Ambassadors

In 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 we read, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come…. God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…. We are, therefore, Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”

Ambassadors make it into the media spotlight globally. It might be Kevin Rudd’s comment about Donald Trump or the Chinese Ambassador explaining why tariffs are valid. How does one be a good ambassador?

A good ambassador has two reference points.

First, they are an ambassador from somewhere. The Australian ambassador is representing Australia. They must understand and speak up for Australian interests, values and culture.

Second, they are ambassadors to somewhere. Being an ambassador to Iran will be different from being an ambassador to India or Italy. The ambassador to Iran has to be aware of Arabic and Islamic culture and laws, and females will likely have to wear a scarf. The ambassador to Italy will have to learn to avoid making appointments during siesta and dine late into the night.

Two mistakes are possible. First, the ambassador could ‘go native’. That is, they could assimilate with the local culture and lose all sense of being Australian. The opposite mistake is to ignore all local cultural norms and imagine you are an Australian ambassador still living in Australia.

A good ambassador will be mindful of both reference points and avoid the risks at either extreme.

All of this helps us appreciate how to be an ambassador for Christ. Our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20) – we are “fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” (Eph 2:19). We are to represent Kingdom values and beliefs to this world. In some ways, we are “foreigners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11).

And yet we, in a context, are given a ministry of reconciliation to the people around us, “as though God were making his appeal through us.” What a high calling we have. Be a good ambassador for Christ.

Rev. David Rietveld