Start Anew                                      Philippians 3:13-14

New Years, a wonderful time of the year when we all seem to be looking at all the possibilities ahead. This time of the year is when most of us take stock and review the past. What am I doing wrong? What do I want to accomplish? What should I be doing? I’m finally going to take that cooking class. I need to get into shape. I need to be more patient.

We just celebrated Jesus coming into the world. And with him God gives all of us the possibility of a new beginning. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here.”

I Am a flawed man. I’ve made mistakes in my life. I’ve embraced things I shouldn’t have. I’ve engaged in behavior that goes against what God want from me. And yet God reached out and chose me to share his word, why? It’s because when I saw the truth and accepted the cross, those things didn’t matter anymore. It’s like God took an eraser to the blackboard of my soul and wiped it clean. I can start fresh.

Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” I am new because now God’s spirit lives within me. Oh wait, I saw you the other day in the store when the person in front of you was arguing with the cashier and you rolled your eyes and huffed. Where was your new spirit then, where was that patience you say you’re working on? As I said, I’m flawed. I’m not perfect, I am a work in progress.

Lamentations 3 verses 22-23, “…for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning…” I make mistakes, some small, some large, but God’s grace and mercy are never exhausted, each day I receive more; James 4:6, “But he gives us more grace.” Romans 5:20, “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” To many times we may think that we’re not good enough Christians to talk to anyone else about it. I don’t know where or when we’re taught this, but I believed it too. “I can’t talk to anyone about Christ, I’m not the closest follower myself.”

 Scripture tells us all our sins are forgiven; past, present, and future. Scripture tells us God’s grace is continually renewed, every time we sin, God’s grace covers it. So, the question isn’t, are you a good Christian or a bad Christian? The question is, are you a Christian who understands how much God loves you? Are you a Christian who knows how perfect God thinks you are, just as you are?

God says in Hebrews 8:12, “I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.” This means God’s grace is forever new and our sins will never be held against us. This is the glory of our Lord God. But what about us? I want to look at this from the human condition. God says he forgets our sins, so, do you think we should forget our own sins?

Isaiah 50 verse 7, “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced…and I know I will not be put to shame.” By forgiving our sins, God removes our shame and guilt over those sins. We no longer have to keep going before God saying, “I know I did wrong five years ago, I just want to ask again for you to forgive me.” We don’t have to keep asking for forgiveness for the same thing over and over because we feel guilty before God. Our guilt and shame have been removed by God, and if God doesn’t remember, why do we keep laying it at his feet and reminding him?

But the question was, should we forget our own sins? I thought about this a lot. I concluded that the answer is no, we should remember. Not guilt, not shame, just remember. When we remember what we did, it can do two things for us. One, it can help us grow. It can help us to be aware of what we are doing so we can ask God to help us avoid it in the future. I believe that those who fail to remember their missteps are subject to repeat and do them again. Of course, we may still do the same thing even as we remember, but remembering will help us to lessen the frequency, and with the Sprit’s help, stop the behavior.

Two, by remembering our sin, we will be aware of our flaws and be more tolerant of others when they fall.

Remembering our sin does not equate to guilt and shame. Guilt and shame cause inaction and a lack of sympathy. That is not God’s desire for you. Remembering without guilt and shame makes you sympathetic, empathetic, and forgiving. This is what God wants from all his children.

I’m going to take a left turn here. These concepts apply not just to us as individuals but also as a church. Our church is also looking forward to a new year and the promise of new possibilities. I believe we should look back at our history, it’s what brought us to this time and place. But, as we do, let us not focus on past missteps and allow them to prevent us from taking steps forward. Let us not look back and hold so tight to the past that we refuse to see the new direction and path God is leading us to. God’s grace is new each day. God’s work in our fellowship is new each day.

There are people here that have a fifty-year history with our church. And there are new faces here that support and love this church. I ask that we all work together to find new and inventive ways of keeping our church relevant and vibrant. We are Congregationalists that work in the world for Christ. Remember our past. And remember what was done in our past may not work in today’s world, we must be open to the new.

The world is changing. It has changed. In my lifetime we’ve gone from no computer to computers that took up the entire room to now where everyone has one in their pocket on their phone. As I look back, the number of new things and changes just in my lifetime is staggering. It is my job to help us navigate through all of this and I am looking forward to working with each of you as we continue as a church and in doing God’s work.

So I ask you to see what our reading this morning is telling us. Whatever we do today,

God’s grace covers it. Never think you are less of a Christian because of past, present or future mistakes. We all should let go of guilt and shame over our sins, but remember them, let them guide us to be more forgiving and understanding of others.

And I want us all to look to this new year with excitement and anticipation for all we can accomplish together for God.

Amen.