March 2, 2005 Romans 5:1-11

March 2, 2005                                                                         Romans 5:1-11

 

Romans 5:8-11   “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

 

            I can remember the first lessons I ever got concerning reconciliation.  It was following a fight with one of my brothers and sisters.  My parents pulled the whirling dervishes apart, heard both sides of the story and told us; “Kiss and make up and tell (insert sibling’s name here) you’re sorry.”

            More often than not, kissing and making up was the last thing on my mind.  I was much more interested in finishing the fight and settling whatever it was that got us started in the first place.  Kiss and make up?  No way – no how!  Say you’re sorry?  Not yet I’m not.  I was still looking for a pound of flesh and it wasn’t going to be my own.

            Now as an adult, I look back on those lessons from childhood.  I realize my parents’ intelligence and wisdom seems to have grown exponentially with the age of my own children.  My understanding of reconciliation has grown too, mainly because I better understand the truth of our situation before God.

            The truth of the matter is that with each sin we declare war against God.  We choose to act in ways that violate every aspect of the relationship we agreed to be a partner in.  We cut our self off (at least in our minds) from God and are not in any way or shape prepared to kiss and make up.

            Now comes the tough part.  God, through the action of Jesus Christ, didn’t wait for us to apologize.  Instead, he chose to “Kiss and make up.”  Jesus Christ is God’s way of saying “I’m sorry for your sin and I want us to kiss and make up.”  This just seems so backward to me.  We are the ones who wronged God and yet God does the apologizing!  But that is the way it is and a big part of the reason God’s grace is just so amazing.

 

Amazing God, you confound us with your grace.  You reach out to us even as we run the other way.  Forgive us.  Help us to see the work of Christ as your loving kiss to us all.  Grant that we may pass it along to others in His name.  Amen.

 

 

Contributed by Rev. Andy O’Dowd