Something New

[The following is the manuscript of my second sermon delivered as Pastor at Pilgrim Reformed Church in Lexington, NC on Sunday, May 18, 2014.]

I will be reading to you today from the book of Isaiah, chapter 43, verses 18 through 21.  This section of scripture begins with the words “Thus says the Lord,”…

18 “Do not call to mind the former things,

Or ponder things of the past.

19 “Behold, I will do something new,

Now it will spring forth;

Will you not be aware of it?

I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,

Rivers in the desert.

20 “The beasts of the field will glorify Me,

The jackals and the ostriches,

Because I have given waters in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert,

To give drink to My chosen people.

21 “The people whom I formed for Myself

Will declare My praise.

 --Isaiah 43:18-21  (NASB)

Let us pray...  Heavenly Father, help us to better understand Your word so that we can discern Your will for us.  Move us by You Holy Spirit to then do Your will once You have shown it to us.  Use us, Lord, to carry on the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the world just as those we recognize later today did for us.  Let our history of serving You be as rich as theirs.  In the glorious name of Jesus Christ our Savior we pray.  Amen.

“I will do something new…”  God said “I will do something new.” This afternoon we will be dedicating something new to commemorate something old.  In doing so, we will be setting apart for the Lord something which He has already given us.  And we rejoice that He has given us the ability, the opportunity to do so.

Around 260 years ago, a German immigrant stood with his neighbors, looked at this spot of ground and declared that God intended it as a place of worship.  God gave them an opportunity and they took full advantage of it.  Otherwise we would not be here today.  God has a perfect plan that He entrusts to imperfect man to work.  He gives us opportunities, and sometimes only one shot to get it right.  One of those unique chances came within the first 20 years of our church’s life – the chance to take a stand and oppose tyranny and fight for the freedoms our Lord grants us.  Many took that stand, in that American Revolution, and some lie resting here in these grounds.

Even though Jesus was speaking of the end of days, His words certainly apply to that war when He told Peter, Andrew, James and John what was recorded by Mark in his Gospel chapter 13 verse 20:

20 Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days.

 --Mark 13:20  (NASB)

Although out-numbered, out-armed, and out-supplied, our forefathers prevailed in that conflict, but only through their great faith and God’s aid, and our liberties were secured.

Throughout the last 257 years, far-reaching decisions have been made, and great chances were taken.  God has given us opportunities and our members took advantage of them.  And that is why our family is alive and well today, able to honor all those who went before us with our ceremony this afternoon.

I’ve read of an old cemetery in Indiana, not as old as ours but with a tombstone that is over a hundred years old.  On that weather-worn stone is chiseled this epitaph:  “Pause Stranger, when you pass me by.  As you are now, so once was I.  As I am now, so you will be.  So prepare for death and follow me.”  Some unknown visitor to this grave scratched a reply underneath those sage words:  “To follow you I’m not content, until I know which way you went.”    [From 1001 Humorous Illustrations, “Eternal Epitaph” by J. M. Kennedy,  #328, page 135]

I think that little story helps illustrate a point I am fond of making:  we can’t know where we’re going if we don’t know where we’re coming from.  Philosopher George Santayana, looking through the eyes of historical experience, noted that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  Irish statesman Edmund Burke once observed that “People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors.”  These two gentlemen and I all point out that our past is important in helping us walk into the future.  But we need to be mindful of not dwelling too much on, or especially in the past.

In our message text today, right there at the beginning, God cautions us not to call to mind former things or ponder things of the past.  In last week’s message text from Ecclesiastes, we read that God has appointed a time for every event under heaven.  For instance we saw there is a time to keep and a time to throw away.  God wants us to keep an understanding of our past, to be mindful of where we came from, but to throw away anything that might detract from our journey through today and into tomorrow.

Let’s take a moment and look at what Paul thought of his past, from his letter to the church in Philippi, chapter 3 verses 7 through 9…

7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.

 --Philippians 3:7-9  (NASB)

Paul basically said that all the things from my past that I treasured so much I now consider nothing more than rubbish, because now I have the one true treasure of salvation through Christ Jesus.  He didn’t lose sight of his past; in fact it probably haunted him, just like our pasts haunt some of us.  But instead of dwelling on how bad he was, he used that experience to make himself a better servant.  It’s kind of like folks who work hard to lose a lot of weight so they keep an old picture of themselves on the fridge or some very large old clothes in their closet, just to remind themselves of what they don’t want to ever let happen again.  This is how Paul made use of his past.

Now today we will be celebrating an important part of our past, a huge piece of our family history, this family of Pilgrim Reformed Church.  We are making a dedication to history, setting it apart as special.  We want to rest in the memory of what God has given us, and in the newness of what He has yet in store.  God is still doing great works in us and through us.

Let’s look back at our message text, at the second half of verse 19 and at verse 20.  This passage describes things that would be absolutely impossible for us.  But with God, all things are possible, He can do anything.  And He can do anything in us and through us if we just open ourselves up and allow Him to.  His Holy Spirit will make a roadway through the wilderness of our lives.  He will cause rivers to flow in the desert of our times.  He will make us a blessing to others.

The first half of verse 19 says God is doing something new.  In the book of Revelation, chapter 21, verse 5, we see Him perfecting that newness…

5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

 --Revelation 21:5  (NASB)

He is making all things new.  These words are indeed faithful and true.  From day 1 up to today, our church has a history.  Today we will be writing on our page in history this beautiful dedication.  And then, when we turn that page we will see a clean, blank sheet awaiting us.  Together, we are starting a new page in our family history.  Together we are looking toward what God is giving us, and ahead to what He will give us next.  Together we are working on what will be dedicated in the future.

Those who went before us, who we commemorate this afternoon, laid a foundation for generations to follow. We are sealing that foundation for who we are.  Today we begin adding our stones to that foundation, building upon it for posterity.  So that our children and their children will know where they’re going because they’ll know where they came from.

Today we are doing something new.

Amen.

A New Day

[The following is the manuscript of my first sermon delivered as Pastor at Pilgrim Reformed Church in Lexington, NC on Sunday, May 11, 2014.]


Happy Mother’s Day!  Do you remember the little book I mentioned a few weeks ago, that my dearest friend gave me?  I’d like to read to you from it “The Ten Commandments for Mothers”:

• Thou shalt drive the car pool to the ends of the earth.
• Thou shalt find the missing sock.
• Thou shalt cut both pieces of cake EXACTLY the same size.
• Thou shalt NOT get sick when the kids do.
• Thou shalt answer questions about geography, long division, and where babies come from.
• Thou shalt walk slowly and carry a big purse.
• Thou shalt stop on the highway to rescue the turtle… and give the kids raw hot dogs to feed it.
• Thou shalt smile through a zillion recitals and ball games.
• Thou shalt not admit thou art related to – much less kiss – thine adolescent in public.
• Thou shalt give thyself time to relax and enjoy life.

Now let’s turn to today’s message text.  I’ll be reading to you from the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verses 1 through 8:

1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven —
2 A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

 --Ecclesiastes 3:1-8  (NASB)

As I think on this section of Ecclesiastes, I keep wanting to sing the Byrds hit from the ‘60s, “Turn, Turn, Turn”.

Now this may seem a strange choice for Mother’s Day, but let’s quickly take another look at it.  A time to give birth certainly applies and a time to die could refer to what happened to that carefree life you enjoyed before childbirth.  As a mother you definitely have a time to plant seeds for good living and a time to uproot bad habits as they form.  And there is a time to kill that scary spider and to heal all those cuts and scrapes. A time to tear down any obstacles that get in the way of your child’s development and to build up that special relationship you have with them.  Sadly there is a time to weep, especially when they get hurt, and joyfully a time to laugh at all the crazy things they do.  There’ll be a time to be silent, even when you really want to say something but know you should just hold your tongue, and a time to speak what you know is right and true, even if it hurts to do so.  As a mother you know a time to dance, a time to embrace, a time to love, and on and on and on.  And any mother with two or more children knows full well that sibling warring did not end when Cain slew Abel.  So yes, I think this message from Ecclesiastes applies to mothers quite well.

The wise king Solomon is widely held as the author of Ecclesiastes and in today’s message he provides a glimpse into God’s design for life, God’s order of events for life on a grand scale, looking at humankind in general and as a whole.  But I believe this applies to us today, as a church.  And I can now say “us” because you have so lovingly accepted and adopted me into your family.

Today marks a new day, a fresh beginning, a chance to hit the reset button and start out on a new journey together.  It brings to mind what the prophet Jeremiah said in Lamentations, chapter 3, verses 21 through 25:

21 This I recall to my mind,

Therefore I have hope.

22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,

For His compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I have hope in Him.”

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the person who seeks Him.

 --Lamentations 3:21-25  (NASB)

Our Lord’s lovingkindnesses never cease, they are new every morning.  Every morning we have new blessings poured out upon us, we have a new opportunity, a new start.  And this gives us our hope as we seek Him, as we follow Him.

So why is this a new day?  Let’s look at our message scripture to see what yesterday may have held and tomorrow may bring.  First we see that God has appointed a time for everything, for every event under heaven.  That means we will experience, are experiencing, or have already experienced these events.

A time to give birth and a time to die:  Well, as individuals none of us here today have yet died, but we certainly will someday.  As a church, as a family, we have experienced death among our members, among our loved ones, and we will continue to do so.  Dying is an inescapable necessity.  This physical form must pass away so that the new glorified form can take its place, just as the seed must die before the plant can spring from the earth, or the caterpillar must pass before the butterfly can emerge.  But I would rather we put to death some of the bad experiences and memories of days now past.  Bad things have happened to this family, to you - things that broke God’s heart as well as yours.  Let’s put the memory of those bad things to death and give birth to this new day, to this new opportunity to seek and serve our Lord together, to grow as a family and in our relationship to Him.

A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted:  Over the last many years, seeds of doubt, distrust, disappointment, and even hatred were planted.  Promises implied were not kept, confidences were broken.  Today we can begin to uproot the weeds that grew from those bad seeds.  We can plant new seeds, tended by the Holy Spirit, nourished with our love inspired by God’s love for us.

A time to kill and a time to heal:  You have already begun to heal.  My dear brothers John Bigelow and Steve Disher and others have been instrumental and invaluable in that.  But there are those out there who are still hurting.  There are those we loved and once counted as family who left us for whatever reasons they felt justified.  We must kill the beast that drove them away, wherever it lives.  We must put to rest any ill will we may have for them and help slay any resentment they may have for us.  As God does for us, we must forgive and forget what went before.  We are gifted with a time to heal and reunite our family.

A time to tear down and a time to build up:  This so clearly follows next.  With this new day we can tear down any obstacles that still stand between us and those who left us, or even that might exist among ourselves.  We can remove any barriers to others who may want to be a part of this beautiful family.  We can build up our family, not only in numbers but more importantly in spirit.  We can take this foundation and build upon it.  We can uphold each other whenever needed.  We can share and support and uplift everyone we come into contact with.  We can grow our relationship with Jesus and with one another.

A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance:  Family members at times hurt one another, no matter the size or make up of the family.  And families suffer losses, withstand injuries, endure troubles.  We have wept and we are certain to weep again, just as we have mourned and are sure to mourn again.  Life can be cruel.  Paul, when trying to encourage new converts to the faith, tells us in Acts 14:22 that “…Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”  So I’m sure we have some weeping and mourning yet to come.  But right now, today, it is a time to laugh.  We’ve laughed in our yesterdays; we’ll laugh in our tomorrows.  Today we can catch our breath and smile; we can dance with the joy the Holy Spirit has placed in our hearts.  Haven’t you just been so overjoyed that you can’t sit still, so filled with the Spirit that your body can’t contain it?

A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones:  Well, stones have definitely been thrown in the past, and maybe not all undeserved.  But now is the time to stop throwing rocks at anyone else and especially not at each other.  It’s that forgive and forget thing again.  It’s time to gather stones, and not to amass an arsenal for throwing later.  No, we can gather stones to increase our foundation upon which to build up our Lord’s church on earth.  Jesus wants us to go into the world to make disciples of all nations.  We’ll need a larger foundation and many stones to make that happen.

A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing:  The first part of that is easy, and something we already do quite readily.  We embrace each other, with the love we share in our Lord.  We embrace the tenets and principles and beliefs that spring from our faith.  We embrace and acknowledge the firm belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Master.  And today we can rededicate ourselves to embracing the whole world, beginning in our own neighborhood, spreading the Gospel and sharing our love and the love of God.  But we can also shun embracing long held bitterness and hatred and fear and distrust.  Sometimes we hold on to things we really should let go of.  I tend to be a bit of a pack rat, keeping something around just in case I might find some use for it again someday.  Sometimes we hoard thoughts and emotions and feelings that we really should just let go of, that end up poisoning us in the long run.  We just need to let go of any bad feelings we still harbor.

A time to search and a time to give up as lost:  In John’s Gospel, Jesus spoke of Himself as the Good Shepherd, who would leave behind 99 sheep to go in search of the one that was lost.  He commissioned us to go out and spread the Gospel and make disciples.  That carries with it a sense of searching, doesn’t it?  Beginning today we can make a stronger commitment to seek out the lost and help them find the path to righteousness.  As for giving up the lost, I’d rather we give up those bad feelings we may still hold, and not give up on anyone who needs to know Jesus as Lord.  We are tasked with spreading the Gospel, not with judging who might accept it.  The Holy Spirit will accomplish God’s will, sometimes in spite of our best efforts to resist it.  So let’s not really give up on anyone as lost, but continue to pray for them that they be found.  Instead, let’s give up our former life, the old person we were before we accepted Jesus -let’s give up that person as lost.

A time to keep and a time to throw away:  Today provides us a great opportunity to throw away any bad memories, any harsh feelings, any misgivings we still harbor.  Instead let’s hold tight to the joy the Holy Spirit has placed in our hearts.  Let’s keep our eyes uplifted upon the One who died on that cross so that we can live forever.  Let’s throw away all ill will and keep love in our hearts and in everything we do.

A time to tear apart and a time to sew together:  We can look at this one quite literally, can’t we?  In the past, actions were taken by some that indeed tore this family apart, ripping off big chunks of it.  Well, beginning today, let’s strive to sew it back together.  I know efforts have been made to do so, but let’s redouble those efforts.  And while we’re at it, let’s stitch on some additional material and make our family larger.  I can’t help but think of our ladies working on their quilt, patiently and painstakingly sewing on patches stitch by stitch, removing a bad stitch only when absolutely necessary.  There may come a time when we, as a family, have to repair a seam that threatens to ruin the whole quilt of our church.  But for now, let’s keep sewing together, perfecting our quilt.

A time to be silent and a time to speak:  This is a tough one, isn’t it?  Sometimes we just feel so strongly about something that we want to say our mind and let the chips fall where they may.  And often it is crucially important that we stand up and speak the truth in the face of lies and deception.  But sometimes it is best that we bite our tongues and let our thoughts go unsaid, especially if they are hurtful.  Remember that old saying:  It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open our mouth and remove all doubt.  Let us always seek God’s discernment on when to speak and when to remain silent.

A time to love and a time to hate:  OK, let’s clear this one up quickly.  The time for hatred is long past, with one exception.  Let’s hate nothing or no one other than the source of all evil in this world: Satan.  Let us take the love we have for one another, the love we so easily express here each Sunday, and carry it through every day of the week and into every heart we meet.  Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart and all our soul, and second to this is to love one another as we love ourselves, as Jesus loves us.  You have shown such wonderful and warm love to me, and I hope you feel my love for you.  Let’s see if we can make others feel our and Jesus’ love for them.

A time for war and a time for peace:  I know this family has experienced war within itself, resulting in casualties on all sides.  And I am pretty sure a few skirmishes are still being fought.  But now is the time for peace among ourselves.  Now is the time to bury the hatchet and break out the peace pipe.  Now is the time to embrace those we once perceived as enemies, no matter from what war.  Now is the time to welcome those who once walked away and earnestly seek their return.  Some of the folks who left the family for whatever reason may want to come back but are embarrassed to do so.  We need to make peace with ourselves first, in our own hearts, so we can make sure if those folks come back we will hold nothing against them and show no sign outwardly that would make them feel embarrassed or ashamed.  We must remember what Paul tells us in his letter to the church in Ephesus, in the sixth chapter of Ephesians, verse 12:  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Our war, as a church, is against Satan.  Our only enemy is the devil.  The Pilgrim family already has a great reputation in the community, for loving and for giving and for great food.  Let’s also be a beacon of peace, a symbol of peace for the greater community.

There was a day when the Lord took hold of my life and made me new.  The Psalmist must have had me in mind when in the 40th Psalm, verses 2 through 4, he said…

2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,

And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.

3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;

Many will see and fear

And will trust in the Lord.

4 How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,

And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood. 

 --Psalm 40:2-4  (NASB)

Today, the Lord has put a new song in our mouths, a song of praise to our God.  Many will see and will trust in the Lord, and will be blessed.

It’s a new day!  Do you feel it?  Will you say it with me?

It’s a new day!

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Amen.