Today is the day of salvation

My heart has been burdened with the idea of "being right" lately. Holy Spirit has been doing a mighty work over the past couple of years to save me from this way of death. While the strength of my reactions to "wrong" ideas has mercifully waned, I still need reformation to be merciful in my responses to what seems to me inconsonant with the truth of God's story.

I talked with a barista at Starbucks a couple of months ago, and her religious approach horrified my Self of Yesteryear. She was raised a Catholic and wandered in high school and college somehow landing back in Catholicism. But her landing pad has more to do with Buddhism than anything. I think she mainly attends Mass for the beauty of the theatrics (respectfully stated).

Back in the day, I would have heard the words "today is the day of salvation" from Paul in 2 Corinthians echoing in my head as I tried to convince her that she needed to become a Christian. But I was just struck with the idea that what was bouncing around in my head was actually "right now is the time to pray the sinner's prayer."

From a more holistic perspective, Paul's statement of the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy is "we have reached the climax of history when God himself has come to rescue his people—indeed all of humanity—from sin and its resultant exile/estrangement and from death, the previously ultimate exile." That's how I interpret what Paul is saying in context.

But what do we do if this steals the urgency of conversion? I think my own journey away from "wrong thinking search and destroy" is a good illustration. Holy Spirit has taken his sweet time in healing me from this dysfunction. Why would I think that a conversation in an afternoon would change my life and actions? God's Spirit is active in making the practical presence of the reality of salvation present throughout the world and in people's lives. Today I trust that he will use me to gently and powerfully bring salvation in his creation, both human and not.