If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
-2 Corinthians 5:17 (NRSV)
DURING a pastoral visit, I met three men who were keeping watch over their flocks. After we exchanged greetings, they wanted to know my mission. I began to tell them about Jesus Christ. They strongly objected to my message and challenged me that they did not know who Jesus Christ was or what he could do for us. I asked myself, Do I really know Jesus? I recalled Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 5:17, and this gave me courage to share my own experience of what Jesus had done for me. The hearts of these three men were opened.
Jesus offers this same message of reconciliation to the world today. We live in a world of serious conflict and struggle -- a world filled with pain, hatred, and senseless killing. We see it in the international community, in our nations, in our cities and villages, and even in our families. No one is entirely free from guilt, shame, or remorse for things we've done. But the message we proclaim is that God offers to forgive us and forget our past and make us new creations in Jesus Christ.
