Now!

2 Corinthians 5: 17;  20; 2 Corinthians 6:2….

¹⁷ So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!.... ²⁰ So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ^6;2 For he says,

‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
    and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!

The first followers of Jesus were very conscious that they lived in a unique time in human history; they also knew that this time is precious.  The uniqueness of the time meant that all the old ways of resolving the problems and troubles of life had now passed into history.  The creation story that had begun in Genesis and appeared to go so badly wrong so quickly had turned out not just to be a story of creation but of redeemed-creation. The person and personality revealed in the biblical story was not just of a creator but of a redeemer creator. For these first followers, the story of Jesus was the culmination of a long trek through history. It was now the beginning of a new age ‘the new creation age’ and this new age is revealed in the redemption and renewal contained in the story of Jesus. To these first disciples their life was to be a time of sharing the hope, possibility and reality, that change is possible; reconciliation is possible through putting into practice the teachings and practices of Jesus now. When Paul uses the word ‘now’ in the final sentence of 6:2 he uses it in a very special way. It’s not just a time; it’s an activity, a practice. The appeal is to live out the salvation story of the new creation in the activity and practices of life. This means living the story in our family, work, recreation and communities. God appeals through His disciples to those not yet disciples to enter the story of the new creation. We do live in unique times and this time is precious; it’s the time God makes His appeal to our neighbours though us. Are we living in the light of the new creation; in the certainty that all things have been renewed in Jesus?