In Christ, a New Creation

Pentecost 4 – June 16, 2024

Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalm 92:1-4, 11-14
2 Corinthians 5:6-17
Mark 4:26-34

One of my father’s many sayings was, “There is nothing new under the sun.” He would say this mostly about human nature, and then mostly about bad behavior. In fact, we can argue that there has been much that is new under the sun, especially when it comes to technology. My grandfather often pointed out that when he was a young boy, if you didn’t have a horse, you walked wherever you went. For long distance travel it was the train or street car. When he retired from farming in the late 1950s he was still using horses (he did own one tractor). I bring up this contrast between human nature and human innovation because it’s one of the great shapers of our society and culture. As you already know, while the new innovations have made life easier and more comfortable, it also has brought about many problems. Those problems rise because, while technology changes, human nature does not. That’s because innovation is neutral; it can be used to better society or make it worse. 

This phenomenon has been going on since the beginning of human society. New technology arises and changes society. Think about ancient history where the age is named after the technology – the stone age, the bronze age, and the iron age – and how those new technologies changed the face of civilization. New innovations can be used for both good and bad. There are countless examples. The internet is a good example of this. We use it in our everyday lives. We buy things and have our questions answered but it’s also used by some to deceive and swindle people. Yes, we are often awed by what we as humans have done. We are certainly inventive and have always been so. Even the people of ancient times were able to do things that seem impossible. Works so monumental that some believe they had alien help. Humans did those things because they could. They could do them because God gave them creativity and a free spirit.

Our other lessons for today remind us of that. God made our world and ourselves for one reason: so that we may live lives of love filled with peace and justice. Unfortunately, as my father always said, we don’t always see this and often get stuck in the same old ways and thoughts of the world. Deep down my father was wrong. There is a lot of new in our lives and the world, we just don’t see it because we prefer to live our lives as we always have. Change – new things – require us to reevaluate our lives and to alter our course. So when a new opportunity arises ask God to give you guidance on how to approach it. There can be great possibilities that will allow you to share God’s love to others in any new thing. Pray that you will be able to see God’s call in the new and will be able to share God’s love with all the world.