Taylor was baptized last night after RAMP groups at 7 PM. What a great ending to a day! I think my favorite Scripture about the life of a believer is in 2 Corinthians where Paul writes:

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation - the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconcilitation: 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. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

A few things I love about this Scripture:
1. We are made new when we are baptized. This is the language of redemption. The prophets speak of God making all things new, restoring creation, bringing wholeness. This is true of us when we become part of Christ’s body — we are being made new. But we must never forget that this process of being made new will not be completed until the day of his return.

2. Our redemption isn’t based on our efforts, but on God’s will. It’s his gift to us. We just have to receive it.

3. Redemption must come at a high price because the price assigns the value. When Jesus gave up his life suffering the ultimate injustice, he sealed the deal. He set the price for our redemption. Our redemption was paid. It’s like in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The White Witch said that a price must be paid for Edmond’s betrayal, so Aslan offered himself to free Edmond. That’s the picture of what Jesus has done for us.

4. Reconciliation is about broken relationships being restored. Our sin separates us from God. It creates a brokenness in relationships with God, one another and his creation. We see the effects all around us every day. The fact the we talk about global warming, pollution, crime, divorce, and abuse reveal that sin has broken relationships in every way possible. But God, through Christ, has restored those relationships. This is a work in progress. Scripture points us to a day when all relationships will be completely reconciled. We look forward to that day!

5. He has commissioned us to be people who work to bringing reconciliation. Because he has restored our relationship, he calls us to be agents of reconciliation. Our lives should promote healing, not help lead to further brokenness. This should move us to act in many different ways. We should be people who help others, act responsibly with the creation God has entrusted to us, strive to bring unity to the body of Christ, share the Gospel with others.

These are just some things I thought about last night and this morning. I praise God for Taylor’s decision. I pray also for those who have yet to choose to become part of the body of Christ and join us in this ministry of reconciliation.