A New Beginning
by Stuart Malkin 11 August 2021
What’s on your bookshelves? Quite an array no doubt. My wife and I like audiobooks and particularly a good mystery, some of which have found themselves onto the small screen over the years. Writers such P.D. James, Ann Cleeves and Val McDermid come immediately to mind. It’s amazing how these people can write stories set in various areas of the UK and set scenes that you may not have been to. Yet somehow you feel you are walking down a street and know a specific house, hotel or beach. Each description is a new beginning to a new situation.
This is obviously all fiction and life is not like this as there is so much to examine day after day. The following song helps us to focus on the reality of life.
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Reading Matthew 19 v 16 to 21 - The Rich Young Man.
Once a man came to Jesus, “Teacher”, he asked. “What good things must I do to receive eternal life?” “Why do you ask me concerning what is good. Keep the commandments if you want to enter everlasting life”. “I have obeyed all the commandments,” the young man replied. “What else do I need to do”? Jesus said, “go sell all you have, give the money to the poor, and follow me”. When the young man heard this he was saddened because he was rich and he went away.
We have all experienced new beginnings in our lives. Perhaps the one we remember most is our first day at school, be it good or not so for one reason or another. For others it may be leaving home and going to University. Going to work for the first day is certainly a new beginning you never forget, new people, new places, new everything. However, there is so much more in front of each one of us.
From the reading we hear of a rich young man who saw Jesus and thought he could gain something from Him that may not be of earthly gain. It seems that from the reading he was young and learned and believed his life was complete. However, he wanted more but what was to follow was a shock, in fact too big a shock for him to cope with. His riches were the centre of his life. Jesus offered him a new beginning but it was much to give away.
As Newmount welcomes a new minister in a next few weeks time, we and many churches up and down the country have the opportunity of a new beginning in its ministry in the community, Jesus is always at the centre of its ways and sometimes we will be shocked what we are being asked to do. We need to listen to the one who has been sent to lead and the leadership team so that all will know Jesus is at it centre. New beginnings are sometimes difficult to follow but perhaps we need new ears and eyes to work as a new body. We must not be like the young man and go away saddened, but rejoice in knowing Jesus anew.
Prayer
Help us Lord to walk anew daily and begin to see Jesus with a newness we have never experienced. May these be days of new beginnings. Amen