New. It’s a rather special word. After all, who doesn’t like something that’s new? We get excited about a new car, a new book, new appliances, a new tool. My life is currently full of new. New house, a new grill, new …, well, you can fill in the blank. A significant portion of my life is new.

And the same is true for Mount Olive. As a congregation, we are in a new season. Part of that is because, though I’ve been your pastor for a couple of months now, Mount Olive has a new pastor. In fact, that’s how I’ve been introduced to several people in town. But more than that, Mount Olive is preparing for a new school year in the preschool. As I understand it, the 26/27 school year will be the 45th school year for Mount Olive Christian Preschool. And among the students coming to school in September, there will be new students, new families, and new experiences.

What new things are you experiencing? It’s easy to look around and think that there’s not much all that new in our lives, but Jeremiah in Lamentations corrects us. He writes, “The steadfast mercies of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)

Think about that. The mercies of the Lord are new every morning. They are new because of God’s great love for you in Jesus. They are new because God never stops loving His people. They are new because every day we receive God’s gifts of love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Every morning. Every day. Every moment. Because God is faithful to His people.

It wasn’t too long ago that I read a devotion that gave me some new insight. The devotion’s author had wondered how ancient peoples who worshiped gods we would call “false gods” felt about their gods. While there was effusive praise for the god or goddess’ beauty, power, and so forth, there were also portions that merely said, “You kill off your enemies really well!” This action, the effusive praise for false gods, ancient and modern, isn’t all that new. All people end up doing is offering praise so that they are not the god or goddess’ next target.

But our relationship with the God who made the heavens, the earth, and all that exists is different. We experience the newness of God every morning because God loves us every morning. We are assured of His presence with us as we remember our Baptism. We are comforted with words of forgiveness when we come to Him confessing our sins, assured that God’s love is so great that He forgives every sin we bring before Him.

So, what’s new? God’s love is new … and it is old. The love of God that we experience in Jesus Christ is new each day because each day we need Jesus in our lives. Each day we need to be assured that we are forgiven. Each day we need to be comforted and receive the mercy and grace of our Lord. All because the steadfast love the Lord never ceases because He is a faithful God. And for some people … that news is good, new news.

In His Service,

Pastor Paul Frerichs 

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