Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18-19
New things, new wine, new wineskins, new year’s resolutions, new, new, new.
All around us are new things – new cars, new technology, new glasses, new haircuts, new hearing aids. Change is never easy, but often, it’s what’s necessary. Time doesn’t stand still.
You might think to yourself, “I haven’t changed a bit. I’m the same person I’ve always been.” But you’re not. Today you have the experiences of yesterday and today that you didn’t have at the beginning of the week. You have new knowledge and new insight. You may have a new wrinkle, a stronger muscle, less hair or more.
But look at us, we’re not getting any newer, or are we? And yet, daily we are renewed in our baptisms. Daily we are renewed in our hearts, minds, and souls.
Our buildings aren’t getting any newer, but are getting better with age like a fine wine – worn and mellowed. I was sitting in the sanctuary and noticed the fine cracks in the paint at the corners where the woodwork meets the plaster and thought about how the building is a lot like us. So much has changed since Immanuel first came to this site. And throughout the ages God has been preparing us for this moment in ministry.
What is the holy work that God is doing in you? What is the new thing? Do you perceive it?
The new things in my life this week included preparing a family for baptism and sponsoring a new seminary candidate.
When I met Zoe’s family for preparation for baptism, I held the newborn Zoe, just 15 days old.. Adorable, sweet, peacefully sleeping, but she’s human, and the gases created from her digestion were escaping – not so peacefully – from her body. (Peder would say, ‘Mo-om, that’s bathroom talk!’)
And yet, she’s a perfect human. Whether cradled comfortably by her adoring mom, rocked by her dad, or dangled by her older sister, she is a creation of God, soon to be welcomed by the church on her baptism day – June 27.
Immanuel recently approved sponsoring a new candidate for ministry, too. 30 years old, preparing for seminary, Scott is smart, educated, worldly, but human too. Whether embraced by his wife, teased by his sister, or adored by his parents, he, too, is a creation of God, who will enter one of the ELCA seminaries, Trinity in Columbus, Ohio, this fall.
Some remember his baptism day, his confirmation, and the days he wasn’t perfect either.
Baptizing and raising up leaders for the church is the missional work we share. Through us God is doing new things!
Jesus commissions us to baptize all nations in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And he commissions us to train and equip church leaders for the sake of the world. Jesus commissions us to share the good news of God’s powerful word with those we meet.
I started writing about new things like new jobs, new friends, new homes, new cities, new schools, and so many changes, and yet, at the same time, nothing changes, the steadfast rock of our redemption is our Lord – our rock in ages past, our hope in years to come! This rock of our redemption brings newness and redemption!
