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Sermons

”A Fresh Start”
Epistle Scripture Text: II Corinthians 5:16-20
Communion Meditation For
The First Sunday Following New Year's Day

Dave Ring, Pastor
Los Alamos First United Methodist Church
Sunday Morning, January 3, 2010

SCRIPTURE TEXT: "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." (II Cor. 5:16-20, New Int'l. Version)

MESSAGE: Who among us hasn't dreamed of -- yearned for -- a brand-new start in life? To wipe away the past -- especially the negative parts -- and to enter life anew -- fresh, clean, innocent - childlike -- like a newborn babe in a manger. To ring out the old -- and usher in the new in our lives. How exciting -- refreshing -- exhilarating!
But for many of us starting over also sounds very risky. We dream about such a new beginning -- but the reality is, even when it's offered, many are afraid to grasp it. We say, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks; you can't turn back the clock; you can't make an old codger into a kid again."

From a human point of view, no man or woman can go back and start over again. The Jewish teacher Nicodemus was speaking for all of humanity when he asked Jesus, "Can a man go back and re-enter his mother's womb when he is old?" And the obvious answer is -- of course not. In human experience, starting over again is clearly impossible. In the famous Rubiyyat of Omar Khayyam, the poet proclaims, "The moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on" -- leaving an indelible mark upon one's record of life.

But there's a factor not yet considered in the calculation: the power of God -- to do anything. The power of God -- to accomplish that which is impossible for man. The power of God -- to offer a genuine opportunity to start life over again. With God, even the indelible past can be erased -- and the future thereby changed.

At the heart of the Christian faith is this proclamation of good news: you can start over again! You can start over again! Though family and friends tell you it's impossible, though you yourself may feel boxed-in, pre-programmed to live out the consequences of long past actions -- Jesus Christ can set you free from bondage to the past.
To Paul, the great evangelist of first-century Christianity, the past was essentially meaningless for Christians. "From now on," said Paul in our scripture text today, "we regard no one from a worldly point of view." The Christian faith always begins "from now on." Forgetting -- erasing -- disregarding the past -- Christ meets a man, woman, or child in the now -- and moves them forward into the Kingdom of God. For the Christian, the slate is ever clean and freshly-scrubbed -- "from now on."

If you are burdened down by past problems -- sins -- failures --embarrassments -- whatever -- Christ asks only that you confess them -- and then let them go. God will forget your past -- if you will. God will start you afresh in life -- if you'll let Him. And even if you've already tried 500 times to begin a new life, and failed miserably every time -- God is ready and willing to start again with you -- fresh, today. The Christian faith is always "from this day forward." God cares about your future, not your past!

Some years ago, just prior to Christmas, I was privileged to be invited to the annual Christmas play of the chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous which met on Friday evenings in the church I was then serving. The play was about a Christmas party -- in two scenes, the first with alcohol, and the second without alcohol. The "before" scene was startling, shocking, even downright crude in its realism. Here were men and women sunk into depths of degradation I certainly hope never to experience -- by their addiction to alcohol. The "after" scene was equally realistic -- but it was almost impossible to recognize the same characters, because of the complete and total change in their lives -- for the better.

Afterward I talked with some of the cast members, complimenting them on their astounding realism, though they were amateurs in acting. To a person, they all said, "That wasn't acting at all. We were just playing ourselves --before and after coming into AA." So then I asked how -- how did you manage to change so completely? And again, the answers were all identical: "We found acceptance and love -- here at AA."
People of Los Alamos First United Methodist Church -- if mere human acceptance and love can change down-and-out alcoholics into sober, upright citizens, think what the acceptance and love of Almighty God can do -- for you! Why -- anything is possible! A brand-new start in life? A completely new personality? The Bible calls it a new creation: "...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation -- the old has gone, the new has come!"

We each and all have just moved across the threshold of time into a brand new year - the year of our Lord 2010 -- chock full of every conceivable possibility for each of us. What better time and opportunity to shed the burdens of the past and enter the future new persons, walking hand-in-hand with Almighty God every step of the way? Today, we each have before us a marvelous offer, extended by Christ Himself: A chance to start over in life. To paraphrase Paul's words from Scripture, "I am an ambassador for Christ -- God is making His appeal through me. I entreat you, on behalf of Christ -- be reconciled to God." Will you step out in faith this morning -- and start 2010 fresh with God? Amen.

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