As much as we’d like to avoid it, conflict is a given. It happens. Whether we like it or not, sin and brokenness have woven themselves into the very fabric of humanity, leading to hurt and division. Since sometime around preschool and kindergarten, we’ve learned how to react to not getting our way, and we’ve learned how to approach someone who’s hurt us. And yet, still, even as followers of Jesus in the church, resolving conflict (indeed, even approaching conflict!) can be quite challenging.
Why? Well, there are a whole host of reasons. But at the core, I wonder if the reason we avoid conflict, or approach it in unhealthy ways, is based on fear. Because even to approach one another – either as the one who has sinned, or as the one who has been sinned upon – takes a good dose of courage. In any given situation, you can’t predict how another person is going to respond to what you have to say!
In short, there’s uncertainty in even attempting to resolve conflict. And yet, as we heard this past Sunday, as people who have already been reconciled to God through Christ Jesus, now we are the ones who are sent forth to carry out the ministry of reconciliation as ambassadors of Christ. Which means that now you have been given the ministry of testifying to what God has done for you. You have been given the ministry of enacting that reconciliation in your relationships. And you have been given the ministry of advocating for reconciliation between all peoples so that each and every person has a place within God’s community, and within God’s holy church.
So as you continue to ponder what it means to witness to community, and to live as a minister of reconciliation this week, consider these questions:
- What is your natural reaction to conflict?
- Does the way you engage with those around you – even with those who have sinned against you – witness to the message of God’s reconciliation? Why or why not?
- How are you being called to witness to community by carrying out the ministry of reconciliation?
We won’t be able to create lives void of conflict. But as we look to Christ, who is in the midst of us, and as we rely on the power of the Spirit, we can live together in community – more fully and more freely – and we can witness to the promise that all people have worth, and a place, in God’s Kingdom.