The peace agreement signed on Thursday, January 16, 1992 in my home country, El Salvador, ended a war that lasted more than a decade between the government's army and the country's guerrilla forces. It was a supposed reconciliation pact between two sides that was meant to bring peace to the nation; however, the reality was different. It was more of an agreement between them to divide the country; there was no genuine reconciliation or restitution for the damages caused.
I quote a passage that reflects this reality: "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand." (Matthew 12:25 NIV).
The government of my country was divided, society was fractured, and that's why they fought against each other, because of the division. This societal division led the country to ruin for many years. The same happens in homes: a divided family or marriage does not prosper. Where there is no unity in important decisions, in child rearing, in economics, or in faith, that home cannot progress.
The meaning of reconciliation is to return to friendship, to overcome enmity, to restore concord and harmony, or to reconcile people who were divided or ideas that were in conflict. It is also to reconcile the parties.
In the beginning, humanity was one with God. Heaven and earth were united. But because of sin, that union was broken. We cannot deny that there is division around us: between spouses, between parents and children, between bosses and employees, and between earthly and heavenly things. That's why Jesus came, to restore that union of man with God, of children with their Heavenly Father, to reconcile all things with God.
The culture of the Kingdom is one of reconciliation. The Lord speaks of one church, one people, one nation, one army, not of several.
Just as peace agreements were made in my country, we must make a peace agreement with God, fulfilling His will on earth as it is done in heaven. We must make a peace pact that restores the relationship between man and God, one family at a time.
Written by Víctor Preza, based on the sermon of May 11, 2024.
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