Devotions, given in front of a Bishop

God’s grace and peace are yours through Jesus Christ
Isaiah 43
surely the times call for a new thing to be done; society changing, churches changing - even new churches are emerging
God does not disappoint, but does the new thing that is needed
I said needed, not expected, nor perhaps what we have desired
new thing is not what we may wish to claim; and such claims proliferate. Such that the Holy Spirit is invoked and claimed to be the driving force behind cultural changes, VBS materials the color of candles
I find it to be a greedy arrogance, the claim that God’s new thing has only been done among Lutherans of North America; and not even all of those
Yet God does not lie. He does the new thing; but the newness of the thing is not a chronologically new thing. It is an ontologically new thing
Behold he is doing a new thing. Do you not perceive it? It is the same new thing he has always done
The new thing is forever new, always different, and so is always a surprise to the world.
The world would want the new thing to be a new toy; a new tolerance or intolerance; a new victory or new defeat a new treasure or power
Instead God surprises the world with this new thing: God is saving his people. And in that he is making all things new, as he has from the beginning. It is called redemption, the making new of something that had been corrupted, corroded, and no longer as it had been created. But behold, he does a new thing; he makes the thing new.
Here is a new thing. The Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and kept me in true faith.
In the same way he does the same new thing in church, calls gathers enlightens sanctifies the WHOLE Christian church on earth, and keeps it UNITED with Jesus Christ in the one true faith
There can be no other new Christian. As there can be no new church. Those are absurdities. The only new Christian, the only new church, is the one that is new because God made it new in the gospel of Jesus Christ
The only new church is the one that is, the one that has always been the steward of his gospel, and steward of so many more gifts, from bread and wine to time and talent, to well-drilling equipment and schools for girls
The only new church is the one that is, the one that has always been the evangelist, proclaiming the pure gospel in this world
And the world is still surprised. God keeps doing the same old new thing, to the shock, wonder, horror, amazement and joy of this world
Behold, he is doing a new thing. Do you not perceive it?