Friday, February 3, 2012

Hans Peter Royer - Reconciliation

We can summarise our role as Christians succinctly with Paul's words: "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 Cor. 5:20)

When man broke the fellowship with God, God did not let us go because of his love. He pursues us and calls out even today: "where are you?“

The almost unbelievable thing is that God pursues us and asks us to be reconciled. As a general rule, the guilty party goes to the innocent party to ask for forgiveness. God turns this rule on its head.

God, the guiltless, comes to me, the guilty one, and asks me with the dedication of his life, "Please be reconciled to me!"

At this point I can but be amazed and speechless at such a love.

Yes, it's true: God does not need me, but he wants me. Mother Theresa once put it like this: "God is hungry for our love!"

He demonstrated on the cross just how much he wants me and my love. That's why Jesus says: "Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). 

In light of such a love we cannot remain hostile or indifferent in the way we relate to each other. This reconciling love should be evident in us. 
Reconciliation means to bring about peace, to live in harmony with someone who was an enemy. This applies to our relationships with one another as well as to our relationship to God. The reality of reconciliation is the core of the gospel and I'm delighted about that.

But is it still sometimes the case that we live unreconciled to each other and invest little energy to bring about reconciliation? God gave his own life, even at the risk of being rejected. I ask myself: How much am I prepared to invest in order to achieve reconcilation?

It is our prayer that Tauernhof will be, and remain, a place for reconciliation – whether in our relationship to God or among each other.

We must remind each other to give everything to be reconciled - anything else is a bonus.
Hans Peter Royer
Director of Tauernhof

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