Divine Reconciliation
The holidays never fail to deliver a heavy dose of family drama. I suppose I should start preparing myself for it before my holiday breaks; it is obvious that I have yet to learn my lesson. What the drama does remind me of is the true story behind Christmas…
Someone told me today that they think it is “rather cliché” to reconcile with someone in response to the Christmas season. In my opinion, there simply isn’t a better time to reconcile.
The story behind Christmas really is anything but trite or cliché. It’s actually rather magnificent. It’s the story of humanity’s divine parent reconciling His lost children to Himself. It’s the story of our Heavenly Father choosing to empty Himself and experience the brokenness of the human experience. It certainly was within God’s right to remain angry with us, after all, we deserved it. The last thing that we deserved was the reconciliation offered through the work on Golgotha’s Cross.
It’s really a bummer about reconciliation–you cannot simply sit and wait for things to work themselves out. Reconciliation is about dropping your own right to be angry. Reconciliation is about surrendering your own will.
I challenge you (if anyone actually reads this) to consider reconciling with those in your life who you have the “right” to be angry with. They’ve hurt you, they’ve taken advantage of you, they’ve mocked you and cursed you…all I have to say is “welcome to God’s story.” If you think no one else knows what that feels like…you’re wrong.
So when Christmas morning rolls around remember that God surrendered His will to reconcile humanity to Himself. If God can do it…so can you.
“… you cannot simply sit and wait for things to work themselves out. Reconciliation is about dropping your own right to be angry. Reconciliation is about surrendering your own will.”
At Vineyard we have a little saying that is passed along often. “We desire to be people who give up our right to be right.”
It’s so counter-cultural…
In a nation that is founded on “rights” and is constantly at odds over which rights are right (and which are wrong and should no longer be rights) we find ourselves in the midst of this beautifully passionate story… A story where the only person who could legitimately stake a claim on His rights gives them up.
Instead he came in a lowly state, as a vulnerable human baby, and he died in a shameful state, as a despised criminal.
It always makes me wonder, what rights do we really have after all? How can I claim rights when being part of the story requires me to surrender them.
You’re certainly on to something! I hope your holiday with family goes well, despite the drama… and in that, know that you’re not alone either…
-Merry Christmas