The Other Night…
The other night we had a few friends over for dinner. It was a fun evening eating take-out BBQ and enjoying each other’s company. We stuffed ourselves, laughed, did some competitive Spam carving and had lively discussions around a few hot topics.
After we had taken big swings at solving huge problems (without much success), it was time to change the tone and topic. I asked the group to think of their favorite movies or novels and share a character who they identified with and why. (BTW, this is a great table topic to test drive at your next dinner rather than bore each other with just more verbal oatmeal)
After priming the pump a bit, we were off to the races.
One woman chose the golden retriever from Incredible Journey, aspiring to be faithful and solid. Another loves fantasy and highlighted an overlooked and under appreciated fairy who finds her purpose in a movie I never heard of. Our resident reader of BIG books identifies with one of the characters from War and Peace who learned his place in life after a very circuitous path. A rather strong man surprised us with loving Pollyanna and looks for it on TV. Jean Valjean, one of the Pride and Prejudice sisters and others quietly opened doors to better understand friends we have known for decades.
What I learned, again, was how complicated and delightful is every person I meet along the way. And, around that table in our home we enjoyed harmony with each other and lived a bit of shalom.
That Hebrew word, shalom, carries several meanings. It embraces peace, but also a sense of wholeness and being complete. Security and safety and health can be implied, all led by the idea of reconciliation both between God and a person as well as among people.
As we laughed and listened and learned that evening, shalom wrapped us like a blanket on a cool morning. For me, it was just what my heart needed.
Paul, in his second letter to the church at Corinth riffs on this idea of reconciliation leading to shalom.
The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting the people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
This pulls back the curtain and displays the heart and plan of God throughout history, namely to reconcile the world and all that is in it to himself. Let’s break this down a bit.
God’s gift in Jesus to us is being in right relationship with him. So much more than a good teacher or model, he is the way to the life we crave down deep.
The father’s heart for communion with his creation drives his actions. This answers the question, “What is God up to?” He’s reconciling all things.
A person’s sins, without condition, will never be held against him/her.
Then, as folks given a new life, you and I are handed a gift to extend to all we meet along our way: Shalom with God and then by extension to whatever we experience.
Think about your normal day with all of its “have to’s” and “hope so’s.” I often just work through my day without much thought of the potential shalom nuggets scattered along my path I routinely miss. You do, too.
What if we re-formed how we approach any day with one eye looking for opportunities to bring reconciliation into any event with the hope that shalom might follow. It begins with seeing ourself differently as an ambassador of King Jesus. Ambassadors are always “on” and walk about as representatives of their home country, understanding that many will form judgments based solely on what that ambassador displays.
So, taking the position (ambassador) and linking that to action (reconciliation), everyday believers like us have our marching orders with the goal of bringing shalom wherever we go. It might look like…
Saying a kind word rather than join in with a critical crowd eye-rolling and snide-remarking.
Reminding someone at odds with a friend or relative how valuable is settling a dispute.
Speaking of Jesus in ways that winsomely invite people to our table to be heard and seen while taking down religious fences keeping folks away.
Serving (in any number of ways) as a follower of our Rabbi and letting our work speak for us, because your mom was right that “actions speak louder than words.”
As the friends left our home and we were doing the clean-up, Claudia and I relived and relished the time spent around our table on a Saturday night. We caught a whiff of all that is ahead for us when our ambassadorship is done and we are called home. Shalom.
Maybe today and possibly for the first time in a while, consider your high calling as an ambassador of the King. Walk worthy. Live invitingly. Speak humbly. Love honestly. Risk boldly.
Music Time!
…and a couple of lame jokes…
My husband, Ray, was attempting to build a patio for the first time. He bought 100 cement blocks. Laying them out in a pattern, he discovered the chosen area was too small.
He stacked the blocks against the house and cleared more space. The next day Ray put the cement blocks back down, only to find that the ground was too hard to keep the patio level.
He ordered a truckload of sand to be delivered the following morning. Again he stacked the 100 blocks against the house.
Observing all this, our next-door neighbor asked, "Ray, are you going to put your patio away every night?"
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A young businessman had just started his own firm. He had rented a beautiful office and had it furnished with antiques.
Sitting there, he saw a man come into the outer office. Wishing to appear the hot shot, the businessman picked up the phone and started to pretend he had a big deal working.
He threw huge figures around and made giant commitments. Finally he hung up and asked the visitor, "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, I've come to activate your phone lines."