It’s easy for us to think of God as a sort of stodgy old guy up in the sky who looks down on us, most of the time with a certain amount of disapproval, who never does much in our world. And at best, that God is very old fashioned, and hopelessly out of date.
That is not the God of the Bible. The fact is, God is active and he is always far ahead of us. In reality, we are the ones who are stodgy and look at the world around us with a certain amount of disapproval. We are the ones who are hopelessly out of date, not God.
God is not the one who looks around and wants to throw in the towel—it’s us. The God of the Bible is a God of possibilities and a God of hope and redemption. Our scripture for this morning reminds us that God has done great, amazing, and surprising things in the past, and he isn’t finished yet. God calls us to be a people of the future. God wants to amaze us, just as he has amazed people again and again in the past.
In the scripture passage for today, Isaiah reminds his hearers—which includes us—of the way God freed the Israelites when they were slaves in
Do you remember the story of how Moses went to Pharaoh, again and again, asking Pharaoh to let his people go. Each time, the Pharaoh refused, and each time, God sent a plague to show Pharaoh his dissatisfaction as well as his power.
Finally, Pharaoh agreed to let the Israelites go. So they began their journey into the wilderness. But before they had gone very far, Pharaoh realized he had made a terrible mistake in letting them go. So he sent out all his armies, with their horses and chariots, to go after the Israelites and bring them back.
But God had another plan. The Israelites had reached the
In the scripture I am going to read, Isaiah reminds the people that God, who made a path through the sea for the Israelites when the Egyptians were pursuing them, still wants to do great things for them. As we read this, Isaiah speaks over the centuries to us, reminding us that God also wants to do great things for us.
And even as it is good to think back on what God has done in the past, it is even more important to think forward of what God wants to do now and in the future. That’s because God is always doing a new thing. He tells us not to dwell on the past: the future will never look like the past. He wants to do something new. It’s happening, but we must have eyes to see it. Our God is the God who makes a way in the desert; the God who makes streams in the wasteland.
I am reading from Isaiah 43:
15 I am the LORD, your Holy
16 This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
17 who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
18 "Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.
God has done many great, amazing, surprising things in the past. Every one of us here has a story of what God has done in our lives. Some of us go way back with God. We have seen God work in our lives over a long period of time. We know that God has been faithful to us in the past, and we know he will be faithful to us in the future. Others of us are just beginning our journey with God. We know that he has done some great things, and we are still learning to trust him fully.
God will always be faithful. He won’t stop working in our lives, but he wants us to remain open to him and allow him to work in us.
As Isaiah says, God wants us not to be people of the past, but of the future. God wants to work in and through us. As Isaiah says, "Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!”
Now, what does he mean by asking us to forget the former things when he just finished reminding us of something God did in the past? He does not mean we should never think about the past; never reflect on what has done for us. Of course not. But it is a different thing to think and reflect on the past than it is to dwell on the past. Isaiah says, “do not dwell on the past.”
Then Isaiah says, “See, I am doing a new thing!” Isaiah is speaking on God’s behalf, and his message is as much for us today as it was for Isaiah’s original audience.
The future God wants us to be ready for is a new thing—it will never be the same as it was in the past.
What does this mean for us here today in this church? To begin with, it is good and healthy for us to reflect on what God has done in the past, because God has done many great, amazing, surprising things in the past here in this church. There is a plaque in the hallway that names people from this church who have gone into Christian ministry. And just look around this lovely old building, and you will know that God was very gracious to this congregation. Thanks to the things God did here in this church in the past, we are sitting in a lovely old building that is situated in a vibrant, healthy neighborhood. It would be outrageously expensive to purchase this piece of property in the middle of
We can also look around at our members, and know that in each of your lives there is a story of how God has worked in your life and cared for you. Probably all of you have experienced difficult times, but God has been faithful in carrying you through. And you can know that this God who has been faithful to you in the past will be faithful to you in the future, for all eternity.
But now, today, this same God is doing a new thing in our midst. And it will not look like the things God did in the past. Our God is the God of the new and better future! That is just the way God is.
And Isaiah says,
“Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.”
Let’s be really honest for a minute here. Don’t we often look around this church and feel that we are in the desert times—the wasteland? Don’t we wonder, when we see so few people here on Sunday morning, what is wrong with us? Has God forgotten us? Why are we not seeing more people come to church?
And Isaiah tells us God is making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. But notice what else he says. Isaiah asks us, “do you not perceive it?”
You see, one of our jobs is to notice what God is doing in our midst. And God is doing things. The problem is, we sometimes fail to see them because we are looking for something else. We are looking for the things of the past, but God is doing a new thing. And so often, we just don’t see it.
The problem is that when God is doing a new thing, we don’t see it because we are so busy looking for the things God did in the past. And since we can’t see what God is doing, we don’t do our part to work with God on the better future he has planned for us. We are looking for something that will never be, and we are ignoring the wonderful things that God is already doing.
Let me tell you about some of the wonderful things God is doing here in this church.
There are at least six of you who are regular, faithful attenders every Sunday morning who were not a part of this church when I came two years ago. That is something to praise God for.
In spite of having an old building that requires a lot of maintenance, our building is being maintained and the bills are getting paid. That is something to praise God for.
Our budget is not large, but God is providing for us, and we are not falling into desperate financial difficulties. That is something to praise God for.
We have a large new preschool in our building. When I came here, I marveled at all the empty classrooms up on the 5th floor. It seemed to be such a waste to see those rooms sitting there empty all week long. Now, those rooms are buzzing with children all week long, as the Sweet Pea Cottage Preschool for the Arts has moved in. In addition, one of those classrooms is used by an art teacher, who has more students. Every day, parents and children are coming to our building. If you have not been here during the week, you really need to come and see all these delightful children.
It is true we have not seen these children here on Sunday. But some day perhaps we will. In the meantime, we are building relationships with families in this community for the first time in many years. That is something to praise God for.
The Co-op preschool, which has been in our building for twenty years, is another place we are building relationships. As the pastor, I have been invited to meet the parents at the beginning of the school year in both preschools. That is something to praise God for.
This week, I will be working with a representative from the Seattle Seachordsmen, the men’s singing group that meets in our building on Monday nights. They have agreed to present a Christmas concert in our building that we will invite the community to attend, and they are doing it at no cost as a gift to us. That is something to praise God for.
On the second Wednesday night of each month, we are walking across the street to have a hymn sing with the people at Queen Anne Manor. We are having a wonderful time, and so are they. That is something to praise God for.
Yesterday, parents from both of the preschools came and worked outside the church doing some fall clean-up yard work. I would like all of you to sign the thank you cards that will be available after church. They are doing this as a ministry to us. That is something to praise God for.
As your pastor, I have been developing relationships with various people in this community. I have no idea where these relationships will lead, but I know that God’s hand is at work, and that it is something to praise God for.
And God says to us, “See, I am doing a new thing! …do you not perceive it?”
You see, we always have a choice. We can grumble that all these kids are getting our building dirty; they’re using too much electricity. We can wrinkle up our noses and inspect the kitchen and of course, it will never be perfect—never mind that it was not all that perfect when we had to dust it because it was rarely used. I could certainly grumble when I come to work in the morning and I can’t get into my parking space because some parent has parked in my way and stopped to talk with the teacher. We can all make mountains out of molehills when things don’t go our way.
Or we can ask God to give us eyes to see what he is doing in our midst. “See, I am doing a new thing! …do you not perceive it?”
We have a God who wants to do a new thing, right here at
Here’s something crazy in God’s amazing, surprising way of working—and playing a joke on us in the process. The Seachordsmen have invited our congregation to come to their monthly free concerts on Monday nights. The Sweet Pea Preschool has invited us to come and join them when they have family potlucks, and they also want to welcome any of you who would like to visit their classrooms to read a story or talk to the children. And God says, “See, I am doing a new thing! …do you not perceive it?”
When missionaries go to foreign countries, the first thing they do is get to know the people and learn to understand their culture. In this neighborhood, there are different people than there used to be, and the whole culture has changed. If we have any desire to reach this community with the gospel of Jesus Christ, we need to get to know the people and learn to understand their culture. And it’s happening. God says, “See, I am doing a new thing! …do you not perceive it?” Get ready to be surprised by God!
Prayer:
Lord God, you are the one who has cared for us in the past, and we know that you will care for us in the future. Sometimes we’re not as good at new things as you are. Help us to open our eyes to the amazing things that you want to do—that you have already begun doing—here in our midst. Show us all the new things you want to do here in our church, and give us open hearts to receive the wonderful gifts you have for us. Help us to let go of the past and begin to dream with you of the new thing you want to do. Amen
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