Excerpt from 2 Corinthians 5:17-21  

"God was reconciling the world to God through Christ…We are ambassadors who represent Christ." (CEB)

Reflection by William C. Green

We are asked to share what God does, not try to do it ourselves. Justice and reconciliation are mine, says God, not yours. Our job is to act it out.

Will Campbell, a Southern Baptist preacher and civil rights activist, used to roam the backwoods of Mississippi visiting Ku Klux Klansmen on their front porches, always with a bottle of bourbon in hand. In the conviction that "Jesus died for the bigots as well" Campbell never acted above it all, as though he wasn't in equal need of God's love and forgiveness. He got to know these people and, at ease with his own conviction, spoke firmly without being defensive or argumentative.

Asking for bread, using the bourbon always at hand, Campbell invited the Klansmen to share communion. He testified to justice and reconciliation beyond anything he could accomplish.

There was no assured outcome of Campbell's work. Sometimes those Klansmen were glad he left. Others were changed. But the giving went on…and on. Just like God's.

Next time we wonder "what's the point?" when someone is beyond the reach of anything constructive we can do, we can remember that no one is beyond the reach of what God can do. We represent this knowing that the real work here is God's, not ours.

Prayer

Almighty God, you do what we can't and ask only that we be faithful not to our ideals but to the power of your love as we learn this through Christ. Amen.

About the Author William C. Green, a United Church of Christ minister, is the Director of Long Looking, a consultancy service specializing in fundraising and education for congregations. He is the author of, 52 Ways to Ignite Your Congregation: Generous Giving.

The Daily Devotional is now on Facebook. Become a fan!

Sign up to receive Daily Devotionals

More items written by the Stillspeaking Writers' Group