This Lenten season, we have been on a journey together. This journey began in the wilderness with the Hebrew people as the twelve spies returned from their trip to the Promised Land. We stood with Moses as he found his home in the presence of the Living God before a burning bush. As we journey through the wilderness, I hope we hear the voice of God giving us direction and a new orientation.

Paul reminds us our direction revolves around the fact that we are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Last week, I used Dr. H. Orton Wiley’s definition of an ambassador. He gives us four points to consider:

• An ambassador is a citizen of another country than that in which he temporarily resides.
• He has no message of his own but delivers the message given him by his own country.
• He speaks not on his own authority but on behalf of, and with the authority of, his country.
• The ambassador's mission is to bring peace.

We have a message given to us and Paul reminds us of this message, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).

This work that we have been entrusted with it not easy work. It is, however, a message the world needs to hear. This Easter, we have the opportunity again to proclaim- God has done something completely new in Christ! This is our message. This is our hope. This is the gift we have been given.

May we proclaim this gift of new creation in our fallen world.

Grace and peace,

Pastor John

Tags: 2 Corinthians, New Creation, Ambassador