GOD'S NEW THING

In 1921, a new warden showed up at New York's infamous Sing-Sing prison. His name was Lewis Lawes and many believe that he turned this prison around... but today, I want to talk about his wife, Catherine... because she's the one who introduced scores of violent inmates... to the new thing that God is doing in our midst.  Never afraid, she frequently attended events and activities with the inmates... believing that God would keep her safe, and she had a personal interest in each prisoner. She met with each one and knew them by name. Once, when she found out that one of the prisoners was blind, she learned Braille herself... and then taught it to the man... so that his life would be richer. On another occasion, she learned sign language to enrich the life of a prisoner who was deaf. In short, Catherine Lawes was a disciple who worked steadfastly to bring light where there was darkness, hope where there was despair, and empowerment, even to those behind bars... but one day, she was killed in a car accident... and the next day, the prisoners knew that something had gone terribly wrong. Well, it had... and the men grieved as arrangements were being made for her visitation. They implored the Assistant Warden to let them pay their respects to this woman who loved them unconditionally... and he relented. "Go ahead," he said, "But make sure and check in tonight." So, they did. Without supervision, they walked the better part of a mile to pay their respects... and they returned to Sing-Sing prison- every single one of them- because they had experienced God's abiding grace, His empowering love, His healing touch. They were still prisoners, but never again were they quite the same, because in Catherine's presence, they were somebody worth knowing and loving!

New beginnings. Renewed hope. Liberty, empowerment, purpose, peace, unity, love. These are the signs of God's new thing, whether we're talking about the Jews who had returned home after years in exile in Isaiah's world, the Jews who lived under the weight of the law and Roman rule in Jesus' day, or the Christians who call South Park Presbyterian Church home today. Of course, we live in an age where new things are a way of life. Change has become our new constant, but change alone is NOT God's new thing. Scientifically (for example)... things are changing at a staggering rate... and although there are unforeseen consequences to the introduction of any new thing... I suspect that these changes are mostly for the better. In 2013 alone, scientists...discovered a gene linked to longevity... and the cause of human allergies to cats, cured blindness in mice; introduced a bionic hand that can perform the most delicate of tasks and an "intelligent surgery knife" that can differentiate cancer cells from others; developed a 3-D printer that produces clusters of living stem cells, the first mind-controlled prosthetic leg, a camera that produces 3-D images, a way of converting sugar into fuel, and a blood test for babies that predicts their health and rate of ageing later on; sequenced the Neanderthal genome, cloned human embryonic stem cells, and witnessed the first hamburger made entirely in the lab! All of this, and more, in a single year! Yes, when it comes to science, we're doing a new thing and while God may well be pleased with many of these breakthroughs, they are not the new thing that Isaiahwas talking about... because they don't give us the joy of knowing that God wants us to be all that we can be in Him, and the purpose we find when we serve others in His name.

Culturally... things are also changing at a staggering rate... and these changes are bringing both the good and the bad. Any of us can access any subject on Google... simply by speaking into the screen. Say "Colonial America family life," and a library of information will be provided. Say "Baseball Records," and you'll have access to every record ever set. That's good... but... the same person can type or say, "pornography," or "ways to make a bomb," and that's bad.  We see young people texting one another (sometimes when they're in the same room), or gazing at little screens in their hands (instead of looking at the people with whom they've gathered to eat. So, their ability to communicate with greater numbers of people is enhanced, but their ability to communicate in depth is down... and this is not a good thing. In the last few years alone, we've been introduced to internet addiction, cyber-bullying, cash machines that ask if we want "English" or "Spanish," an avalanche of politically correct words and phrases, and terrorism.

Yes indeed, with any doubt, change is everywhere. It's certainly no longer my father's world, and in some ways, it's no longer quite my world... but despite all of the changes that are spinning around us... our need for God's new thing is at least as strong today as it has ever been! We're busier than our ancestors were, but not more fulfilled. We're freer to do our own thing, but more enslaved to the things others are doing. We hide behind an ever-growing number of devices, but we're increasingly afraid of being naked. While our ancestors were victims of circumstance, we're often victims by choice, and we're no more happier, no more secure, no more confident, no more aware of who we are, no clearer on where we're going... than they were! We are as least as lost as our ancestors were... which is not to say that they weren't lost... for despite the nostalgia that many of us have for yesteryear, the record shows that spousal abuse abounded in colonial America, that the primary function of parents was too "break the will of the child," and that, by the middle of the eighteenth century, 40% of brides were already pregnant when they married, It was simply tough to eke out a living, let alone achieving a purpose or living a dream. Surely, returning to the past... cannot be God's new thing, any more than rushing into a future without strong anchors and faith can be His new thing.

Friends, our God is not in the memory business, but He's not in the chaos business either. He's in the invitation and enrichment business... and that's His new thing! Our God wants us to be all that we can be in Him... and He wants us to enjoy the fruits of living for Him. These fruits include peace, love for self and others, laughter instead of tears, and a transforming connectedness with all that God has created. God wants us to be blessed, not judged, whole, not broken... and it is this promise and invitation that IS God's new thing. Consider the words of Isaiah in the 65th chapter of the book that bears his name, and listen as if you were there. Our exile is over. We are home, but what will our lives be like? Will we continue to be a people without hope, purpose, or promise? Will we still be in the hands of an angry God? Will we continue to wander our own way, or be tempted beyond our ability to cope? Will our lives always be filled with suffering and pain? No, no, no! For God has done a new thing. From this moment on- you will be God's people and He will be your God. You will never wander or be exiled again, and here's the good news- you won't even want to wander away from God

You are in God's hands, people of God, and you are free. What is more, your lives will be blessed in ways you never imagined, and you will be a blessing to others... which brings me back to Catherine Lawes, the good Samaritan, and the widow who shared her last meal with Elijah, and to each one of you... who takes the time to know and love others, to listen to them and build them up... who goes to the effort of setting a stage... where others can forget their scars and their long held opinion that they are not worthy. You are not Christ, but you know what He said- so tell them that Christ came to the world to save it. Tell them that God doesn't want anyone to be lost. Tell them that Christ said, "Father, forgive them," and "Today, you will be with me in Paradise," even as He hung on the cross. Tell them this. Show them this in what you say and do... and I can assure you that, for most of them, it will be a new thing. Tell them that, since the flood, God makes new things by working with what is and not by destroying everything in sight, Tell them that God is not only offering them a new beginning, but that they are part of God's new world. Tell them these things, show them God's love, learn their names, help them get stronger. Do this and you will be a disciple like Catherine Dawes. Do this... and we will be one step closer to the time when the wolf will lie down with the lamb!