Begin Again
Why do we fear starting something new? Or more specifically, starting something over again? You would think, particularly as we grow older, that we would realize that our lives start and re-start constantly. Every day is a possibility to start something new, to change old habits, to re-energize the mind, to embolden the spirit. But at some point every one of us convince ourselves that it isn’t worth the energy to follow through on new beginnings. We are who we are. We’ve become something, so why change? The past is past, but it has authored our future in such a way that starting over is impossible. We tell ourselves that we don’t have time, or feel unequipped, or have lived one too many disappointments to strike out afresh one more time.
As followers of Jesus, I wonder how we justify those ideas? After all, didn’t Jesus say in his glory, “Behold, I make all things new”? Isn’t the witness of being a little-Christ that we are born again? Or is ‘born again’ just another way of saying ‘evangelical’ or ‘church-goer’? Maybe we’ve missed something here. Maybe rebirth in Christ is something larger than a one time event. In fact, rebirth is a reality we step into as a follower of Jesus that will stay with us for eternity. We are new creatures preparing for a renewed creation.
The Gospel of Jesus says that we are not just “who we are” anymore. That death sentence has been revoked and replaced with an eternal fountain of new possibilities. Imagine that everyday you woke up and believed that you truly got a fresh start. The guilt or pain or sorrow of yesterday was forgotten. You were on Day Zero of Life.
Isn’t that what being Born Again really means?
In the past year, a lot has changed for me and Amber. From the outside it may not appear so, but on the inside it’s been a wholesale transformation. The dreams of many years are taking shape before our eyes. For me, the most difficult thing has been believing that I am ready, that I can be something else other than what I have been. I am continually wanting to return to the safety of the familiar - to believe that the past has authored the future - and to stay complacent. But I’ve been hearing fresh voices. I’m reading again. I’m listening to the heart-cries around me. I’m feeling the pull to new ideas and challenging questions. Believe me, it is very easy to believe the whispers that I am who I am, change is not likely, that the dreams will remain just that…dreams.
I’m posting this today for me, not to convince anyone of anything, or to advertise, or to be controversial. This is a marker, a monument. I will not believe the lies. I am a born again person. New birth is my birth-right. Will you believe it too?
Evangelism
I’ve been starting to have thoughts about this lately. I love this summary by David Fitch:
“In post Christendom, people generally (even among those raised as Christian) come to God in Christ broken, often from homes of divorce, sexual abuse, places of despair. The gospel cannot be a concept, it must be the invitation into an entirely reordered way of life - the world of redeemed creation.”
Read more:
Christian Subversion The Dream of God: change jesus kingdom
by Mike
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Recycled Change
Isn’t that a metaphor for American life?
I saw this while taking out the trash yesterday morning and I started thinking about the word ‘change’. In presidential elections of course, it is a slogan that means “Our administration will be different than the last guy’s…so vote for us.” Coupled with the right marketing, shrewd presentation of an alternative platform, and a personality that a diverse population can rally behind, you get ‘change’. But what about our lives? What does real change look like? Can we measure it? Should we even talk about it?
When most people talk about changing their life, they usually mean “I want to be different.” Usually this has to do with an unfulfilling job, relationship, or something about their body. But when Jesus announced the availability of the Kingdom of God to his followers, he wasn’t talking about tweaking our exercise regime or taking pottery classes on the weekends. We typically equate the word ‘repent’ with individual sins - repent of your greed, lust, anger, etc. But what Jesus meant by ‘repent’ was much more political and comprehensive. He was saying, “Give up you agenda, your solutions to yours and the world’s problems, and follow me.” His call to repentence certainly had personal, moral implications, but it also required allegiance to Jesus - to in effect give up your life.
Surrender is something Americans don’t do very well. We truly believe that if we work hard enough, we can fix our problems and then take on the world’s. But Jesus’ idea of change is obviously quite a bit different from ours. I’m not sure you can measure change, but I think I know what if feels like. It’s not pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps kind of stuff. It identifies with the broken - the losers, the spit-on and shat-on, those without hope that anything of significance could ever be different. Jesus came announcing his Kingdom - a place where things truly are different and transformation is real. Instead of recycled change, he promises resurrection. And that’s got my vote.
My Wifey Kills It…
One of the best things I’ve read related to the election recently and one of the best things she’s ever written. I’m a proud hubby…
Time to Wake Up
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” - Mark 1:15
Tomorrow is November 3, 2008, the general election. There will be millions of Americans streaming in and out of polling booths…many with rabid enthusiasm for their candidates. When it’s all over, a new president will be chosen, along with thousands of other political office holders. Contrary to some people, the world will not end…or become a paradise overnight. The stark reality is that the sun will rise on November 4th and we will still have houses we can’t afford, credit cards we can’t pay, addictions we can’t shake, marriages we can’t save, wars we can’t end, and questions we can’t resolve.
Tomorrow will be a quiet day for me. I’ll go to work, eat dinner with my family, go for a run with some friends, enjoy some time with my wife, and go to bed. (If you must know…I did vote by absentee ballot a few days ago). But my mind will not be on elections or the bright future or the dark days ahead. Tomorrow I am going to carry a little card around with Jesus’ words from Mark 1:15. I am going to meditate on those words, pray them, live with them. The time has come, he says. Repent and believe the Good News…
I’ll let you know how my day goes.