Acts 1:1-8
Mark 1:4-11
“If
you want a new life, first give praise for having the old one.” Stephen Richards, author
Who has not ever wished they could have a do-over for
their life at some point? As we get a
little older and a little wiser, we do finally come to realize that all the
bumps and scars and bruises from past experiences – while often painful, maybe
even shameful – have everything to do with right where we happen to be. For good or for bad, there is no such thing
as a “do-over”. We make a move based on
our own decisions, and then we are compelled to deal with what comes as a
result of our choices. It is only in golf
where one can “take a mulligan”; which means if you don’t like your first
shoot, you can try again. In real life,
however, we have to play the shot we lay.
Yet we also should realize – especially according to
Christian theology – there is a “regeneration” of life which begins – but does not end - when we are baptized
into the Covenant of The Lord (Jesus DID NOT stay at the river!). This regeneration, however, does not erase
the past. We cannot “unring a
bell”. We cannot take back the things we
said, and we cannot undo the harm we’ve done.
So it has also been observed [by the late writer and theologian G.K.
Chesterton], “Unless a person starts
afresh about things, that person will certainly do nothing effective.” In other words, same ol’ same ol’ - or “auto
pilot” - ain’t gonna get it done! Never
has; never will.
We cannot – we must not – remain in the past. Many would wish that the good things would
always remain, but we know all too well that we lose loved ones. Neighbors move away. Our children grow up and leave home. We get older and more frail with each passing
year. It is the way of nature; it is the
way of mortals.
So, depending on one’s perspective, we are stuck with OR
blessed with the reality that nothing remains the same, but I wonder if we ever
consider that the “only real battle we face in life is between trying to hang
on to the past – and – learning to let go” (Shannon L. Alder)?
We certainly go through a mourning period when a loved
one dies, but the dissolution of a marriage also comes with a necessary period
of mourning just as the “empty nest” syndrome parents face requires a certain
period of adjustment; but is this not
what “mourning” is about? We face the
losses, of course, but it takes time to get used to the new reality – whatever
it may be. Even if we saw it coming a
mile away, there is nothing quite like the shock of being suddenly forced to deal with it. And dealing with it is probably what upsets
us most because it demands adjustment on our part. It shatters our little bubbles, and forces us
to make new choices.
The same can be said of “regeneration”; when we
suddenly or finally realize that the old life we once knew can have no place in
our new lives. Even if we personally did
not think it was all that bad (“I was basically
a good person”), when measured against the expectations our Lord has for His
people, we slowly but surely realize how necessary it is for us to
become active partners with The Lord
in our transformation – and ultimately partners with our Lord and with one
another in sharing the Gospel because that is what our transformation is
about. It’s not about “you” going to
heaven; it is entirely about “The Lord’s will be done ON EARTH as it is
in Heaven”!! And whatever that
may entail.
So in a sense we do start over, but only right where
we are. We do enjoy (or suffer) a new
beginning, sometimes imposed against our will while at other times freely
chosen. Sometimes we endure the change
kicking and screaming and fighting with every measure of strength we have (but
not with much dignity!), but all the time we have to
endure the changes.
This is especially true for Christians! Too often we get stuck in that single moment
of grace when we are “justified” before The Lord, forgiven for our past, and
given a new lease on life. When we are
stuck there, we don’t progress. We don’t
grow. We deny the reality that our
“sanctification” (spiritual maturity) is ever before us. We choose the simple hymn that “Jesus loves
me, this I know”, and outright reject “Onward, Christian soldiers”!
Why is this so?
Because it is too hard. It is
unpredictable. It is an uphill struggle
between the inevitable changes we must face, like it or not – and our
overwhelming desire to keep things the same.
You see, if all things remain always the same, if nothing ever changes
and we become so comfortable in that familiarity that we finally become
complacent about the greater world around us – including the Church - then what
need do we have of Light?
It is not enough to simply acknowledge that The Lord
created the heavens and the earth in six days and then rested on the seventh. People seem to prefer the theory of evolution
because science and bones and fossils are compelling. As with most biblical issues, however, it may
be the right questions are not being asked.
It is important to acknowledge the Almighty Creator’s
hand in “speaking” the world into existence, putting nature into motion, but
also consider why it is important that The Lord, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, decided there
needed to be a distinction between darkness and light. Was it only so we could go on dates in the
evening? Was it only so we would not
always have to commute in the dark?
There is a reason for the distinction, and that reason surely goes
beyond a mere difference between day and night.
But we will never know that if we do not care to know.
So it seems to me that we can stay right where we are
and deny the reality that things change (affirming darkness) – OR – we can
learn to deal with changes thrust upon us in a positive way IN THE LIGHT of
CHRIST and become active partners with our Lord and with one another in the
Body of Christ to prepare ourselves for inevitable changes and the incumbent challenges. I’ve said before that “status quo” is no
status at all … unless we consider that “all but dead” is a legitimate
status.
“All but dead” is no
status at all because our Lord Jesus teaches that The Lord our God is not “the
God of the dead but of the living” (Mark
12:27). So we remember the past –
sometimes with fondness and longing, and sometimes with dread and regret – but
the past is passed, never to return again.
Yet the Life we are called to is also not in the here-and-now but always
forward. “Tomorrow” always holds promise
because that is where Life is; that is where The Lord is.
So give thanks for the past, but pray for and expect the
future – for our “new beginning” is always right
now. Amen.
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