A NEW THING

“See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:19

While the official New Year may have passed us back in January, we here at CPC are beginning a new year as we once again restart many of our programs after taking our summer sabbatical. G3 is starting up with a new day and time. Session is updating and implementing new policies. I for one am very excited for the line-up of classes that we have planned for our Christian Education after church. So many new things, but new things can also bring change, change is something that many of us do not want. As the president of my seminary said, “People prefer the misery they know to the mystery they don’t.” Wise words. While I am sure that none of us are expecting misery as we kick things off here in September, it is always worth reminding ourselves that God is never static. He is always working.

This is a major theme in the prophetic book of Isaiah where God is calling the kingdom of Judah and its people to repent for the many evil things that they have done. They are pleased to offer lip service to God, and bring him sacrifices, but they do this while still breaking his commandments and running after other gods. If they do not follow his ways then they will face God’s judgment for their wickedness. God promises to send them in exile to Babylon, but will return them to the land that he had promised them. If they are able to focus on God and on the future then they will be able to see the new things that God is doing, which is where we get our verse.

This tells us two important things about God. Firstly, it shows us that God shows equal parts mercy and justice. He has every right to hold the children of Israel accountable for their failings, but he promises them restoration and redemption. To us Christians God is full of mercy, and this is most clearly shown on the cross when Jesus dies for the sins of the world. God would give many glances of this earlier, but this final work of redemption would ultimately be completed on the cross and that tells us a lot about the character of God. Secondly, it tells us that God is always creating, always doing something new. He does not want to dwell on our past mistakes, but point us to a future that he is creating, where all that was done wrong will be made right by his power. This is something that God does not want to do alone. He wants Israel to see and partake. God has called us to himself in order that we work alongside of him and help to bring about the kingdom of heaven.

That is why as we begin this new season it is important for us to remember that God is always doing something new and that he wants us to help. We do this through the worship of God in church on Sundays. We do this through evangelism. We do it through the study of his word. We do it through prayer. God calls on us to help bring about this kingdom, and we must respond.

That is why even though we may be nervous when new things start, we know that God has plans and that his plans are always good. So, as we start I encourage all of you to plug-in where you can and help build the kingdom of God over this next year.

Pastor George