Embracing Transformation: Moving Forward in Faith

"there it is maybe you've seen one that's passed down through generations or perhaps you've even made one yourself quilts are remarkable because they're made from scraps of fabric and they're often pieces of clothing that once served a purpose but they're no longer useful as garments that shirt that your grandfather wore to work a dress that you wore as a baby a skirt that your mother loved a child's blanket they all get stitched together into something new now modern quilting is a little bit different and Ken chides me all the time about how his grandma would have totally freaked out if she watched me cutting apart new material to sew back up into something different just for the hobby of it wouldn't seem to have much purposefulness to her but the beauty of a traditional quilt lies in how it honors the past and each piece of that quilt carries a story a memory a connection to what came before but here's the thing those pieces don't remain what they once were they're no longer shirts or dresses they've been transformed into something brand new something different something larger than themselves a quilt that serves a new purpose often for a new generation of people and as we step into a new year the quilt story can remind us of a really important truth we can respect the past" [00:44:29]

"without relying on it like the scraps of a quilt our past experiences both the joys and the struggles are part of god's story in our lives and sometimes what those pieces came from have stains on them in other parts but just because they have stains doesn't mean that they're not salvageable the story behind each of those garments shape us but they're not meant to define us or to hold us back instead god takes those pieces and he weaves them into something new something beautiful and this is exactly what paul is talking about in philippians 3 7 through 14 you can see that the story behind each of those garments shape us but they're not meant to define us he comes from a people who are rememberers and in this season of hanukkah we know that our jewish friends and neighbors we know that they're people of remembrance but paul reflects on his his past his accomplishments his identity his zeal and he recognizes that they are not they are not what he's now called to do let's read that passage together paul recalls where he's coming from but he presses forward trusting that god is doing something new in his life you know let me take a break back let me go back for a minute today i'd like to acknowledge that we are in a time of transition every new year is a time of transition and we are in a time of transition but it's even more so for us this year and we stand at a crossroads as a community of believers and it's not always comfortable is it some of us may even be pondering if if this new era includes us we're irritated at this and we question that we just aren't feeling it and the this and the that and the it may it sometimes become more pressing and more important than moving on and working through and the truth is brothers and sisters nobody can do that work for you that's work that can only be done on your knees and that's why we're beginning this new year with 24 hours of prayer and we're going to do that work for you 24 hours of prayer not because it's magic but because it's a time when we can really focus and that's why you're going home today with some questions and reflections for guidelines for reflections to prepare your heart for january 1st 2025 so today as we look at the scripture we're going to try to learn from the apostle paul's testimony and we're going to try to learn from the apostle paul's testimony and we're going to explore how we can honor the past while embracing god's future for us and like that quilt stitched together from old fabric our lives are being transformed by god's hand into something greater than we could have ever imagined so let's reflect together on how we can respect the past without relying on it as we press on toward the prize that god has set before us let's stand together i'm reading today out of the new international version and you can find it in your pew if it's easier than the screen for you but this is what he what it says but whatever were gains to me i now consider loss for the sake of christ and what is more i consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing christ jesus my lord for whose sake i have lost all things i consider them garbage that i may gain christ and be found in him" [00:46:42]

"not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law but that which is through faith in christ the righteousness that comes from god on the basis of faith and he says i want to know christ yes to experience the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings and becoming like him in his death and so somehow attaining to the resurrection of the dead and i'm going to switch over to this i don't mean to say that i've already achieved these things or that i have already reached perfection but i'm going to switch over to this and i'm going to i'm going to switch over to this i'm going to talk about perfection but i press on to possess that perfection for which christ jesus first possessed me no dear brothers and sisters i have not achieved it but i focus on this one thing forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead i press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which god through christ jesus is calling us let's pray heavenly father teach us today how to reflect on our past without clinging to it show us from the words of your servant how you would have us to move forward into this new year trusting you and your plan for this community as we strive to walk worthy of the calling you have given to us letting go of reliance on past achievements or past failures and embracing god's new work in our lives help us to hear you today in jesus name amen you may be seated so paul begins this chapter of the book ofians by reflecting on his past accomplishments included his religious zeal and his accomplishment in following the law all good things his works though his service to god as he understood it at the time i like to call this paul's resume he's trying to put his best foot forward and let folks know why this is so meaningful." [00:51:29]

"By the time he is writing this letter, he considers these accomplishments loss compared to knowing Christ. Paul's example shows us that while we can remember our past, well, we can remember those things that we have done or been. We can't let it define us or limit us. Now, remember, Paul's Bible was not ours. Paul relied on the traditions of his people, and he relied on the Old Testament books, including the Psalms. In Psalm 77, we are encouraged to remember the deeds of the Lord. Yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds. And it's good and it's right to reflect of the work of the Lord in the past. And reflecting on God's past works builds faith for the future. Now, for those of you who are taking notes, I'm going to say that's worth writing down. Reflecting on God's past works, God's past works builds our faith for the future. Let me ask you this. Is your reflection for the future working to build your faith? I'm sorry, your reflection on God's past work working to build your faith for the future? Or is it paralyzing you with nostalgia? Let's go back to the quilt analogy. The pieces of that quilt, might fill you with some powerful memories. But you don't live your life hiding under a blanket, right? Remembering the past should be an inspiration for our future and not an invitation to curl up and quit. We offer God respect by learning from our past, whether the past holds successes or failures, we can acknowledge how God has been at work through our past life. We have faith that the God who worked and brought us through our past is present now." [00:55:06]

"And he will pull us through whatever the future holds. So reminding us, reflecting on God's past works builds faith for the future. For the future. Idolizing achievements or dwelling on regrets keeps us stuck. And it keeps us from moving forward into the future that he's prepared for us. It keeps us from responding to the call of the new. Paul uses really strong language calling his former accomplishments garbage in the new. NIV translation. But that's a really tame translation. The King James Version uses the word dung. The TikTok version may use other four -letter words you're not very comfortable with. But Paul was intending shock value to represent the complete shift in his priorities. Valuing Christ, above anything else. And to that extent of being dung under his feet from the past. And he urges believers to focus not on their own righteousness, but on that which comes through faith in Christ. Now to you, this may be the old, old story. But to Paul, it was not. To Paul, following Christ was an entirely new and different thing. He was living and breathing. Isaiah 43. Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing, says the Lord. And God calls us to release our grip on the past so we can embrace the new. So we can embrace his new plans. Dwelling too much on what is behind prevents us from even being able to see what lies ahead." [00:58:31]

"And the word that's translated forget here is not just this passive slipping away of memory. It's not like forgetting where you put your car keys. It's not like forgetting the name and the face together. Here's the word. Forgiving or forgetting is not... Oh, let me try that again. Here, forgetting is an active choice to stop calling the past to mind. Stop dwelling on who did what to whom. Stop chewing on your offenses. Stop sipping your cup of annoyances. Stop hashing over those decisions you don't agree with. Stop draining others' time to add their opinions to your offenses. Here's a way to put that stuff to rest in your conversations when they start happening. Are you ready for this? Okay, turn to your neighbor and say, I'm ready for this. In fact, I'm going to give you two ways to put that... conversation to rest. Ready? What did you learn from that? And the second one is, where are you finding the Lord in that? It's not all that uncomfortable. Let's practice together. Read them with me. What did you learn from that? Where are you finding the Lord in that? See, it didn't hurt. These conversations that come to us that we realize are not redemptive or not restorative, turn them around for good. What did you learn from that? What are you finding the Lord in that? Don't use them in a snarky way. That's not what I'm saying. You're not. Use them with discernment and integrity because they are powerful tools that will set the captives free. I believe that." [00:59:39]

"The Lord says, forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing. Shift your focus from what you've done before. From what's been done to you in the past. From what's been done around you in the past. So that you can see the new thing that God wants to do in your life. Paul calls that straining. Because it's hard. Straining toward what is ahead. The idea of straining lets us know, that ridding ourself of the hindrances of the past, it's not easy. The past plays tug of war with us. With our minds and our hearts. And the fight against our habits and our patterns of thinking requires full force spiritual battle. It's not natural. And we're not natural. do we fight spiritual battles it's not on our phones it's not on facebook it's on our knees and maybe flat on our faces in humility that's another reason for starting the year with 24 hours of prayer together back to philippians verse 14 reminds us that our goal is not only actively forgetting the past but refusing to dwell on it but it's also straining actively forward to move into the future we fix our eyes on christ who is the ultimately dependable human representation of the gospel and the gospel of the church and the gospel of the church and the gospel of the of a creative god who is doing a new thing every morning and a new thing in a new year a new time religion for a new time in layton and we will not compromise on the callings of christ followers but we will find new ways to live it out this year so here are our practical steps for moving forward first one is on your knees but the first word is reflect reflect with gratitude for god's constant presence in your life for his preparation for exactly this moment in history exactly this place in geography exactly this time on this day in history exactly this time on this day in history around the calendar and exactly the people you're doing it with thank god for how he's worked in your life up until now and respect the past for its faith forming function not for its ability to keep you stuck second one is to release release what hinders you identify areas in your life where you may be relying too much on the successes you've had, we've had in the past." [01:01:43]

"Or by letting go of the things that weigh you down with regret or shame. Pray for strength to let go and to trust in God's grace. And finally, resolve above all to pursue Christ. Like Paul, make knowing Christ your ultimate goal in every activity that you're involved in. This year our theme is on the front of your bulletin. See the light, be the light. Together we're going to dive deeply into understanding God as revealed in three persons. And we'll set our goals to shine forth that light to others in new ways as God opens opportunities with our eyes fixed on him. We're not going to be derailed by the pull of the past or by the circumstances surrounding us or by the uncertainties facing us, but we will focus on a future that fulfills the mission and purpose that God has called us to. I'm doing a new thing, says the Lord. And I hope that you'll all join in that 24 hours of prayer. Please prepare your hearts today. Monday, and Tuesday, so that on Wednesday, we can pray together for a fresh start to a new year. Come any time from midnight on January 1st to midnight on January 2nd. We'll have some prayer stations set up, but mostly, like I said before, it's just time around the altar. Of course, you can pray at home. But the challenge is that we get out of an opportunity about what we put into it. And so we demonstrate our own commitment to ourselves and to others by sacrificial participation, and not necessarily by convenience. Because there's something powerful that happens when God's people come together in his presence. And sense God's presence. And search for God's direction together. So at the top of each hour, that means at 1 o 'clock, 2 o 'clock, 3 o 'clock, 4 o 'clock, top of each hour, we will report, we'll share what we've heard from the Lord as we've spoken to him, as we listen to him, as we reflect on him. And from our time together, it's my hope that we're going to form, a firm foundation for our future in 2025." [01:05:22]

"Turn to the back of your bulletin. See that space that says, mark your calendar, or think ahead, or whatever it says? It's pending. It's pending prayer. One other way that we can come together here. Is by ending our time together this morning. Ending our 2024 in Holy Communion. And we always, we always open the altar for communion to all. But we also always invite you to reflect on what you need from God during this communion time. This is our verse for. reflection during communion this morning but one thing i do forgetting what is behind and straining forward toward what is ahead i press on toward the goal to win the prize for which god has called me heavenward in christ jesus as i prepare communion close your eyes and think about his love his mercy his grace that's brought you through he gathered around his friends gathered with his friends and he invited them to communion them to participate in a brand new thing he said to them this is my body that is broken for you and this is my blood that is shed for your sins come with me he said maybe not using those words come with me walk with me live with me" [01:09:06]