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We need something new. We desire new because we
view the old as past or no longer relevant. We
want something new. We crave what is new.
For a product to sell all it needs is a label claiming
that it is new and improved and it will sell. I
was speaking with a retired United Methodist pastor last
month, he asked why new churches seem to be thriving
when older, more established churches struggle to
attract people. We have seen the signs and ads
telling of a new church starting up and might not
understand why people would be attracted to churches
that meet in schools, or shopping centers and not want
to attend an established church. It is that sense
of something new that somehow seems to capture people’s
attention.
For the new to be ushered in, the old must fade away.
The transition to the new is not always easy.
There is no birth without pain. Perhaps that is
where we stumble - we do our best to avoid anything that
causes pain. When we meet Jesus our lives are
changed. Jesus has a way of changing our
priorities and redirecting our efforts. When we
become disciples who follow Jesus we have to give up
certain activities that we might have previously
enjoyed. Jesus loves and accepts us just as we
are--but he does not leave us that way. He turns
our lives upside down and inside out. And when we
momentarily lose our focus Jesus recaptures our
attention.
Jesus was in Jerusalem with his disciples. It
almost seems like country boys visiting the big city for
the first time as the disciples were obviously impressed
by the beauty and grandeur of the buildings, especially
the Temple. By all descriptions the Temple was
magnificent, large stones, complete with gold plating.
Certainly the Temple was a sight to behold. Jesus
interrupted their gazing, telling them, “the days will
come when not one stone will be left upon another; all
will be thrown down.” Why couldn’t Jesus just let
them to enjoy the moment? The disciples could
hardly believe their ears. What Jesus said seemed
impossible; the building was so massive, made of stone.
It was inconceivable that such a structure would or
could ever be destroyed. In their state of shock
they managed to ask Jesus when this destruction would
take place. Jesus replies giving a description of
death and destruction.
In the midst of the devastation Jesus teaches us not to
lose hope but keep the faith. It is not easy to
keep your head above water when everything around you
seems to be sinking. The end time, according to
Jesus, can be a frightening experience, complete with
wars, earthquakes, and plagues. But through it all
we are to persevere—hold on to our faith. Do not
be filled with pessimistic thoughts but hold on to hope.
All these things must happen before Jesus returns to
usher in the new age. While such events might
frighten us, we are to view them as signs that Jesus
will soon return. For the new age to arrive the
old must first fade way.
We desire the new to come. The prophet Isaiah,
speaking the Word of God, proclaims, “For I am about to
create new heavens and a new earth; the former things
shall not be remembered or come to mind.” We learn
that God is in the business of creating new from old.
Isaiah believed that God was about to act. It was
the worst of times for the people, hauled off against
their will into exile. All that the people held
dear to them was either taken away or destroyed.
This situation caused a crisis of faith. No doubt
the people were filled with questions like, “Why God?”
Or, “Why has this happened to us.” As time marched
on some of the people might have been losing faith in
God, turning to pagan gods.
When the people returned from exile and were back home,
there was still the sense that something was wrong.
Something did not feel right. What they expected
did not occur and they began blaming God. When we
expect certain things to happen and things do not work
out the way we wish they would we become discouraged.
Imagine for a moment what it would feel like if you felt
that way for an extended period of time. I think
that was how the people were feeling. Why hadn’t
God acted in some dramatic form? It was at this
point that the prophet Isaiah burst on the scene with
the Word of God which would give the people a new sense
of hope. God was about to do a new thing in their
midst. God was about to act. Hold on.
In God’s new creation “no more shall the sound of
weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.”
In addition, people will live full lives, building
houses, planting vineyards and enjoying the fruits of
their labor.
Not only that, but all of nature will be transformed as
well, “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the
lion shall eat straw like the ox,” Isaiah proclaimed.
“They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain,
says the Lord.” What a wonderful world in which to
live—God’s peaceable kingdom.
God was about creating something new for the people.
This powerful vision of the future would sustain the
people, even through the darkest of days, filling them
with new hope. God was about to act. The old
way will give way to the new. With God, endings
are really only new beginnings.
Are there times when we refuse to yield to the new?
Are there times we stick to the old ways, even though
they do not produce the results we desire, rather than
try something new?
A pastor was sitting
with a person on his new patio, overlooking a small
lake. “How did you decide to move here?” the
pastor asked. The gentleman replied that he did
not. “I was forced to move here,” he replied.
He explained that the highway department planned a new
super highway that would cut across his farm - the land
he had inherited from his parents. “When we heard
that the state was going to condemn our property, take
it for highway, we were sick. We thought it was
the end of everything. This was the only place I
had ever lived in my whole life!”
“But then we moved here,” he continued. “Had to
move somewhere, so we moved here. Frankly,” he
said, “it was the best thing that ever happened to us.
We love it here.”
He sat in reflective silence for a few minutes than
added, “It is kind of sad that you got to be forced by
the State Highway Department to do what you didn’t have
the courage to do on your own. I thought the State
Highway Department had just about killed me. As it
turns out, they gave me a whole new life.”
While we crave the new we are not always willing to let
go of the old. And sometimes you have to part with
old ways before experiencing new life in Christ.
As we near the end of the Christian year, what new thing
is God about to do in our lives? Or maybe the
better question becomes what do we need to stop, put an
end to, so that God can create the new in us? God,
through Isaiah, said, “For I am about to create new
heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be
remembered or come to mind.” For us, modern day
disciples of Jesus, these words give us a sense of hope.
No matter how bad things may appear—God is going to act.
Amen.
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