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In April 2000, after ten years of community consultation and debate, the
Committee formed and charged with defining the various needs to be addressed
handed to the leaders of the Australian nation a document addressing
reconciliation. This document, part of which is printed below, detailed
those events which needed to be recognised and remedied so that this nation
could become united in purpose and outlook, whilst preserving the unique
characteristics of the cultures of both the indigenous peoples and those who
have settled in this nation since 1788. This document incorporates the
essential elements required for reconciliation, whether that reconciliation
be between ourselves and God, ourselves and those we have harmed (or
conversely between those who have harmed us and ourselves), or between
ourselves and those organisations, be they religious, political or
legislative, which have caused us as individuals and as a community
suffering, fragmentation, discrimination, loss of family, friends, children
or jobs, or who are responsible for pain in any other area of our lives.
The full copy of this document, Corroboree 2000: Towards Reconciliation, may
be found at the Internet site: http://www.reconciliation.org.au/towards/pg2.htm
From this document which speaks of the pain and fragmentation of the peoples
of Australia, the following statements are relevant to each of us in our
daily walk:
Reconciliation must live in the hearts and minds of all Australians.
Many steps have been taken, many steps remain as we learn our shared
histories.
As we walk the journey of healing, one part of the nation apologises and
expresses its sorrow and sincere regret for the injustices of the past, so
the other part accepts the apologies and forgives."
But it is not only in the words of contemporary Australians that such
thoughts find their way to our hearts and minds, for Scripture again and
again deals with the subject of sin and reconciliation, between ourselves
and God, and also between ourselves and one another. We hear, in the words
recorded in Matthew 5: 23-24: "So, then, if you bring your gift to the
altar, and if you there remember that your brother has something against
you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go, and first be reconciled
to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
In the Jewish religion no sacrifice was ever considered enough to atone for
deliberate sin - those sins which were committed with deliberate intent -
callously, and defiantly - for sacrifice always involved admission (and
confession) of sin and true repentance. Such repentance involved attempts
to rectify the consequences particular sin might have caused. Not even the
sacrifices offered on the Day of Atonement could avail unless individuals
had first been reconciled with their neighbours. The breach between God and
an individual could not be healed until the breach between that individual
and those who had been wronged had been healed. Since all sacrifice was
substitutionary, with the worshipper placing their hands on the beast's head
as he prayed for forgiveness for specific sins, no sacrifice could be
considered genuine and true unless confession and restoration were involved. In fact, should it be discovered that reparation had not been effected,
any offerings such an individual had brought to be sacrificed would be
destroyed - burnt outside the Temple - as unclean. Without first attempting
to put things right between one another, one cannot put things right with
God.
Jesus, when teaching his followers a new way to pray, included the words
"Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." In other
words we ask God to forgive us only to the extent we are prepared to forgive
others. But forgiveness is not enough, for it is but one side of the
equation on which reconciliation is built. The other prerequisite is an
admission of the sin and a plea for forgiveness, or in the words of the
document quoted above: one ... apologises and expresses its sorrow and
sincere regret for the injustices of the past. Without an admission of
wrong, without even an awareness of wrongs committed which may have been
subsequently buried under the veneer of multiple excuses or so-called
justification, there will be no regret, or a request for forgiveness. And
without a sense of guilt, without the admission that we have sinned again
each other and against God, there is no possibility of reconciliation. Too
many individuals and churches speak of "ministries of reconciliation" which,
when closely examined, are naught but demands made that one party accedes to
the demands of another. There is no sense of working together, instead
there is only a determined effort to convince one person or group that they
must conform to the dictates of another person or group. Acquiescence to
demands such as these are not reconciliation, and there will be no lasting
peace or respect between parties. Unresolved hurts or differences will
fester and the "patch-up" job will soon fall apart, leaving even greater
divisions.
Paul, over and again in his letters to the young churches, speaks of the
work of Christ in reconciliation. In Romans 5: 10-11 we read:
In Paul's words not only our status (our relationship with God) but also our
state is changed by our reconciliation with God. With Christ's death our
old life is also dead. With Christ's resurrection and new life, so we move
from justification to sanctification, until at last we meet Christ face to
face. This progress is only possible because we have admitted our fault,
our departure from God's will, and have through repentance moved back into a
familial relationship with God. Paul goes on, in Romans 5: 15-17, to
expound the concept of all humanity convicted by the sin of our forebears,
and into this theology he introduces the remedy, the hope of humanity. For
into the situation of our sinfulness came Jesus, and through Jesus we have
one person whose life was lived in perfect goodness. Through his life all
humanity may become linked with this life of total goodness, absolute
sinlessness. For the grace of Christ has defeated death, the penalty for
sin, and humanity is offered life. Through Christ humanity is reconciled to
God. Paul writes: "For if the many died by the trespass of the one man,
how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of one
man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! For if, by the trespass of one
man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who
receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness
reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ."
When writing to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 5: 18-20 he said:
Here is another aspect to reconciliation, in that as reconciled people we
have become ambassadors for God. What responsibility and power has an
ambassador, for such a person represents the government and people of their
country, and speaks on their behalf at international levels. Such is our
responsibility and privilege that at times we have to speak for Christ,
bringing his message to situations where he is not recognised. Just as an
ambassador dwells in a country not their own, so a Christian dwells in a
country not their own, for we are citizens of heaven. Our words and actions
are the measure by which others judge Christ and the Dominion. Our
responsibility is to reconcile the world to God, not God to the world, for
God has not wandered from us, God has not sinned against us. It is we who
have left God and wandered on our own paths of disobedience and destruction,
we who need to turn around and discover that God has continued to wait, arms
outstretched in love, for us to return. As ambassadors for God we represent
God in our dealings with oppressive individuals and organisations. Our
attitude, words and actions must always reflect the love and justice of God.
We have no right to voice our own opinions, nor to act on our own behalf,
for we speak with the voice and authority of God who has commissioned us.
To the Ephesians Paul spoke of the reconciliation Christ achieved on the
cross and of the unity he created between Gentile and Jew by the sacrifice
of his own body, thus making irrelevant the antagonism between these people.
(Ephesians 2: 13,15-16.) No longer are there distinctions, no longer
conflict of cultures or of colour, for all are now one and all citizens of
God's dominion. The spiritual barriers against inclusion of Gentiles in
acts of worship are removed, for worship of God is no longer centred in
worship in the Temple, but in Christ. No longer is any antagonism relevant
in our lives for in Christ's sacrifice, one body for the world, all
conflicts are healed. This is a hard concept to grasp when we see signs of
conflict all around us, when we are conscious of the discrimination to which
we are subjected, and the vilification which is directed against us. But it
is true, and we need to step out in faith and claim this truth. We need to
be able to accept that, while we continue to offer Christ's love,
forgiveness and healing the conflicts are but one-dimensional. We may
simply refuse to participate in the conflict. In our bodies and lives, in
our jobs and our relationships we may bear the brunt of unloving acts, but
in our spirits we are conscious of the fact that nothing that may be done to
us will mar or shatter our relationship with God. Paul continues this train
of thought in Colossians 1: 19-20 where we read: "It was in him that the
full nature of God chose to live, and through him God planned to reconcile
in his own person, as it were, everything on earth and everything in heaven
by virtue of the sacrifice of the cross."
In Christ, and Christ alone, was God encased in human flesh. Therefore in
Christ alone was God able to reconcile - bring together again in harmony -
all of creation with himself. In and through Christ alone was humanity able
to be reconsecrated. Just as a desecrated church may be reconsecrated
through an act of reconciliation, so may our lives, desecrated through the
effects of sin, be reconsecrated through the act of reconciliation to God.
Through his death Christ dealt with the enmity between created and the
Creator. He opened the door to the re-establishment of the relationship
between ourselves and God. It is never that God needs to be reconciled to
humanity, but that we need to be reconciled to God, as it is our sin which
has caused the enmity between ourselves and the holy God. Therefore it is
humanity's sin which needs to be dealt with. Humanity, by itself, would be
content to live each day without being overly concerned with the results and
effects of sin, but God will not tolerate the presence of evil, and sin is
evil.
In his letter to the Jewish Christians Paul writes in Hebrews 2: 14, 17:
Here we have Christ described as the pioneer (archegos) of glory, whom
William Barclay describes as "One who begins something so that some day
others may be born into it; he founds a city so that others may some day
dwell in it; he founds a philosophical school that others may follow him
into truth and the peace that he himself has discovered; he is the author of
blessings into which others may also enter." Through his suffering Christ
identifies with ordinary people, those who have suffered. God can no longer
be perceived as remote and unaware of the daily trials and disappointments
to which we are subject. Through Jesus Christ God feels our pain, knows our
tears, is subjected to persecution, defamation, slander, physical violence
and mockery. Through Jesus God has faced our temptations, experienced the
death of a close friend, the rejection by family, treachery by religious
officials and political assassination.
James, the brother of Jesus also speaks of sin and reconciliation in James
4: 4-6a:
Jesus warned of this choice in his words recorded in Matthew 6: 24: "No one
can serve two masters." It is always our choice, no matter how we may
attempt to justify the result, whether to cling to our Creator who loves us
passionately or give our allegiance to worldly things and values. To
disobey God can be likened to breaking a marriage vow, or an oath given in
law. It is when we insist on living and judging by human standards we will
inevitably be at variance with God. This earth is not our home, any more
than the flesh we wear is our true body, and while we are expected to care
properly for our bodies and our environment, our eyes and heart should be
aware that these are but temporary. We may either use the world or be used
by it. Material things, though beautiful to look at, or to listen to, to
touch or feel, are all destined to fail, to return to dust. Only love and
all that emanates from our love for God are safe from corruption, and will
move with us into the dimension of eternity. Only reconciliation with our
Creator and with one another will allow such love to develop and grow until,
like a rose, its fragrance will testify to its presence.
The Greek words translated in the New Testament which refer to Christ's role
in reconciliation are the noun katallage and the verbs katallasso and
apokatallasso. Reconciliation refers not to the establishment of good
relations, but to the doing away with enmities, and the bridging of
difference and quarrels. It refers to two (or more) parties which were
previously at enmity with each other. An enemy is not someone who is
distant, or not quite a friend. An enemy is someone who is diametrically
opposed to one, whose opposition is not passive, but active. The only way
to deal with enmity is to remove the cause of the quarrel or difference.
When we are to be reconciled with one another this may involve an apology,
compensation or perhaps restitution. As sinners we have turned our backs on
God whose love for us never changes, never grows dim. Christ, standing
between us and God as a bridge, has been able to effect our reconciliation
with God, reconciliation which is available to all who are prepared to admit
their faults and, in asking forgiveness, return to God's family as a
reconsecrated person. Life is far too short, too uncertain, to take a
chance on even one "tomorrow". It is a dangerous game we play, one far more
deadly than Russian roulette, when we refuse to admit our errors and seek
reconciliation with one another. Tomorrow may well be the beginning of
eternity for many of us, an eternity in which we will regret those pangs of
conscience which bid us to return to the love of God we once knew, by first
seeking healing of all the circumstances we have created by our selfishness,
pride and arrogance. Reconciliation not only allows us a second chance at
friendships, and in our relationship with various organisations and
authorities, it also brings in its train a deep sense of peace and an
unequalled awareness of God's love.
In closing I would like to share another quote from Australia, this time
from A Prayer Book for Australia (Shorter Edition) .....Occasional Prayers:
Lord God, bring us together as one,
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Premeditated Mercy : A Spirituality of Reconciliation Joseph Nassal Reconciliation : The Ubuntu Theology of Desmond Tutu
Michael Jesse Battle &
Websites:
Council For Aboriginal Reconciliation
Other Articles by Rev. Vera I. Bourne:
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