Compelling Love

Sermon 2 Corinthians 5:6-20 March 11, 2015 Ecumenical Lenten Meditation

Compelling Love

I’m fascinated by the simple things. Magnets are amazing. Have you ever played with one? When I was a kid I used to dump out the box of paper clips and use the magnet to see how many could fit on it. That magnet trick entertained me for hours. Recently I got one of those cool iPhone magnet holders for my car dashboard. Once again I returned to my fascination with the strength of a magnet to attract. The power in that thing just ripped the phone out of my hand and stuck it to the mount. I’m impressed with the strength of this thing to draw something unto itself.

It caused me to think about other things that have a compelling nature.

We are blessed to be people who live on the land between two waters. And the sea has a compelling nature of its own. Mike (my husband and I) are drawn to sound of waves and the smell of salt air just as strong as those paper clips are drawn to the magnet.

As you think about the things that have a compelling nature on you it is that vein that Paul is talking to these church goers in Corinth. He has been compelled by the love of Christ to turn his life around. He unfortunately is having to prove himself to these believers. They are not too sure that his faith and belief in Jesus is real. Most of this second letter is his defense not to the crowd out there but to the people within. That’s a tough position to be in. Has that ever happened to you? People judge whether or not you are a believer in Christ and you feel like your whole conversation is all about proving your faith to them? It’s a tough thing especially inside the walls of the church when everyone is supposed feel the bonds of love and the compelling strength of Christ that draws all together.

But, Paul isn’t fazed by this behavior. He uses it to fuel his proclamation about the compelling nature of the love of Jesus Christ. It is so strong and so powerful as to completely turn one’s life around. “Look at who you are!” He exclaims, You are a new person, you are a new creation, you have a new life!

And the reason you are changed is because of the power of God in Christ to reconcile and draw you unto himself! God has drawn us all like magnets into the ministry of being made whole and new and stuck us so tight to Christ that there is no letting go!

He agrees that this life in the real world is hard. He shares that he would rather be away from the body than face the struggles this world gives. But, we live in the real world and are to be workers in it. We are called to be ambassadors for Christ sharing the good news of his love with others. That is our challenge even today. How can we as new creatures in Christ move into being ambassadors for his sake?

Perhaps part of it is to remember this new creature way of life is a process. Gegonen in Greek is in the perfect tense. It signifies ‘the continuance of a completed action.’ In other words it is a work of God through Christ that moves in us day after day drawing us ever closer to the purity of Christ. It is a notion of “God isn’t finished with us yet.” It is a process that even Martin Luther claimed, “We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it, the process is not finished but it is going on, this is not the end, but it is the road…” As people of faith in this community we have realized that Christ is our plumb line. We have been drawn to Christ through faith in him. We are God’s people working together in this life.

These are words of encouragement and strength and power! Together we are God’s instruments called out to be ambassadors, people who represent the Good News. Together we can grow in the love of Christ. Together we can work in the community side by side showing how the love of Christ compels us to seek justice and peace for all. Together we can answer the call of Christ and be drawn to each other as we are drawn to Him. As we are reconciled to Christ we are reconciled to one another and this is the ministry and the message the world will see and hear.

Let us be drawn to the irresistible magnet love of Christ and say yes, Lord Here I am. Amen.