First Priorities
This was the first sermon I preached to an actual congregation ... in that case, Ascension Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in March 2016. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 You’ve gotta love firsts. We cherish the first day of school, first communion, and our first anniversary. We love first place, our first paychecks, our first cars, our first houses, the first man on the moon. And if you are like me, some of you will remember the first time you went to church and how hearing the Gospel for the first time became so life-changing. Now, I’m not sure why I chose this for my first sermon. There is a concept in our epistle reading that is so big, that has so many syllables, I spent nearly my first week of preparation merely trying to wrap my head around it. I’m talking about the ministry of reconciliation. THAT is a mouthful of syllables. But to say it simply, the ministry of reconciliation is this: God followed through on HIS first priority: restoring creation and his relationship with us, thr...