We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20
“Be reconciled to God.” This means nothing less than let a king give you His kingdom, take heaven as a gift. Let the Lord of lords of all the world give you His love, and be His friends, His children, those whom He protects.
Come, surrender yourselves to Him and to His will, and you will be free from every evil, from all guilt, and from all bondage. You will be free from your own selves, you have found your way home, you will be at home with the Father…
O Lord, give all of us new hearts, open and obedient to you: hearts that love our neighbor and pray to you for our church. Lord, give us a good beginning; open your fatherly heart to us and lead us…”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) in his sermon entitled “Ambassadors for Christ” in The Collected Sermons of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012) 93.
While traveling on Sundays, I often read classic sermons. Today I read a winner by Bonhoeffer. God’s generosity shines yet again as He gives us the kingdom as a gift. But notice what happens. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
When we receive and give this gift, we enjoy and share the gift of freedom. We quit trying to control people. Instead, we free to love them. Daily, when we are open and obedient to His work in us, our hearts are transformed.
Today, 64 delegates as Christ’s ambassadors serving God’s church in 20 countries will gather for strategic meetings in Melbourne, Australia. My prayer echoes Bonhoeffer: “Lord, give us a good beginning.”