In the Scriptures, God is always making all things new. When people ignore the first covenant, God promises a new one (Jer. 31:31). When the people were in exile in Babylon, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah in order to proclaim, "I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" (Isa. 43:19). Finally, God did an unheard of thing in Jesus - sending his only begotten Son to be born as a human being, live among us, take our sins upon himself, and die for us. However, the "new things" didn't end there. The apostle Paul proclaims, "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Cor. 5:17).

In the Scriptures, God is always making all things new, and on three different occasions when this happens, the renewal follows the same pattern. It begins with a release from bondage. It continues with time spent in the wilderness where God is the one who sustains and who guides. Finally, there is a new creation and the arrival in the promised land, which is an ongoing process until renewal is needed again.

The first time that this pattern of renewal appears is in the exodus from Egypt. It begins with the people of Israel being oppressed in Egypt as slaves. They cry out to God for release from their bondage, and God sends Moses and Aaron to lead the people out of Egypt. After initially being set free from their slave-masters, they pass through the waters of the Red Sea, and into the wilderness. A long time in the wilderness follows, during which God provides them with food and water, and provides them with the means for healing when they have strayed. At the same time, God guides and directs them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Finally, at the end of their wilderness journey, they are brought into the promised land, where they are challenged to live in community as the renewed people that God intends them to be.

Of course, being human beings, the need for renewal did not go away, and many years later the people find themselves in bondage once again, having been carried away as exiles and slaves into Babylon. Once again, they look to God for deliverance, and God uses Cyrus, the Persian king, in order to pave the way for the people to return to Israel. In addition, the pattern of finding themselves in the wilderness is repeated, for it is a wilderness journey in order to go from Babylon to Jerusalem. Yet, once again, God provides. It is God who makes a way for them in the wilderness and makes water flow in the desert (Isa. 43:19). It is God who guides them along the way and who brings them home rejoicing (Ps. 126:7). It is God who promises a new creation and a new covenant, as the land is re-created and the cities rise again from the rubble. Thus, the pattern of renewal appears again, as God continues the work of creation.

Now, I mentioned earlier that there are at least three times that this pattern is discernible in the Scriptures. The two mentioned so far happened long before the time of Jesus. The third time actually takes place after the death and resurrection of Jesus. In fact, it is outlined in the Scriptures and continues to take place now.

This time, it is a spiritual bondage in which people find themselves. All human beings share in the bondage to sin that has existed ever since Adam and Eve's fall into sin. We find ourselves under the power of sin, death and the devil, and we are condemned by the Law of God. This condition of bondage continues until we are set free in the waters of Baptism. Baptism is kind of like our "water crossing," which leads us out of slavery and into the promised land. However, just as Jesus spent time in the wilderness following his baptism, we also end up spending time in the wilderness along the way. We face testing and temptation. We have times when our human frailties and failings are all too evident. We go through times where we simply cannot make it on our own, and learn to rely on God's grace and goodness in order to carry us through.

Yet, having been set free by water and the Spirit, we share in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We share in his servant life, which was lived for us. We share in his sacrificial death, which was endured for us. We share in his resurrection, which was the signal of our salvation. And, because of his life within us, we are a new creation. In fact, the Holy Spirit continues to work in our hearts in order to effect this new creation - filling our hearts with the love of Christ, overflowing into lives of loving service to others.

Of course, human beings that we are, we're not perfect yet. Martin Luther talked about how we are saints and sinners all at the same time. Thus, he encouraged us to remember our baptism on a daily basis, confessing our sinfulness to God, and trusting in God both for forgiveness and for the power to amend our sinful lives. Thus, we are reminded of the pattern that is part of our life of faith, as we always stand in need of renewal in order that the Holy Spirit can continue to work in our hearts and our lives. And so, sometimes we need to renew the covenant that God has made with us in our baptism; and sometimes we find ourselves in the wilderness again, looking to God to sustain and direct us; and sometimes there is a period of growth, where the Holy Spirit is particularly active in our lives. Ultimately, as we grow into our new life in Christ, God's desire for us is that we would reflect more and more the heart and mind of Christ in all that we say and do.

As we think about this new life in Christ, there are a couple of people in our readings for today who give us some insight into what this new life is all about. The first of these people is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Even though she has not yet seen either the death or resurrection of Jesus, she has obviously caught wind of the Spirit of Christ. She is the picture of lavish and generous love, who spares no expense in expressing her love and gratitude to Jesus. Even though Judas "seems" to be concerned about the poor (Jn. 12:4-5), somebody who is this generous in love for Jesus would be generous in love for the poor as well. They simply go together, and such generous love is a part of the new life in Christ.

As well, we hear a little bit in the second reading from the apostle Paul about what the new life in Christ has meant for him. For Paul, it is such a precious treasure to know Jesus as his Lord and Saviour that he is willing to give up everything else (Phil. 3:8). Any previous position that he had among the Pharisees has been abandoned. Any concern about keeping every letter of the law has vanished. Any emphasis on his own comfort and material possessions is now gone. His number one goal is to know Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection (Phil. 3:10). As a result of his experience of the saving love of Jesus, Paul is a completely new person.

And so it is for all those who are transformed by God's renewing love. Yes - we are still sinners. Yes - we often need to be renewed in our faith. Yet, we are a new creation in Christ, set apart by water and the Spirit in order to be the people that God intended us to be. May the Spirit of Christ continue to work and to grow within us, making us more and more Christ-like in all that we say and do. Amen.

Lent 5(C) Isaiah 43:16-21 March 28, 2004 John 12:1-8 St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church Philippians 3:4b-14

? 2004 Lynn Hutchison All Rights Reserved