In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, those who have chosen to follow Christ are told that God has given us something called “the ministry of reconciliation.” What exactly is that?  And what could that mean to us now, living thousands of years after the first reading of that letter?  Reconciliation means there is an existing relationship and is only needed when that relationship has been broken in some way.  Let’s listen and see what God is saying in the full passage now with fresh ears and eyes:

“Because of this decision [to focus on Christ’s death and resurrection being for everyone], we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at Him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it!

All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses US to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; God is already a friend with you.”

-II Cor. 5:16-20, The Message (emphases added)

Read the above passage again, out loud if possible, meditating on the words or ideas that come to you.  Listen to what the Holy Spirit may be saying as you ask questions of the text:  Who are you looking at the “old” way?  Who might you be called to be Christ’s representative of persuasion to?  What needs to shift in your heart to let new life emerge?

This ministry of reconciliation is precious to The Gathering; it is at the core of what it is called to do, especially in spaces with people of faith.  Over the few years of our existence, we have taken our mandate to “enter into God’s work of making things right” between communities of people quite seriously with direct action.  Whether it is discussing why Black lives matter to APA Christians, going beyond inclusion for folks who identify as LGBTQx, Christian, and AAPI, or partnering with both The Episcopal Church leadership and local congregations to build capacity as cultural bridge builders, we celebrate the resurrection of Christ by this work of living the Good News of forgiveness and restoration.  The Kingdom of God is both now and not yet, and the joyful labour of reconciliation exists in the dynamic tension between the two.  May we daily choose to enter into that tension willingly as “friends with God.”