn’t remove her pain, her despair, her sense of loss. All of her hope in God was dashed. Her religion, her faith, had failed her. So she turned her back on all of it as she continues to weep, filled with great sorrow and a broken heart.

            But then she saw someone. It never occurred to her that it was Jesus. How could it be? Jesus was gone. His body spirited away. Filled with grief, she begged the gardener for information, to tell her where the body might be, if he saw anything.

            And then the gardener caller her by name, “Mary.” And then she knew. Hope beyond hope! The one who fed the 5,000, who walked on water, who cast out demons and healed the blind and crippled, the one who called a man four days dead out of the tomb, had raised himself and was alive again! Imagine how quickly she went from deep despair, having given up on her faith, on her religion, on God, to suddenly being filled with joy and wonder, that even death can’t hold God back. What indescribable joy. None of us can relate to how Mary felt at that moment, from despair to joy in a flash. And she bows down before him, grabbing at his feet to hold on to him. He has left her once, by God he is not going to leave her again. So she clings to Jesus. She is content to stay right there with him. No one is going anywhere.

            But what does Jesus say? “Don’t cling to me. Let me go.” How hard that must have been to hear. She has him back and now he tells her to let him go? I suppose he had to tell her more than once, perhaps even reaching down to pry her hands off of him. Jesus can’t stay outside the tomb. Instead, he says these amazing words: “I must ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Jesus has to go. He has to return to his Heavenly Father. He must ascend.

            Let’s stay with this for a minute and reflect on what Jesus is saying to Mary. Jesus, the Son of God, descended from heaven on to the earth and took on human form. That is, God became human. The Creator became part of creation. The potter became a pot. And he suffered and died, like all of us. But then he rose from the dead and is alive again. That is why we are here today, celebrating the resurrection.

            But Jesus rising from the dead is not the climax of the story. Even though we celebrate it with all of our songs and special music and flowers and all that we do on Easter, there is more to it than just Jesus rising from the dead. He does more. His resurrection is just the beginning. Jesus must ascend. And he ascends as a human being. He came down and became human, but he does not leave his human body here on earth. He ascends bodily to heaven. He remains fully human as he ascends back to his Father, to sit by His side. That’s the greatest news that sometimes we miss. In fact, this is what Jesus tells Mary to relate to the disciples. He doesn’t say, “Go back and tell them I am alive.” He says, “Go back and tell them that I am ascending.” That’s the good news that she is to relate.

            And Jesus said he is ascending “to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Jesus’ father is now Mary’s father. And if they share the same father, then Mary is now Jesus’ sister, and he is her big brother. Do you see what has changed? Where this is heading? Not only has Jesus defeated the power of death, but by returning to heaven as one of us, in some mysterious way a new humanity is coming forth, a new creation. In Jesus the divine and human gap is closed. One of our own is now in heaven with the Father. And one day, we too will join Jesus, our big brother, in the heavens with our Father, our God. For as Jesus ascends to heaven, so we will too one day. And on that day, we will be able to cling to Jesus, to embrace him and be embraced by him.

            So on this day, we celebrate more than the resurrection and the defeat of death. We celebrate the beginning of new creation, of a new order, where all things are being made new. Our decay and death now leads for us to new life, new creation. Not only will we rise from the dead, but we will also ascend and be with the Father and the Son through the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. This is our hope. This is our destiny. And as Mary ran back to tell the disciples, so we can share with others this great hope, that death leads to new life, that despair will be turned to joy, that weeping will be changed to laughter, and all of us, as sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters to each other, Jesus Christ being our elder brother, will be together in a new Eden, an eternal spring. For the power of God is doing this. Alleluia! Amen!

Motivated by Love

Based on Philippians 2:5-11 and Luke 19:28-40

First delivered Apr. 14, 2019
Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr

            The newest installment of American Idol is on right now. If you haven’t been following, this is a singing competition where young people all across America try out for an opportunity to become the title of the show. A panel of judges whittles down the number of contestants all the way down to fourteen. From then on out, viewers of the show get to vote on their favorite contestants.

            The contestants have a number of motivations for competing. Some want to win because they see it as an opportunity to become famous. Or at least to get national attention. Others do this because it has been their dream to perform on the big stage. One contestant has said his desire is to be able to take care of his mom who has sacrificed so much and worked so hard to care for him. He doesn’t want her to have to work anymore. Others want to win because they believe they have something they need to say through their art. They want to be an inspiration for others. And others try because they know they have an amazing gift that needs to be shared.

            Each contestant does the best performances they can. But they don’t decide who gets to win. Starting tonight, viewers of the show will watch them perform and then vote for their favorites. It’s up to us to decide who wins. Players are slowly eliminated until the final program when only a few are left. Whoever wins the most votes that night becomes the next American Idol. The most popular contestant wins.

            Today we remember the story of Jesus riding triumphantly into Jerusalem. At this point he was at the height of his popularity. He rode in to town on the back of a borrowed donkey as people lay cloaks down in his path to keep the dust from flying up into his face. They sang to the heavens about how wonderful Jesus was. And it wasn’t just his disciples that were a part of this procession. Luke says it was a multitude of disciples. We are talking thousands of people. Can you envision it? Maybe you have seen images of when the Beatles were in a car leaving some venue where they had played and they are at the center of a swarm of people as they slowly move down the road without running anyone over. Well in this case you have Jesus on his donkey, surrounded by thousands of people singing his praises. What an entrance! Maybe you see why, when some Pharisees told Jesus to quiet down the crowd, he said that the rocks would cry out. This multitude of disciples would not be quieted. This was a time of great triumph. Jesus was a superstar.

            How did this happen? Did Jesus and the disciples arrange this big entrance or did it happen organically? We don’t know how this came about but we do know why the people had gathered around Jesus with song. It was because of the works of power they had seen him perform. Jesus had performed so many amazing miracles that the word about him had spread far and wide. But it wasn’t just his miracles. He had taught with such clarity, facing down the religious authorities who tried to trap him. He had taken the side of the downcast and the left out. Because of what Jesus had said and done he was a folk hero. People knew that he was special. Many even felt in their gut that this could be the Messiah. And if that was true, the world was really about to get turned upside down. Jesus did what he did and the people loved it. He got their vote in a big way. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the multitude idolized him. That would be taking it too far. But his actions caused the people to respond with great excitement and favor.

            What motivated Jesus to perform these works of power? Did he do all these things for fame, so that he could ride into Jerusalem in triumph? I can’t imagine Jesus was motivated by vain glory. I would suspect that Jesus would have done what he did without any thought of how popular it may make him or if it would result in him getting surrounded by thousands of fans as he made his way into Jerusalem. So what did motivate Jesus to do these works of power?

            Paul gives us insight on Jesus’ mindset when he lived his life among us. Paul said that Jesus did not see his equality with God as something to be exploited. He knew that he was in the form of God. Jesus knew how powerful he was. But he would not use that power to manipulate people or to insist on his own way. Instead, Paul tell us, Jesus emptied himself of his status, without giving up his power, and became like a humble servant. He would use his power not to serve his own interests but to serve others. He would not even use his power to take a pass on experiencing death. Paul said that Jesus was obedient even to death. He surrendered to mortality. So what motivated Jesus? All the works of power that Jesus performed came from a mindset of humble service. He put the interests of others before his own.

            Now we already know what the multitude of disciples did in response to all that Jesus did. But what about God? How did God respond to the faithful and humble service that Jesus performed in his life among us? Paul tells us that God exalted Jesus’ name above every name. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The glorious triumph of Jesus entering Jerusalem is a shadow of how God responds to what Jesus has done. Jesus could not have been more exalted than how God exalted him.

            Here’s the key takeaway: Jesus did what he did not in pursuit of fame or to be exalted above every name in heaven and earth. Jesus was motivated purely by love. Jesus did his works of power because he loved those he helped. He taught as he did because he loved those he taught. He submitted to pain, suffering, rejection and death because he loved being human and wanted to experience all that it means to be human. It was love, love for creation, that motivated Jesus and nothing else.

            There’s an old saying that goes “when you do what you love, that is a reward in itself.” That’s probably true. But it’s also nice to get compensated. And it’s nice to occasionally get recognized for doing a good job. Moms and dads love their kids just because they are their kids, not because they need to be validated as good parents. But you better not forget your mom on Mother’s Day. I don’t make a big deal of it, but I don’t mind Father’s Day. It’s nice to get recognition. And everyone needs to make a living. There may be more that motivates us than just doing it for love.

            Let me ask you this: do we try to reach out and minister to people in the community so that the church will grow? We know our church needs to grow. Over the past year or so we have tried a lot of things to get out into the community, to build some relationships, and hope that people who used to come here would come back and new folks would come and stay. Most churches want to grow at least a little bit.

            So is that our motive for doing ministry or is there more to it for us? I would hope that we are trying to reach out to the people that live around us and respond to the needs of others because that’s what love requires. Whether the church grows from our efforts or not, wouldn’t we do ministry anyway? What else would you do if you live a life of love?

            A few weeks ago I told you all about two saints I have had the privilege of knowing: Don and Ruby Gruver of Edgerton, Ohio. They were such a delightful couple. Never had a bad word for anyone. They would do anything for you if they could help. Don was in charge of the food pantry. There were no operating hours. If you needed help, you call Don and he would come over and meet you. So gentle, kind and supportive. For me they are a model of Christian love. Everyone in Edgerton knew and loved Don and Ruby. And, of course, they knew where Don and Ruby went to church. That doesn’t mean everyone in Edgerton went to Edgerton United Methodist Church. In my time there, the church didn’t grow or shrink. We stayed pretty much the same. There were no parades to honor Don and Ruby. To be honest, if someone tried to organize that you may have heard the first bad words come out of Don’s mouth. Never did Don and Ruby seek to be lifted up as an example or be recognized for all the selfless service they did. And although they may have been discouraged from time to time, their ministry did not depend on whether our church ended up with more people in the pews or money in the plate. They did what they did because of love. That was their only motivation. And it was because of that constant humble service that so many lifted them up as examples of Christian discipleship.

            I am convinced that what should drive us, what should motivate us to get out of our beds every morning and face another day, is the simple desire to respond to the needs of those around us without thinking about what benefit we might get. As Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain deceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but to the interests of others.” Of course, it would be nice if our efforts brought growth in the church. It’s nice to be recognized for the good things you do and the impact you make in people’s lives. But if Jesus is going to be our example, then those considerations shouldn’t be on our minds at all. It should be enough for us just to be in ministry, responding to the needs of others, because of love.

            We can be encouraged though. No matter if we are recognized or not for all we do in this life, we can be assured of this. When we finish our life and cross the veil and stand in the presence of God, we can anticipate hearing God say to us, “Well done, my children.” And we will take our place with Jesus Christ our Lord. He will greet us as his brother or sister. And he will recognize and give gratitude for the lives we have lived. And all our pain, disappointment, suffering and struggle will melt away.

            So now we move into Holy Week. We will follow the steps of Jesus as he made his way to Jerusalem, to the upper room, the Mount of Olives, the trial, the mocking and beating, the crown of thorns, the crucifixion and the grave. We will remember that Jesus suffered all of this because of his love for us. He did not use his power to skip out on any of it but emptied himself completely, taking the form of a humble servant. As we remember and express gratitude for Jesus’ love for us, may we also be inspired to follow his example, to live lives of humble service. It is the best tribute that we can offer Jesus for the love he demonstrated for us.

God Does New Things

Based on Isaiah 43:16-21 and Philippians 3:4b-14

First delivered April 7, 2019

Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr

Israel had been in exile in Babylon for a long time. The exile had lasted for generations. The young people only knew about Jerusalem through the stories their grandparents told them. People had begun to forget their home land. Many Jews only knew Babylon as their home. The stories of David and Solomon, the glory of Israel, the Temple where the priests offered sacrifices to God, these stories were nothing but legends of days gone by. The dream of going back to the land given to them by God was just that, a dream. Babylon was their home now. This is where they had raised their kids. The Babylonian culture was now theirs. Babylon is where they belonged.

            But the prophet got a word from the Lord. God told Isaiah that the people will return to their home land. Jerusalem will be restored. The Temple will be rebuilt. The exile will come to an end. God is about to do a new thing. Babylon is not the final destination. God will deliver the people from their captivity and lead them back to the land of their ancestors.

            Now it’s not a totally new thing. God has delivered the people before. The children knew the story from their grandparents, how God saw their people suffering as slaves in Egypt. And God raised up Moses and Aaron to lead the people out of Egypt, and through the wilderness, to the land promised to the ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They knew this deliverance story.

            But this deliverance story will be different. God will lead the people out of their captivity in Babylon and back to the land of their ancestors. But it won’t be the same journey as when they went from Egypt through the wilderness. On that journey, the people wandered through the wilderness for forty years, when it should have only taken three days if they took a direct route. This time, God will make a path for them through the wilderness. The first time, the people were bitten by serpents. This time, the wild animals will give glory to God and leave the people alone as they make their journey. The first time the people were often thirsty and crying out for water. This time, God will make rivers and streams flow through the wilderness so that the people will have plenty to drink. The deliverance from Babylon will be a new and improved deliverance. The people will return, not with grumbling and sorrow as the trip from Egypt, but with rejoicing and great gladness. They will sing their way back to Jerusalem.

            Paul was a Jew among Jews. He was born of the tribe of Benjamin. He was circumcised on the eighth day. He was trained in God’s Law by the best teachers. As a Pharisee he understood the Law, knew how to apply the Law, and was zealous to keep the Law. When it came to having a right relationship with God through the Law God gave to Moses, Paul had it all together. He was a righteous Jew.

            But then he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He was confronted with the truth that he wasn’t just persecuting the followers of Jesus, he was persecuting Jesus himself. He was called to account for his unrighteousness, his sinfulness, his need for repentance. Over time, he came to realize that God was doing a new thing. Faithfulness to God’s Law was no longer the only way to having a right relationship with God. God had established a new way, a new path of deliverance from sin and broken relationships.

            It’s not totally new. God has always been a delivering God. Over and over, Israel would fall away from God’s way and they would suffer the consequences through invasion, exile, famine. But God never forsook God’s people. The people would repent and God would forgive and restore. But now, through Jesus, not only Israel was being delivered and made right with God. All people around the world, every tongue and nation, was made righteous, restored into a right relationship with God. Jesus died for all people, not just Israel. Salvation was now available for all people. The God who has always delivered Israel now delivers us. Through Jesus, God has done a new thing. The circle of salvation is wider.

Most of us here have been a part of the United Methodist Church since it existed. It’s the only church I have known, having been born a few months after it started. This church has made a difference in the lives of millions. The mission of the church has brought health care to desperate people all around the world. Millions of bed nets have protected people from contracting malaria through mosquito bites. Hundreds of thousands have been educated in United Methodist related schools and seminaries. United Methodist camps and retreat centers have been the sacred places where people have come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. God has done amazing things through the United Methodist Church over these past fifty years.

            But it’s becoming clear to many that the United Methodist Church is going to change. Institutions like hospitals and universities are deciding whether or not to disaffiliate because of their non-discrimination policies. The Connectional Table, which is sort of like the administrative board for the general church, is having conversations about what their role will be in the future of the church. A plan of separation or at least some kind of exit plan will surely be presented at the next General Conference in 2020. It seems to me that God is preparing to do a new thing. I know that may come across as a bit grandiose. Is the fracturing of the United Methodist Church something that God is behind or is it the result of our collective failure to stay together? Maybe the answer to that question won’t be revealed until far into the future when my grandkids are studying church history.

            But let me say this. Churches dividing is not new. And although these divisions have been painful and messy, God has still been present and doing everything God can to deliver the church from our brokenness and imperfections. The church has never been perfect. We read about the church having a threat to its unity in Acts 15 when the debate was over whether Gentiles had to be circumcised if they wanted to belong to the church. In another place, in the book of Acts, we read of a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas that was so deep that they decided to part ways, to end their partnership and go in different directions in their ministry. Jesus Christ is Lord of the church. The church is the body of Christ. But the church is also made up of human beings and we are fallible. We get things wrong. The church is always in need of reform. And God is always working through people to bring about the reforms that are necessary. But the working out of those reforms take time and they are messy. We are going through one of those times.

            What if God is somehow at work in the division that is taking place in the United Methodist Church? I wonder if what will emerge from this time of division is the formation of a church that is rooted in the Wesleyan tradition and is also fully inclusive of all people in every aspect of ministry, where the marginalized voices of people of color and people who are LGBTQIA and poor people and people with disabilities, young people, old people, rural folks and urban dwellers, all those voices that have been pushed to the side are brought to the center, where decisions are made and policy is established. I wonder if God is trying to help form a  church that more fully reflects the diversity of God’s family, a church in which not only is everyone welcome, but everyone is affirmed as a beloved child of God with gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit to be recognized, celebrated, and used for the glory of God and for the mending of creation. I wonder, in the midst of our division and brokenness, if God is doing a new thing.

            As we go through this time of great upheaval, let us remember a few things about God. First of all, God is a delivering God. He delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and from exile in Babylon. God delivers us from sin and death. God delivers the church from our errors and flaws. Second, God is still saving us through Jesus Christ. While our church goes through all this upheaval, our salvation is still secure in Jesus Christ. We still have the promise of eternal life. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are still forgiven. And finally, remember that the church is the body of Christ. Jesus is the head of the church. And the gates of hell will not prevail against it. While we as the United Methodist Church go through this time of change, the Church with a big C continues. It cannot be destroyed. And by the grace of God we are members of the Church with a big C. No matter what happens to the United Methodist Church, we will always be a part of the body of Christ. We will always belong to the Church. The Lord’s Table will always remain open to us. So today, as we come forward to receive Holy Communion, let is come forward with gratitude that we are and always will be brothers and sisters in the family of God.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

Based on 2 Cor. 5:16-21
First delivered Mar. 31, 2019
Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr

Conflict is a part of life. Wherever you find community you are bound to find conflict. Maybe a few people enjoy conflict but most of us would much rather avoid conflict. Sometimes we do everything possible to avoid it. We give in quickly. We deny there is conflict. We agree with everyone and then undermine the decision. At the first sign of conflict we walk away. There are a lot of different ways we are tempted to avoid conflict. But the truth is conflict cannot always be avoided. Nor should it be.

Conflict actually is a great opportunity to strengthen relationships and clarify values. Having recently experienced conflict, I can testify that my relationships have been strengthened with some of the folks involved in the conflict, although, I have to admit that some other relationships took a hit. Conflict is messy and the potential for hurt and even irreparable harm to relationships is there. The other thing I was reminded of in this conflict I found myself in was that conflict forces us to examine our motives and values. In this conflict I was dealing with, as the conversation went back and forth, it became clearer what was motivating us, what we valued, and what our bottom lines were. Those motivations and values had always been there, but the conflict brought them to the surface for everyone to see. And that was a good thing because the cards are all out on the table, so to speak. Going forward, this group I’m a part of that went through this conflict can move with more clarity. Now that it’s all out there, changes are going to be necessary to move forward. It’s painful. But it will probably be better in the long run. Conflict is messy and painful. People get hurt and relationships can be damaged. But it has the potential to strengthen relationships and clarify values, which is a good thing.

            And then sometimes conflict reveals irreconcilable differences. You talk, debate, reflect and argue long enough and it becomes evident that the differences are too great. Finding a way to reconcile and move forward together appears to not be possible. That can be a good thing. Trying to keep relationships together that are at cross-purposes is exhausting and is probably not the best use of energy. Especially because when we try to keep these relationships together, the tendency is to use the same methods as we use to avoid conflict: deny the problem exists, paper it over, undermine each other, give in while knowing you aren’t being true to yourself. So when it becomes obvious that the differences are so great and profound that you can’t get past the conflict and move forward together, then it is for the best to separate. And so divorces happen, business partners go their separate ways, board members resign…and denominations split.

            So we turn our attention to the scripture reading this morning from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. He tells us that those of us who identify as Christians are ambassadors of Christ who have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Just by being human we want to be about the work of reconciliation. We want to be able to get along with others, to work through our disagreements and find ways to move forward together with our relationships intact. But for us as Christians working for reconciliation is central to what it means to be Christian. So that means we have a real responsibility to do the hard work of revealing motives and clarifying values, working things out and finding ways to get through the conflict to reconciliation. True reconciliation and not just a papered over truce or strained tolerance. It’s hard work we are called to and we are not always successful. But if we are ambassadors for Christ, what else would we be doing? I can’t imagine an ambassador for Jesus wanting to do anything else but mend broken relationships.

            But maybe the reconciliation that Paul is talking about is not the reconciliation among people who have differences but a different reconciliation. Maybe our ministry is not about reconciling people to each other but about reconciling people with God. After all, that’s the reconciliation that Paul was talking about, how God, through Christ, is reconciling the world to Godself. Let’s take a quick look at how Paul describes God’s reconciling work.

            First of all, this is how reconciliation typically works. Since Paul also talks about ambassadors, let’s say the conflict is between two nations who are at war with each other. To make peace and bring the two nations together, ambassadors who represent the warring nations get together to talk out the differences, to name what is happening, and try to find ways to end the fighting. Both sides have to reckon the damage that has been inflicted and find ways to make restitution so that things can be made right. Once that is all worked out, a peace agreement can be set up and signed. The warring nations eventually are able to reconcile and move forward.

But when it comes to the situation between us and God, there is damage done on both sides but the perpetrators of the harm come from one side: us. God is totally innocent of the harm. If we were going to work out restitution between us and God, only God would be in the position to make demands. So what does God do? According to Paul, God offers blanket amnesty. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God determines that the harm that has been done through our sin is cared for. God declares that God has reconciled us to Godself. It’s done. By the sheer grace of God we are forgiven and restored to relationship with God. All that is left for us to do is to acknowledge what God has already done for us, to live our lives as if we are reconciled with God because, through Christ, we already are. To remain in a broken relationship with God is to reject what God has already done for us. Paul is saying that God has reconciled us to God, so live that way, and be thankful! Rejoice!

So how do we exercise our ministry of reconciliation? What reconciliation are we talking about? It seems clear that since we are ambassadors of Jesus, that our role is to declare that God has reconciled others to Godself. In other words, we announce the good news that our sins are forgiven and that because of Jesus every person is already reconciled with God. There is nothing else to do but to acknowledge with gratitude that the division between us and God has been bridged by Jesus. That’s the ministry of reconciliation that Paul is talking about. So is that all there is to it? Just announce the good news and that’s it? It seems to me that real reconciliation takes more than just saying it’s so. There has to be a mending of relationship and a change of behavior that demonstrates actual reconciliation. Otherwise, it’s just words. God has done all that God can do. What will we do in response?

For us especially we have to be about the work of making reconciliation more than just words. Not only do we have the ministry of reconciliation, we identify as a reconciling congregation. That’s our aspiration. The following statement comes from the reconciling ministries network web site around the topic of reconciliation:

Reconciling Ministries Network is committed to reconciliation that leads to the healing and transformation of animosity into honest relationships that respect all God’s children. Reconciliation is a profound ongoing individual and collective commitment from all those affected to establishing new relationships embedded in mutual recognition. Authentic reconciliation requires the naming and the speaking of truth to create relationships and communities grounded in peace with justice.

They go on to say: Reconciling Ministries Network acts in hospitality across theological divides and is committed to the creation of community, interconnectedness, and deep relationships.

These are lofty aspirations. They go much further than simply saying, “God loves you” and “you are forgiven.” This is difficult work that we are called to. And, in fact, it’s a lifelong struggle.

And when I think about where we currently are as a United Methodist Church, it seems ever likely that efforts of reconciliation will fail and the church will separate over irreconcilable differences. I am aware that there are people who are even now working out some sort of a plan of separation that would be offered at the next General Conference, which will take place next May. What will happen and how that will affect us remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, our ministry continues to be one of reconciliation, no matter what. Our task and joy is to let people know that they are loved and forgiven by God. There is not anything they have done that will keep God from loving them and forgiving them. God’s love and capacity to forgive is without limit. And what is true for others is true for you and me. God loves you, no matter what. And anything you have done that offends God, God forgives. This is the gospel. Praise God! The question remains: what is our response to the gospel?

There is a Jewish concept called Tikkun Olam. It means “to mend the world.” We all know the world is broken, relationships are strained and fractured, much healing needs to be done. God’s desire certainly is that the world would be healed. You and I get to play a role in that process of healing. And the ministry of reconciliation is part of that process. It’s a messy and frustrating process that can take much longer than any of us would like. In fact, in some ways the process of healing the world never ends. So there is work for us to do, to be ambassadors of Christ, to exercise our ministry of reconciliation, to do our part to mend the world, one small act at a time.