Spiritual Hiccups - Repairing a Relationship

I'm not sure you can be human and not experience pain and brokenness in relationship with others.  Sometimes relationships wither and die with little drama in the process, and other times they come apart spectacularly.  And of course broken relationships often get repaired and restored, but that usually requires dropping one's guard a bit and keeping the ego in check.  Rare is there true reconciliation that doesn't require an "I'm sorry" from both parties.

When I look at the strained relationship between the different theological camps in my own denomination, I sometimes wonder about how much desire there is to repair things.  There are people on both sides who can't wait for a split to become a reality.  Hard to say "I'm sorry" under such conditions.  Hard to check your ego while yelling, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!"  (If you're in the PC(USA), you may want to check out this "Letter of Reconciliation" signed by a number of church leaders.)

Such thoughts are on my mind as I mull over today's reading in Hebrews as it continues its discussion of how Jesus came to repair our broken relationship with God.  This discussion extends well beyond today's reading, and it takes place within the context of a sacrificial system that was normative in the ancient world and well understood by both Jews and Gentiles.  That system is described as an "I'm sorry" from worshipers, but it only puts a band-aid on a broken relationship and doesn't fix the underlying problem.  That fix is finally made by God.

One way to view this fix (atonement if you prefer such language) is as a cosmic act of ego checking on God's part.  God, the aggrieved party in the broken relationship, is the one who reaches out, the one who says, "I'm sorry," in the self offering of Jesus on the cross.  Mechanical descriptions of this saving "sacrifice" by Jesus do not do it justice.  They do not recognize that in Jesus, it is God who puts aside having been wronged, and does what it takes to make amends.

Strange that we Christians, who are quick to claim the benefits or this remarkable act on God's part, are so often unwilling or unable to act in similar ways with those who have hurt or offended us.

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