15^th Sabbath after Pentecost

September 7/9, 2007

Victor H. Nixon

RECONCILIATION WITH GOD

Romans 5:6-11

Were I to employ a single word to describe the Christian message that word would be "reconciliation." Reconciliation is about relationship. In the Bible, reconciliation is the restoration, healing and renewal of relationship with God, with ourselves and with others, as well as the ministry to which we are called as followers of Jesus Christ. Reconciliation is the biblical answer to the human condition of brokenness, alienation and estrangement. In this series of four sermons I will examine this important biblical theme of reconciliation beginning with our relationship to God.

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My family and I have just returned from our annual Colorado vacation in Rocky Mountain National Park where the weather was cool and comfortable with an occasional afternoon rain and where the magnificent mountain vistas, though familiar, always amaze and inspire me. We hiked almost every day, enjoying the wildflowers along the trail and the wildlife—deer, elk, big horn sheep, ground squirrels, marmots and pica that momentarily pause to watch us pass through their home territory. It’s a kind of reconciliation for me, a time to become re-acquainted with a wondrous place, to revisit mountaintops and trails, and to explore new ones.

While I was never alone, hiking above 10,000 feet doesn’t involve a lot of conversation because breathing can be difficult while ascending and it’s important to watch one’s step along the rocky trail, always pausing occasionally to view the panorama and allow my pounding heart and respiration to settle down. So, a great deal of time is spent inside oneself, in reflection. I thought about many things on the trails, including you, but inevitably it seems my mind always turns theological and I begin to think about God. I know that probably surprises you, but it’s true.

The thought that kept returning this year was: No wonder Jesus periodically went up into the mountains! He knew the importance of solitude, how important it was to leave the worries and cares of everyday life behind momentarily, to spend uninterrupted time in contemplation and prayer. It was a time for him to reconnect with and restore relationship with God to be refreshed and renewed.

It isn’t difficult for me to find God in such lofty, inspiring places. This year as I hiked in the mountains I thought about those aspects of my life that hinder my relationship with God, those attitudes and perspectives that frequently get in the way, the noise of everyday that prevents me from hearing the still small voice of God—things the Bible calls "sin," the stuff that separates us from God—and to ask forgiveness. It was a time to affirm those aspects of my life that keep me in touch with my Creator and to consider on-course corrections for my path of faith that could draw me closer to God and strengthen my faith. It was a time to affirm that my relationship with God is more important than anything else in my life and to be reconciled with God.

St. Paul reminds us that Christ died to save sinners, proving God’s love for us and reconciling us to God. This is good news for people like you and me, people who tend to separate themselves from God, and particularly for those who, for one reason or another, are broken, alienated and estranged from the Source of life and love.

Someone once said asked me: "What is the connection between Jesus’ dying on a cross outside Jerusalem in 30 A.D. and me?" Good question, to which there are many answers, most of which fall under some concept of what is known theologically as "the atonement." People in Paul’s day, accustomed to the practice of making religious sacrifice of live animals or grain to atone to God for sinfulness, would have understood his statement. Since the practice has largely disappeared in orthodox worship, it’s meaning is not apparent to modern day folks. Paul speaks of Christ’s death as a religious sacrifice, as payment for sin, not just the sin of folks in the first century but for people in every time. Called the doctrine of "substitutionary atonement," e.g. "Christ died for me," this view is still very common within Christian Faith. However, it does raise the question of what kind of God would make such a demand or require Jesus’ life as payment to God for human sin.

More meaningful to me is a view of the atonement as Christ’s free offering of himself that became a sign God’s forgiveness and reconciliation for all. Such love is always willing to sacrifice itself in the interest of saving others. The experience of sacrificial love can be transforming.

I once asked a mother who donated a kidney for her child why she would do such a sacrificial and risky thing. You know her answer: "She’s my daughter and I love her more than my own life." It’s the kind of answer that Jesus, who loved others more than his own life, would have given for all God’s children.

Love is always offering itself, sacrificing itself, to benefit or save some one. This is the meaning of the cross that takes on universal significance for every person in every time and place. In this sense we can affirm with Paul the meaning of the cross and the atonement for us in the 20^th century. Christ died for you and for everyone.

And not because we are necessarily good people, Paul says. God loves us even when we act like enemies. It makes sense when someone acts sacrificially for a good person. But Christ also died for the alienated, estranged and broken ones as well—all who are separated from God. Paul says this proves God’s love for us. This is the kind of love God has for each of us. It’s the kind of love that always welcomes us home. The cross is the sign for the world that God is in the reconciliation business. God wants a relationship with you—and with everyone.

A fellow came to my office one day and said, "I want you to know that I have not been a good person—probably because I’ve spent most of my life running from God. I figure it’s time for me to quit that nonsense. So, how do I go about it?" This is the question all seekers for God need to be asking: How can I be reconciled to God? How can I have God in my life? How can I have a relationship with Jesus Christ?

Let me answer, first, by saying that you don’t have to go to the Rocky Mountains to find God—although it might help if you like that sort of thing. God is present in the Ozarks, Ouachitas and the Delta of Arkansas as well. God is present and accessible wherever you are in your life. You don’t have to be separated, alienated or estranged from the Source of Life and Salvation. God wants a close relationship with you and is available to you.

The second thing is that Paul speaks of reconciliation as having been accomplished: "we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life."(5:10) Not only is God present and available, God’s saving event in Christ has already been provided; God’s gift in Christ to all people.

Beyond that gift of grace, it is up to each one of us to take advantage of God’s grace, to position ourselves in such a way that we can openly and freely receive that gift of reconciliation. As a baseball fan I loved watch Willie Mays, the great hitter and outfielder for the New York and, later, San Francisco Giants. Some believe that the "Say Hey Kid" was the greatest player of all time. Although he was a record setting hitter, I particular enjoyed watching him catch a fly ball. Unlike any other fielder, Mays would position himself under a fly ball holding his glove up in the usual way, then at the last moment make a basket with his glove upturned and catch it. It’s one thing to say that God’s gift is there for everyone; it’s another thing to position ourselves to receive and acknowledge such a marvelous gift.

How do we position ourselves to receive the gift of reconciliation with God? That’s a very important question. The first step, I believe, is to acknowledge our human need for relationship with God. Without God in our lives we are incomplete and we can never become what God intends for us. As St. Augustine prayed so long ago, "You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You." If you have never acknowledged that need for God, you can do so today and invite God into your life.

We can position ourselves also by becoming a member of the family of God, the church, where we have opportunity to receive the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, the means of grace, visible signs of our intention to live in relationship with God and be sustained by the remembrance of Christ’s sacrificial love.

Through the church we position ourselves to receive the grace that enables us to grow in relationship with God through worship and Bible studies where we learn the story of faith and the Word of God in a variety of classes and groups, like United Methodist Women and Men Alive!, activities for children and youth, and opportunities to serve others, especially those who are broken and estranged, like homeless families through Interfaith Hospitality Network and numerous other ministries. The church positions you and me to receive the gift of reconciliation by following Jesus as a disciple.

If you do not have a church home you are invited to begin the lifelong journey of faith with us also on the way toward reconciliation with God by simply indicating your desire to do so to me or to other clergy today as we sing our final hymn or after worship. The important thing is to position yourself to receive God’s gift of reconciliation and begin a new life in relationship with God. Nothing would please God any more. Thanks be to God! Amen.