Guess what today is? You likely guessed Valentine’s Day in addition to it being our weekly Wednesday prayer call day.
More importantly, it’s also Ash Wednesday—a Christian holy day—marking the start of Lent, also known as the Lenten season—a 40-day journey of reflection, repentance, and renewal leading up to Easter Sunday, when Christians commemorate Jesus’s death and triumphant resurrection.
Today’s prayer call will focus on 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, exploring the theme of reconciliation and its significance in our relationships with God, ourselves, and others.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Reconciliation is truly about change, isn’t it? It’s about fostering positive transformations in relationships. However, reconciliation didn’t originate with humanity. It is the restorative relational response to humanity.
Reconciliation started with God taking the first step to bring humanity (that’s us!) back from sinful disobedience into a restored relationship with Himself through Jesus Christ. It’s the ultimate expression of love, one that resets, reconnects, and reconciles our hearts to His.
But reconciliation doesn’t end with simply resetting our hearts. Nope, God invites us to actively play a part in becoming ministers of reconciliation. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, we are ambassadors for Christ called to pursue reconciliation in all areas of life and with all people—with our family members, neighbors, coworkers, and friends.
And let’s note and not forget about forgiveness—it’s vital to fully realizing divine reconciliation. Just like God forgave us in our sinful disobedience, we’re called to forgive others. When we forgive and bring our relationships to the Lord in prayer, we often witness remarkable change, healing, and unity in friendships, marriages, families, communities, workplaces, and more, reflecting God’s holiness.
So, as we enter this Lenten season, let’s not only abstain from luxuries and conveniences but also seek God for the truest transformation of our hearts, being reconciled and made holy—the old passing away and becoming new in Christ Jesus.
Let’s keep Jesus at the center of it all—remembering His life, His sacrifice, and His resurrection—as we pray for God’s liberating reconciliation and restoration, not just in our lives but in the lives of everyone around us where we live, work, and play.
See you today at 12 pm via Zoom!
God bless,
Pastor Alvin & Mallary Brown
alvin@makingamosaic.com :: mallary@makingamosaic.com
General Prayer Requests & Updates
For evangelism to flourish so communities and campuses in the greater Fort Worth area will be reached, and the lost will see and experience the love of Christ and be drawn to his kingdom.
For signs and wonders to follow the preaching of His Word.
For team unity and laborers to help carry the load.
For finances and provisions.
For fully funded campus missionaries (2 per campus) to help reach the next generation — Texas Christian University (TCU), Tarrant County College (TCC), Texas Wesleyan University (TWU) and Tarleton State University – Fort Worth (TSU), University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), and Dallas Baptist University (DBU).
Alvin Brown, the Lead Pastor of Mosaic Church Fort Worth, brings over a decade of pastoral ministry experience and more than 20 years of operational and technical leadership expertise. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications Management from DeVry University and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. He enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Mallary, and their three children and contributing as a writer to various media outlets.
