God has a heart for reconciliation. The word doesn’t appear that often in scripture, but when it does it is profound.

For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:10-11.

His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Ephesians 2:15-18

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 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 Corinthians 5:18-20

To reconcile means to restore a relationship by recreating a state of harmony that existed before. Jesus died that we might be reconciled to God. In order for reconciliation to be on the table, we had to have once been in a state of harmony with God and then that state had to be ruptured so we were then alienated. This, of course, takes us back to the Garden when Adam and Eve were in a perfect relationship with God until sin caused Adam and Eve to be driven from the Garden and from the physical presence of God.

Suddenly, in an act of rebellion, man found himself at odds with God. Where intimacy and peace had reigned before…tension, animosity, distrust, distance, and alienation became the norm in man’s relationship with God. Like the prodigal son, we turned our backs on the goodness of our Father and chose to go our own way, even to the point off denying the existence of God or giving our hearts to other “gods.” God didn’t leave us, we left him. He had every right to write us off and never give us another thought, but our God has persistently pursued reconciliation with us even at the cost of his Son. It is the nature if God to reconcile if at all possible.

God hates division. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those qualities are the fruit of the Spirit that arise from the nature of God. It is his desire that our relationship with him reflect those qualities. It is also his desire that those qualities reflect our relationships with other people. God is always working toward reconciliation and restoration of relationships. He is serious about us doing the same.
since Covid, we have had a noticeable uptick in funerals in our community…many of them for relatively young people. But what I have noticed is how many have died alienated from those they should be closest to.

Some have been suicides, others overdoses, others “wildfire” cancers in relatively young men and women that took them in weeks or few months rather than years, others car wrecks, and so forth. All unexpected. When death has come, and reconciliation has not occurred, it leaves the survivors with guilt, regret, and anger as well as grief. That is not God’s will for his people.

Jesus taught, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Mt.5:21-24).

Notice that God is so concerned about us reconciling our differences with others that he instructed us to reconcile our relationships before even attempting to worship. If our hearts are full of unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, blaming, or pride, it will hinder our prayers and our worship. He instructs us to make every effort to reconcile damaged relationships as a top priority in life. We cannot control how the other person responds to our efforts to restore harmony to the relationship, but God wants to make sure that we have made a genuine effort to do so.

God wants us to extend to others what he has extended us. He has offered peace and reconciliation to us through his Son and wants us to have the same heart toward those who have wounded us. He also wants what is best for us and will bring the greatest blessing. As I have watched the tears roll and seen the regret at numerous funerals where alienated family members never resolved their relationship, I know however much effort it took to reconcile would have been worth it. If we are going to be godly or godlike, we must be reconcilers. It is much easier to do that at the beginning of a hurt rather than after years of resentment and bitterness. Let me encourage you. If you have broken relationships and have not tried in good faith to reconcile, do so. It is God’s will for you and you will be blessed because of it. Pray for wisdom, pray for courage, pray for peace and reach out.

Well, today is New Year’s Day, the first day of 2023 according to the western calendar. Sometimes we forget that New Year’s Day is a cultural construct more than a scientific absolute. For instance, the Chinese New Year will be on January 22 this year. The Hebrew calendar has its New Year begin in late summer or early fall as Rosh HaShana, based on the lunar calendar. The Islamic New Year also falls in the summer months and is also based on a lunar calendar.

No matter when you choose to celebrate the beginning of a new year, hope is always found in the possibilities of fresh starts, new promises, better choices (New Year’s resolutions) with better outcomes, and so forth. There seems to be something in each of us that persistently yearns for something new, something better, something more life-giving, than what we have been experiencing. Occasionally, we may have a year that we think couldn’t get any better, but eventually the realities of living in a fallen world will dull the shine and we will once again be hoping for more or better.

I believe that God has put that hope or yearning in each of us because it ultimately calls us home to an eternal heaven with the Father in which there will be no death, no dying, no pain, no suffering, no loss, no diminished capacity, no depression, no anxiety, no fear, no shame, and no regret. There will come a time when all of our longings for the new and better will be completely satisfied. In the book of Revelation we are told, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true” (Rev. 21:3-5).

As believers, we live with the eternal promise of God making things new. Not just renovated, but new. It actually seems to be his nature to keep creating, to keep moving ahead, and to keep making things new, making things better in ways they have never been before. He manifests that part of his nature over and over again in scripture. To Israel in Babylonian captivity he declares. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland” (Isa.43:18-19). Paul declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”(2 Cor. 5:17). Jeremiah wrote, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;” ( Lam. 3:22-23).

In the New Testament we see the phrases new wine, new covenant, new self, new life, new creation, new heavens, new earth, new and living way, a new order, and more. God is about making things new. That is true in your life as well. If life has been bad, he wants to make it good. If it has been hurtful he wants to heal it. If is has been good he wants to make it even better in ways you cannot anticipate. , He delights in making things new, in doing new and surprising things, and in offering upgrades. It is his heart and his nature.

Because of Christ, this coming year has the potential of new and positive things that have eternal significance. Unfortunately, when we think of new things and upgrades, we usually define those in very worldly, temporary ways…a new house, a new car, a new relationship, and new job, and so forth. There is nothing wrong with those things by themselves, but God wants more for us….peace, joy, wholeness, security, identity, purpose, hope, and a deeper walk with the maker of heaven and earth.

If we judge the life of Jesus by worldly standards, there was not much to write home about. He grew up in near poverty, never traveled more than 100 miles from home, was actually not known by vey many, had only a few hundred followers, had no permanent home, had to walk everywhere he went, and was eventually misjudged, hated by many, and executed unfairly. No busts were sculpted of him like the Roman emperors of his day. We are never even given a physical description of him other than he was, at best, ordinary in appearance. Yet, Jesus would describe his life as abundant because he walked so closely with the Father, loved those around him so deeply, perfectly fulfilled the purposes of God in his life, and saw the power of God flow through him on a daily basis. He had enough joy and peace residing in him that it overflowed to others and a quality of life (not based on material possessions) that others saw and envied.

Perhaps, this is the year when the new and better things we hope for will be a deeper walk with the Father, more of the Spirit, greater fellowship with Jesus, a deeper capacity to give and receive love, and a life more in tune with the purposes of God. You may well need a better car, a better job, and more money to pay the bills, but Jesus clearly directed us to seek first the kingdom of God and then all the other things we need will be given to us by the Father. So often we believe that as soon as we get the perfect mate, the perfect job, the Lexus, and the income we want, we will then be able to serve Jesus and will gladly use those resources for him. But Jesus said our priorities, our first goals, should be just the opposite and in setting those priorities we will then find true love, joy, security and peace.

May I encourage you and myself to recognize that our yearnings for a new year, a better year, a more productive year are part of who God made us to be. We should long for the new that God produces but simply remember where the true upgrades reside and set our resolutions on more of God rather than more of this world. I hope you have a great 2023. And remember….

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11-14