Sermon "Our Future Hope" March 21, 2010 Isa. 43:16-21 Phil. 3:4ff

(At the beginning of the service have people write down some incident from their past that they wish they could do over again, or a period of time in their lives they would like to repeat.)

Where does God dwell, or spend his time, in the past or in the future? A strange question perhaps, best answered by asking this. Do you find yourself dwelling mostly in the past or in the future? The answer to that question is where God is for you.

PRAYER

Sometimes I do dwell on the past, sometimes with regrets, sometimes haunted by missed opportunities that would have perhaps made my life more enjoyable. Maybe you have found yourself saying, "if I could live my life over, knowing what I know now, things would be better?"

I’m not sure that is true. In the musical, "Carousel", the hero is Billy. He has spent his life trying to make things good for his family and himself, but ends up making a mess out of things most of the time. Fifteen years after his death there is a scene with Billy looking down from heaven at the difficult life his daughter is living. He wishes for one day to go down to earth to help her out. His wish is granted and he proceeds to do what he always has done, blow it completely. The narrator then says: "Well, Billy, you messed up again."

I attended a lecture by Dr. Walter Bruggemann, one of the most influential Old Testament theologians today. After the lecture, I asked him to sign one of his books that I had purchased. A friend I had invited then asked Dr. Bruggemann if he thought it was possible that the human race would ever get back to the perfect life in the Garden of Eden. Dr. Bruggemann said not only was it impossible but that he saw no reason to do so. God was not in the business of calling us back into the past, but to a preferred future secured for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps Dr. Bruggemann had our Isaiah passage in mind. "Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it. Now about those papers some of you diligently filled out. (take mine and rip it

Up) It’s not going to happen, nor should it. The past is in God’s hands, as well as the future. We are to dwell in the present and allow God to lead us into the future through faith in Jesus. It’s the same thing in marriage. If you insist on packing up all the hurts, regretful words, and missed opportunities and carry that baggage around, the marriage will not flourish and be a blessing to you and the family. It is also true for grown children who insist on carrying the baggage of what their parents did or didn’t do to raise them in a positive atmosphere. God is always there creating the opportunity for newness, forgiveness, reconciliation and discovering fulfillment in each new day.

There is one thing that we can remember and honor about the past, our own or the entire biblical story of salvation from Adam and Eve to the present. God is actively engaged in forming us into a community of faithful followers, redeeming us when necessary, blessing us at all times. In other words our focus should be on God when thinking of the past. That is also true when we consider the future. That means not fussing so much about what’s in the future for us, and trusting that God has our best interest in mind anyway. I think we are better off when we remember to thank and praise God for what he has done and is doing in Jesus Christ our Lord.

That idea is a thread of truth running through the biblical story. It begins in the call of Abraham, Genesis 12. God says he will give descendents and land to Abraham. Then he says this critical thing: "I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing… and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

It’s not just about becoming great or famous. It is about revealing the goodness of God to all so that everyone can receive a blessing.

Isaiah repeats that idea in our text this morning. "for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise." And Paul repeats that theme in Philippians: "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus."

That idea is summarized by Jesus himself at the end of Matthew’s Gospel. He has been raised from the dead and is about to depart into heaven. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

The entire history of salvation in the Bible is a calling by God to remember who God is and what God continues to do for you and me as he did on behalf of all God’s children in the past. We can choose to live in one of three days. We can choose to live in yesterday. But yesterday has been redeemed and is in the hands of God. We can choose to live in tomorrow, but tomorrow is out of our hands and is in the hands of Jesus who is preparing that future on our behalf. What is left to us is to live in the present. It is an opportunity to thank and praise God for his faithful presence in our lives. God is ever creating and redeeming our lives, making all things new. Even as I speak it is springing up. Can you perceive it? Amen.