THE POSSIBILITY OF CHANGE

It was the first week of January, and I had come out of the locker room at the exercise center I used on State Street in Fort Wayne.  The place was usually fairly empty.  I had my choice of machines.  But on this morning the place was packed.

I thought that perhaps there was a class taking up the facility there at Parkside, and so I asked a trainer, “What is going on?”  He laughed and said, “Oh, it is the first week of the New Year.  People have made resolutions so they are here to workout.  Wait a week or two and you’ll have the place to yourself again.”

This year end phenomenon of making resolutions is interesting.  Why wait until we turn the calendar?  Why does it matter that one year has ended and another has begun?

It seems to me that the beginning of a new year and the passing of an old year is like one of those roadside parks with the sign that says SCENIC OVERLOOK.  There is this moment in time that is like a high piece of ground where you can pull off, looking back at where you have been and looking ahead at where you hope to go.

There are these moments in life when it feels like there is the possibility of change.  One of the reasons people go off on a vacation, or take a wilderness trip, or book passage on a ship sailing across the sea, or sign up for a spiritual retreat, is because we need to step away from life…see where we have drifted off-track and catch a glimpse of where we need to be.

Maybe the change in the calendar has you thinking about your life.  Maybe it is an exercise thing.  Or maybe you and a sibling have a relationship that needs mending.  Or perhaps you see how stunted your relationship with God has become.

My preaching professor observed that one of the most stunning things about Jesus is his assumption that people can change.  We’re not always stuck being who we were yesterday.  The sinful woman can become a living example of grace.  The leper can be made well.  A rich young professional can become known for what he gives away instead of what he makes and has.

Paul, in a passage from 2^nd Corinthians I often quote, claims that if anyone is in Christ they are becoming a new creation.

You know what?  The trainer at Parkside was right.  In a week or two the gym was nearly empty.  Just a few of the regulars were showing up to use the equipment.

It doesn’t have to be like that, you know?  With God there is the possibility of change.

I am praying for God to help birth in us the new life we need…and for which we hunger.

Please consider inviting a friend to join you this Sunday as we celebrate Communion and begin our series of messages on THE MYSTERY.  (See details below.)

Blessings to you in 2013,

Mark