# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1971_S70
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

IIE /-—

70 THE CONVEN TION ESSAY

sad and sinister world of the 70's. 6

that “religious experience provides individuals and
groups an Overarching sense of the ultimate meaning of

latability, both individuals and groups suffer severe
Strain and, at the extreme, total disorganization,” 7

perate alienation shows that sin is still a factor, Far

treacherously, and that from birth you were called a
rebel” (Is, 48: 8). It is into this sinful, alienated world
that we are sent as God’s ambassadors bearing the

I
The Message We Bring

We are ambassadors for Christ. We bring a message
to a world alienated from its Creator and alienated

intrahuman warfare, one might well expect that the
ambassador’s message would be one of condemnation
and punishment. But it is not. We are ambassadors for
Christ. The message we bring is one of reconciliation,
Paul says: “Ajj this is from God, who through Christ

reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:18)

Tn our language and culture reconciliation is a beay-
tiful word, It means making up, laying down the
cudgels. It means putting an end to hostility, restoring
Peaceful and friendly relationships. It means an end to

strife and controversy, the return of joyful and coopera-
tive living,

bear? What does our convention theme mean, “Sent
to Reconcile”?

In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul uses the word reconcile to
refer to the redemptive Process. “God was in Christ
reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their
trespasses against them” (5:19). Pau] thus says that
God has effected a changed relationship between Him-
self and man. The world has been reconciled to God

tainous accumulation of man’s rebellious and selfish
deeds, his desperately evil record — all that is expunged

be saved by His life.”

God. A striking feature of the New Testament is its
frequent use of the word peace. As used in the New
Testament, peace means something much more funda-
mental than the absence of war. It has a strongly posi-
tive flavor. As one theologian has put it: “It [peace]

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