A Pastor’s Thoughts 

By Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, First Presbyterian Union Church —

I’ve been hearing the word “reconciliation” a lot lately. The dictionary describes reconciliation as “the restoration of friendly relations” or “the action of making one view or belief compatible with another.”

Sometimes it’s used in a political way, as in “the budget reconciliation bill.” We know that in our family relationships and friendships, there is often a need for reconciliation. We hurt each other, either intentionally or by mistake. We need a way to come back together after hurtful things are said or harmful things are done.

Sometimes reconciliation happens when groups of people work together after times of oppression. South Africa had a Truth and Reconciliation Commission after apartheid ended, and so did Canada, to deal with the damage caused by boarding schools on Indigenous children. 

The peace process in Northern Ireland included great efforts for reconciliation. In each of these countries, reconciliation meant that people who had done harm would stop, listen, accept responsibility, say, “I’m sorry,” and commit to positive change. Reconciliation leads to individuals and groups being kinder toward one another.

The Christian season of Lent— the time from Ash Wednesday until right before Easter— is a time of reconciliation— with God and with each other. 

One of the Bible stories I love is Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:1-2, 11-32).  A young man was selfish and rude to his father, left home, wasted his money, made a mess of his life, and longed to return home. When he finally did go home, his father ran out to greet him and welcomed him with open arms. We believe God is like that parent. God runs to us, to welcome us home.

Jesus’ story continues with the older brother who had stayed home the whole time to work for his father. He was jealous that his returning brother was getting all the attention. Jesus challenges us to be reconciled to one another. We remember that Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God, and a second is like it: to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

There’s a wonderful song called “You don’t love God if you don’t love your neighbor.”  Do a search for it on the internet, and you’ll find several versions of it out there. It’s worth a listen.

We live in a time and a place where we need reconciliation— with God and with each other. We are being told to hate, to be suspicious, to judge others who are different. Yet, we know that we can’t give up on other people who are also children of God. We can’t give up on our neighbors. God calls us to love our neighbors. 

In Jesus’ parable, when the older brother tried to disown his younger brother by saying, “This son of yours…” the father responded with, “This brother of yours…” inviting him back into the relationship.

Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians (5:18-19) reminds us that God has given us a ministry of reconciliation, and those who follow Jesus’ way are ambassadors of Christ. The Bible teacher William Barclay once wrote this about being an ambassador in his Daily Study Bible: “An ambassador of Britain is a Briton in a foreign land. His life is spent among people who usually speak a different language, who have a different tradition, and who follow a different way of life. The Christian is always like that. He lives in the world; he takes part in all the life and work of the world; but he is a citizen of heaven. To that extent, he is a stranger. 

“The man who is not willing to be different cannot be a Christian at all.” (Visit https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dsb/2-corinthians-5.html?)

We live in a world that is far different from what God wants it to be. God calls us to be ambassadors— to live in the midst of the hatred around us and to be willing to follow a different way— a way of reconciliation and love.

(Carolyn Winfrey and her husband, Bruce Gillette, serve as pastors at the First Presbyterian Union Church in Owego.)