You Make Me New
“Every Saint has a Past. Every Sinner has a Future” — Unknown
If you could go back and do something differently, would you? Would you make a different decision? Say something left unsaid? I don’t know if I would go back or not. I guess each person would have their reasons for why they would go back or not.
One of my wishes is that I do not cling to the past so that I can avoid the future. The world is so full of endless possibilities. So much excitement, so much hope. But, sometimes that can be scary.
Sometimes we can be nervous about taking that next step, walking into the unknown. Maybe we want to go back to our past and take a different direction.
In the book of Acts, Jesus ascends into heaven 40 days after his resurrection, and there are the disciples. Just chillin’.
The same disciples who abandoned Jesus. The same ones who failed time after time. The same ones who needed Jesus to catch the fish. To say they have a checkered past would be an understatement.
Jesus has risen from the dead! They have a real story to tell. They have a call from God. They have the whole world in front of them. And that can be kind of scary.
It can be worrisome trying to do a new thing. Do you have what it takes to pull it off? What will other people think? Should you even be going in that direction?
But while the disciples are together in one place — 2:2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting — the Holy Spirit came upon the people and they were filled! They started speaking in the languages of all the cultures in the community. They received the Spirit that Jesus promised he would leave with them.
God had called them, and now they were equipped to go out into an uncertain future. God gave them the tools they needed for their mission. And God has equipped us with all we need to move forward. Jesus promises to be with us no matter what, and Jesus keeps his promises!
While we may cling to the past, God has given us courage for a future. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the path forward is clear. In our Baptism, we are made new creatures. Creatures that don’t worry about what we did wrong, but get excited about what we are going to do right.
God is doing a new thing in the world, and we are part of it. We are integral to it.
So take that step. Sign up for that class. Make that phone call. Dare yourself to ask that question.
Be curious about the world. Be excited. Be calm. Be whatever you need to be! But know that you are called and equipped and strengthened for whatever comes next!