Reconciliation
Colossians 1:19-23
Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s parents disapproved so strongly of her marriage to Robert that they disowned her.
Almost weekly, Elizabeth wrote love letters to her mother and father, asking for a reconciliation. They never once replied. After ten years of letter writing, Elizabeth received a huge box in the mail. She opened it. To her dismay and heartbreak, the box contained all of her letters to her parents. No one of them had ever been opened!
Today those love letters are among the most beautiful in classical English literature. Had her parents opened and read only a few of them, a reconciliation might have been effected.
Reconcile Because Relationships Break
* Between People and God ~ Colossians 1:19-23
- 19/20 God gave Himself to make peace between us all
- 21 which we need, because our sin separates us from God
(cf Isa.59:2) - 22/23 Jesus’ blood reconciles us to God; to remain free from accusation, we are to continue in faith, established (what we already learned) and firm (not letting go of it)
* Between People ~ Matt.18:15-17
- Steps to Restore:
1) Go and show (private);
2) Go with group (witnessed);
3) Go to congregation (public); the point isn’t to punish, but to Heal Both Hurts - Method to Model: Eph. 4:15 – (love; cf 1 Cor. 13);
- Reason to Reconcile: John 17:20-23: UNITY
* So Continue Carefully ~ Rom. 12:17-19
- 17 BE CAREFUL – (take thought beforehand); PLAN your PIETY
- 18 manage your own responses; keep peace
- 19 Let Go and Let God
Reconciliation is more than a Bible word; it can be difficult, because it’s often a messy process. God knows that; He gave Jesus as our payment to reconcile us to Himself… and we still walk in our human frailty. We’re called to surrender our ego, to release holding on to our “rights”, and to love unSELFishly in response.
A Transformed Life 
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