by Pastor Douglas Brauner
The Power of Grace
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Revelation 21:5 English Standard Version
“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Though Alphonse Karr first coined this phrase in 1849, humanity has experienced its reality since the fall into sin.
On New Year’s Day, we hope that things will be different, that change will take place in the coming year. And things will change in 2025. We base this fact on what we experienced in 2024. Some of the changes will benefit us and some will hurt us.
New friends might come into our lives, or past friends disappear.
A new job might be around the corner, or an unexpected layoff radically change the progression of our lives.
A new life will come into the world, or another life taken from us.
“The more things change…
…the more they say the same.” We usually hear this last phrase in negative terms. We feel blue when we hear that things will stay the same, yet in Christ, there is hope for 2025 because what stays the same through all the changes is God’s love for us in Jesus.
“Get this, I am making all things new!” Every day is a start over day because of God’s mercy for us in Jesus. Grace sets us free to leave the past behind and press on to God’s future for us even when change is inevitable. We don’t have to do better tomorrow to make up for the mess we made yesterday. The power of God’s grace is that we get to start over every day. Jesus’ sacrifice for us sets us free to not let the sins of the past haunt us. We can move forward in his amazing future for us. Every day is a new day because God in Christ is making all things new.
The more things change, the more God’s grace stays the same.
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
