II Corinthians 5:16-21

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,* not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 1718192021

In the summer of 1998, I would embark on a new life journey that would bring me from St. Louis to Kansas City.  I was excited, anxious and scared to death.  I had spent the previous four years away at college, but this new move brought with it a feeling of permanence.  I was moving out of my parents’ house “for good”.  In one of my suitcases, my father secretly packed a book he had made for me full of quotes, funny quips, memorabilia and poems to guide me on my new adventure.  It is one of my most prized possessions.  It includes everything from Paul Simon lyrics to postcards from some of our excursions to our favorite museums.  One of my favorite pages, some twelve years later, includes this passage from Ralph Waldo Emerson:  “Finish each day and be done with it…You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; may you begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.”

In today’s scripture, it’s as if Paul is saying the same thing to the people of Corinth.  He seeks to assure them (and us) that through Christ, with every new day comes the promise that yesterday’s blunders and nonsense have been forgotten.  His words though, much like Emerson’s, are also a challenge to us.  What are we going to do with this new gift?  Are we going to be mired in the absurdities of the past or are we going to be ambassadors for Christ, walking with “too high a spirit to be cumbered”?

Seems as though today’s scripture passage would be the perfect addition to my scrapbook.

Prayer: God of the old and of the new, thank you for constantly remembering us and forgetting our shortfalls. Make us mindful of our role as your ambassadors, new creatures called to new life.  Amen.

Lauren Weinhold
Director of Church Growth