Something Totally New

Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:8-14; John 12:1-8

Our Old Testament lesson presents some good ideas which we need to hear more often. Indeed, the people of Israel needed to hear what Isaiah had to say. They had been in exile for many years and were worn out by simply hoping for the day when they would be permitted to return to Israel. But, in a very real sense, they were slaves to the past as well as slaves to the Assyrians. For, no longer did many of them consider themselves to be God's chosen. Rather, many of the people of Israel in exile were beginning to believe that they were losers. And, so, they were starting to lose hope and getting closer and closer to the day when they would simply melt into the population around them and be forgotten for all time.

But, to this situation of hopelessness and negative sense of their history, Isaiah spoke these important words. He said: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past."

Of course, one of the problems many of us have is the problem of dwelling on things that took place years ago, things that we believe have power to shape the present. And, yet, many of the things that happened years ago only have power because we let them have power.

For instance, some of us have been hurt by things people have said and done to us. And, at the same time, we have allowed those hurtful experiences to control and shape our lives, sometimes to the extant that our discipleship may be impaired.

I remember, for instance, how, when I was in Sunday School there was a teacher who made us kids memorize poems and bible verses. Now, in and of itself, getting kids to do this isn't a bad thing. In fact, it's a pretty good thing. The only thing is that when the kids got up to recite their poetry or scripture passages they had memorized, this particular teacher would make fun of the kid would forgot, and even call him stupid. That happened to me a couple of times, and after that it was very difficult for me to memorize scriptures and poetry and, especially to recite them in front of people. It took a long time before I got over it. And, in fact, in some ways I'm still affected by that experience that happened so long ago, even unto this very day.

But, Isaiah tells us to forget the former things. He tells us, "Do not dwell upon the past." He reminds us to keep from thinking about the things that have hurt us, the things that keep us from becoming all that God has created us to be.

I'm reminded of something that Henry Ford used to say: History is bunk! As someone who has always enjoyed the study of history, majored in history at Eastern Michigan University, and might have become a history teacher if it hadn't been for the ministry, I never could understand why Henry Ford would have said such a thing. But, what Henry Ford actually meant when he said, "History is bunk!" is that no one should allow something that happened in their past to keep them from being creative, from enjoying life, from enjoying fulfillment in their endeavors, or to be afraid to try something that everybody else has said is impossible for you to do. In that sense, history, indeed, is bunk.

For with each of us, God is working on something unique and totally different. Or, as Isaiah said about God, "I am doing a new thing." Or, as the poster reads, "Be patient with me! God hasn't finished with me, yet!"

There is something empowering about being able to get up every morning and looking at it as being the first day of the rest of your life. In fact, that's what the Passing of the Peace in our worship services is all about. Having confessed our sins before Almighty God, we know that God begins anew with us, and makes us a new creation by the power of Jesus Christ. And, so as persons who have been created anew, we are able to share the peace of Christ with one another and share in the communion of the Body of Christ. That's what the eucharist is all about! When we come forward to take the elements of bread and wine, we do it as persons who have been forgiven and made new. That's why the United Methodist Church now looks at communion as a celebration rather than as groveling in ones sins. That's why we no longer talk about our unworthiness even to gather up the crumbs under the table of the Lord when we partake of the Lord's Supper, because by the time we take the Lord's Supper we have confessed our sins and have been accepted by God as new creations. Indeed, by the time we partake of the Lord's supper, today, we will be made more than worthy to gather at the table of our Lord, because Christ will have made us worthy, by the power of his blood shed for us.

What a fundamental part of our faith this is! And, yet, how many of us have really accepted it? I have served churches where people didn't come forth to partake of the Lord's Supper simply because they didn't believe they were worthy of it; that there was some sin in their life, some impediment barring them from the table of the Lord. Yet, if we truly understand what is happening in our worship service; that it is an experience of being recreated; then we must also understand that Christ makes us worthy, not only for partaking of the Lord's supper, but for heaven, itself.

And God does this gladly for us. This isn't something that we have to plead with God, endlessly about. For the way has already been paved for us. It was done by Jesus upon the cross. And, as our Old Testament lesson for today says, "I give drink to my chosen people."

Indeed, we are God's chosen people. Believe it or not, each of us has come here today because God has called us here. And if God has called us here, God has a purpose. For he wants to do something special and wonderful in our lives. Do you feel it? Isaiah could, when he said, "I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise." Amen.