Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is ja new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, owe are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 ESV).
Now… I really would like you to be honest. Did you ever think one of the angels singing at the birth of Jesus was named “Harold”? I know. That’s a bit corny, but perhaps it caused you to chuckle a little. We continue today with the angels’ announcement to the shepherds. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” is yet another favorite song packed with meaning.
Four words in the middle of the first stanza could easily be overlooked: “…God and sinners reconciled.” This profound truth speaks volumes about Jesus’ mission and God’s great plan to save us from sin and death. The Apostle Paul explains in our reading today that God has reconciled us to himself through Christ. Ever since the fall of humanity into sin (cf. Genesis 3), our relationship with God has been broken. Yet God wanted to restore that relationship. And the only way to do that was through the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ (cf. John 3:16).
When the angels announced the birth of Jesus, they spoke about the peace that Jesus brings. And with this peace comes reconciliation between God and all who believe. In Jesus, God comes to us, to reconcile us to himself so that we can live in relationship with him again.
Paul says that because we are reconciled with God, we also have the task of sharing the message of reconciliation. We are “God’s ambassadors.” Having been reconciled, we can share with others the good news that our relationship with God is restored. Jesus, who had no sin, became sin for us so that we may live for him.