Easter and reconciliation.

Christ has risen from the dead, praise the LORD!

This past Holy Week, I have been thinking about reconcilation. Jesus, through his death and resurrection, has reconciled us with God. Because Christ has conquered death and made us free, we too can be reconciled with one another.

I wonder how seriously we take that. While I do not have any perceived enemies, I have often negated other Christians through actions and speech. In doing so, I have made them my enemy--whether they knew it or not.

I believe Christians (myself included) have some major reconciling to do with one another. My own Baptist background has been marred with splits and fractions. I have been guilty of saying "well, I'm not that kind of Baptist." (Usually it is when someone asks my position on drinking and dancing, or some other minor social thing that's not Gospel related).

If we believe that Jesus' resurrection and death have allowed us to be reconciled with God, surely we must work to be reconciled with one another. For Christ came for many different types of people--Pharisees, church leaders, prostitutes, government workers. I hope, as a follower of Christ, in my speech and actions that I work toward reconcilation with others this year.