What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new
under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something
new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. There is no
remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be
remembered by those who follow. (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11)
Therefore, I
urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do
not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s
will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)
My family and I are in a season of transition. This
is our final week in Corsica before moving to Baldwin, Wisconsin, where I’ve
accepted the call to pastor the Baldwin Christian Reformed Church. This move
means a new house, new town, new church, new people to build relationships
with, new businesses and gas stations and grocery stores, new newspapers, new
and different opportunities. I like the word “transition” because to me it
feels like what is in the past has prepared or is shaping the future. I’m going
somewhere else, I’m starting something new, but I don’t forget who and what and
where have shaped me. The much less eloquent way of saying this is that we are
changing.
If we’re honest, people have a love-hate relationship
with change. Maybe you’ve heard these famous quotes and popular ideas: “The
only constant in life is change.”-Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher who lived
around 2500 years ago. “Change is inevitable.” “Change is hard.” “For the times they are a-changin’.”-Bob Dylan. And because I can’t get it out of my head,
“Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.”-David Bowie.
Change isn’t something that only happens in urban or
suburban areas; it happens in rural areas, too. It’s not something that only
happens to rich people or poor people; it happens to all people. Some love change
and are always looking for what’s new—whether simply because it’s different or
because they feel it’s an improvement on what has previously been. Others
prefer to insulate themselves from change. We like what’s familiar, what’s
“always” been around. Change takes additional work, adaptations, and there are
parts that may even fail, and we don’t like that. Part of this preference may
also have to do with there being so much that changes outside of our control,
so when we feel like we do have control over something, we hold on tight.
Another potential part is that we feel the change is for others, to benefit or
draw them in, but what about us? What about the people who have been invested
over the long-term? Why must we change what we’ve helped create and what has
shaped us?
How does Scripture address change? By no means are
the passages I’ve given the only passages on this matter, but they do make me
think. The author of Ecclesiastes offers the sentiment, There is nothing new under the sun. That doesn’t mean that there
must have been internet and iPhones and airplanes at some other point in
history because they can’t be “new” today. It does mean that the pursuits of
humanity, both those which seem good and for our good as well as what is corrupt
and wicked—what is sinful have all already been. The roots of our societies,
our ways of thinking, and our praise of God all has shown up in people who
lived long before us.
This bids well for us as Christians, as people who
are striving to honor God and follow his commands. We are reminded that Christ
has sustained his church despite all sin and all attacks. He has sustained it
as a body—the church has never been snuffed out. He has also sustained us as
individuals. No matter what sins we
struggle with, what frustrations we have, what apathy or lack of devotion to
God and his church we witness, he will be faithful as he’s always been. That
doesn’t mean we’ll always be in the same place, doing the same things, singing
the same hymns or songs, but it does mean the gospel will never change.
Paul also deals with change, writing to the
Christians in Rome, Do not conform any
longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind. Most of us probably tend to see “the world” as changing. Whether it’s
political views and leanings, or different denominations and Christians declaring
certain things acceptable despite clear biblical teachings, or limitations on
things associated with Christianity in public places, we might feel the world
is getting worse and worse, drifting father and farther away from God and being
disobedient to him. If that’s our mindset, then we might see the church and
“true” or “biblical” Christians need to be the anchor that remains unmovable,
meaning not changing.
But Paul seems to be calling Christians to change. The world is going the way
that is consistent with sin and rebellion against God. In a way, it’s to be
expected. Christians are not to conform, not to give in, not to remain in the
sinful nature and sinful mind that we are born with. Rather, if we’ve come to faith, if we’re
putting to death the old self, then we are to be transformed. We’re to be changed through the renewing of
our minds. To follow Christ, to seek his will, to be obedient to him, to be
involved in the ministry of his people is not the natural state for any of us following
the fall of Adam and Eve. Hopefully living in God-honoring and glorifying ways
does, over time, become more and more natural for people of faith. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we need
to constantly be aware of what areas in our lives still need change, still need
to be drawn out of darkness, out of sin, out of our comfort, and into the comfort
and will of God.
As we’ve celebrated Easter this past Sunday and different
churches recognize Easter as a season, we are reminded that Jesus’ resurrection
would have provoked change in the disciples and first followers of Jesus. Before
his death, Jesus had prophesied that he would die and he would rise again 3
days later, but the gravity of what that meant likely didn’t sink in until it
became reality. When the tomb was seen empty, when Jesus was seen by the women
and then by his disciples and others—Jesus showing the holes in his hands and
his side, then everything changed! He really was the Messiah. He had defeated
death. He had promised all who believe in him resurrection to eternal life!
These events changed everything for those who witnessed them, as we see in the
new boldness of the disciples and apostles to minister about Jesus despite ridicule
and persecution.
The current changes in my life and my family’s life
are difficult. We’re going to miss the people here and the connections we’ve
made in the church and beyond. We are making this move, this change, in part
out of obedience to God, trusting that he has, for his purposes, called us
elsewhere. But our leaving doesn’t mean we all should stop changing in the way
that Paul talks about in each of our being renewed.
As we celebrate Easter, we are reminded that Jesus is
alive, and he continues to live now and forevermore! Because we serve a risen
and living Savior, we must change—through the processes of conversion,
repentance, and sanctification. Let us not get stuck, resisting change that God
calls us to as his church and as individuals who have received the never-changing
gospel of our unfailing God. Let us not forget “the old, old story…of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.”
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