Title: A New Day

Date: 2008-06-29

Reference: Philippians 3: 12-16

""Ecclesiastes chapter 3 reminds us everything on earth has it’s own time. There is a season for everything. There is a time for birth and death; a time for planting and reaping; healing and building; crying and laughing; weeping and dancing. There is a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones. A time for embracing and a time for parting. A time for finding and losing; keeping and giving. There is a time for listening and a time for speaking. Later in the book (ch 9) we are urged to live one day at a time.

The Bible urges us to leave yesterday behind. To live for this day. To plan for tomorrow and anticipate eternity. For God is the Lord of all life and all time is in God’s hands.

The Psalmist reminds us: “This is the Day the Lord has made. We are called to rejoice and be glad in it.” This is a day of newness. A day of new beginnings, new life, new challenges, new opportunities, new commitments and a day of new joys.

In order to appreciate what is new we must not dwell on the past. We remember the past. We celebrate the past. We build upon the legacy laid for us by those who have gone before. But we cannot live in the past.

Senator John McCain reminds us how graduating cadets at one of our military academies, walk across the stage to receive their diplomas and shake hands with the President of the School. They then walk through an archway into their future. As they walk through the archway they are told: “Don’t forget to close the gate.”

This is a symbolic way, of reminding them, to close the gate, on past mistakes, failures, regrets, and even the triumphs and joys of the past, before walking into the future.

We all confess how difficult it is to leave the past behind. We have had two significant celebrations in the life of this congregation today. Earlier this morning we said goodbye to a beloved pastor who is leaving our staff. EunJoo has been very important to so many of us. Her departure leaves a huge void in the church and in many lives. While we will miss EunJoo we are excited for her as she begins a new and exciting ministry in Denver.

While we say goodbye to Pastor EunJoo we say hello to new friends from Bethel. The two predecessor congregations, First United Methodist and Bethel United Methodist have come together in a new partnership and arrangement. And all of our lives will change as a result.

As we look ahead there are some things we must close the gate on. Things we need to forget before we can get on with our lives. There are things we need to let go of for our own good. Of course we cannot ignore the past and pretend it didn’t happen. We will live with the consequences of past actions including the mistakes we have made. We appreciate the past and learn from it. This coming Friday is July 4th and on that day we celebrate our past. We honor the past but we cannot live in the past.

We must learn to shut the gate, to leave the past in the past. At the same time we know memory is a precious gift from God. There are some things we will never forget, things we must never forget, things we want to remember.

While we remember and honor the past, we should also learn about selective forgetfulness. Selective forgetfulness is so important. A man said to his friend: “My mother in law has a terrible memory. The worst memory I’ve ever heard of.” “Forgets everything huh?” responded his friend. “No, that’s not it. She doesn’t forget anything and remembers everything.” For our own peace of mind there are some things we must close the gate on, and let go of. Clara Barton, the founder of the Red Cross was once reminded of a cruelty done to her years before. She was asked if it still bothered her. She replied: “No, I distinctly remember forgetting that.”

The Apostle Paul knew how to close the gate. He said in today’s lesson: “Forgetting what lies behind, I press on.” As wonderful as it is to remember, it is also good to forget.

Sometimes it’s helpful to forget our past success. There is certainly nothing wrong with a good resume, of being proud of what one has accomplished. Of attempting to leave behind a legacy. We must never dwell on the past at the expense of the present. I guess success does run some people. If we bask in the glow of past victories long enough we can become complacent in the present.

James Dobson tells of receiving several tennis trophies in the mail recently. These were trophies he won for his college as a member of the tennis team. At the time, he said, wining and receiving these trophies was all that mattered. And then, years later, as they remodeled the gymnasium someone just threw these dated trophies away. Someone finding them in the trash and recognizing his name sent them on to him. Old trophies tend to become tarnished with time.

After a while no one wants to hear about achievements of the past. They become statistics only. As members of this great church, no matter if we came from Bethel or First, we should guard against being so pleased and satisfied with our past, that we miss opportunities for ministry God is giving us in the present and in the future. It is not wise for us to rest on our laurels for too long. Paul the Apostle was resolved not only to forget the pain of the past but also earlier achievements. Paul knew he was faced daily with new challenges and new opportunities.

Our two predecessor congregations celebrate a combined 248 years of ministry to the people of Pueblo. As proud as we are of our past and our past accomplishments we must never attempt to live in the past or to be content with the accomplishments of those who have gone before us. I believe the best days of our congregation are still out in front of us. Together we will faithfully be in ministry.

Of course we are grateful for the past including our recent past. But the past is now history. We move on to new achievements. I know that is sometimes easier said than done. We celebrate the past, living in the present, with an eye to the future. We build upon the rich legacy left for us knowing that one day we too will be called upon to leave the stage.

God is always willing, ready, and able to give us a new start. That’s why Jesus came into the world, to offer hope, forgiveness, a new chance, a new start, a new day, a new beginning.to help us close the gate of the pain of the past. A psychologist said of his method of treatment: “My objective is to free the patient from the tyranny of the past.”

A group home in New York is dedicated to helping young women make a fresh start. Many of these young women have a very painful and troubled past. The first day they are asked to sit in front of a computer screen that greets them with the logo: “Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life.” They are told to type all the things they are sorry for mistakes, failures, regrets. Sometimes it takes hours. Then the program instructs them to type a verse from Jeremiah 31 on the screen: “I forgive them and remember their past no more.” says the Lord. The computer then instructs them to hit the delete key and wipe away the list.

Of course the consequences of the past actions are not deleted. We must live with them and deal with them. But in God’s eyes it’s possible to have a clean slate. Our faith calls this Grace. And this grace is Amazing. Hindsight is a wonderful teacher. I wish I could hit a key and delete my mistakes. But the past is what it is. Good or bad we cannot change the past nor can we live in the past. And we should never ruin the present worrying about the past. We close the door and we move on. It won’t do anyone of us any good to wonder what we could have, should have accomplished if we had only started earlier. It’s pointless to think about the lost hours of yesterday. Better to ask: “What can I do this day to make the world a better place for all of us?”

Today is ours. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow belongs to God. It is not ours to know. That leaves today, and God’s grace is sufficient for today. As we approach a new beginning together may we learn to close the gate and look to the door Christ has opened for each of us. Forgetting what is past, we strain toward the future making the most of the present.""