A New Creation: Be Reconciled to God
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…
So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ's representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to: Be reconciled to God. (2Cor 5:17,20)
Welcome to observe a Holy Lent 2021.
Lent is a 40-day season before the Celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Lent is a time of prayer with fasting, weeping and mourning. There many reasons for the observance of this season, and we can find these by looking at the practice from Biblical to Traditional and Modern times. These include praying to God for divine direction – like Moses did for 40 days at Mount Sinai, or praying for God’s divine deliverance and restoration of His people – like Daniel prayed for 21 days, or praying in repentance before God – like the king and people of Nineveh did for 3 days, or seeking God and preparing for ministry – like Jesus did for 40 days in the wilderness. Many other such instances give credence to the modern observance of Lent. This is a good time to recall our theme for this year:
A New Creation: Be Reconciled to God. This theme is taken from 2Cor 5:16-6:2. Jesus came into the world to reconcile people to God. Three kinds of people are addressed in this passage, and each of them will greatly benefit from the observance of this Lent season. First are Christ’s Ambassadors – among them is Paul and his companions; they are on mission and proclaiming to others: ‘Be Reconciled to God’. To you dear ambassadors, I send this message: Be reconciled to God, and continue faithfully in the mission work. ‘However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’ (Luke 10:20). There is greater cause to rejoice than that thriving mission work.
Secondly, the grateful recipients of the gospel: they have recognized the time of salvation and received the Lord our Saviour, but have not yet enrolled as ambassadors. To you, I have this message: Be reconciled to God, and join the rank of Christ’s ambassadors. Remember our Mission as Kakumba Chapel: To rouse and send God’s people in the University and adjacent community as disciples of Jesus Christ and ambassadors of the King of God, through sharing the holistic gospel. It is important to go beyond your own salvation; join God who is on mission and participate in saving others.
And finally, there are some scornful recipients: they hear but do not listen, or they receive the grace of God in vain, doing nothing about it, continuing in the old worldly nature, seeing no future glory, sometimes seeking to kill God’s messengers; to you my message is one: Be reconciled to God. Remember, as our Saviour came to us, “now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation” (2Cor 6:2). May this Lent season not leave you old and out. Receive the New identity of those reconciled to God.
God bless you all.