House cleaning allows change to take place

I admit that I get pretty excited when a package arrives from Amazon containing some new book that I?ve ordered. I agree with Drew Barrymore who once said, ?You can never, never have too many books.? The problem is, I keep running out of bookshelves! Every now and then I have to get rid of some of the books on my shelves in order to make room for the new.

The same could be said to be true about our lives. Most of us are pretty open-minded about new things. The bigger problem is letting go of the old. We like the idea of change, but don?t want to do the necessary house cleaning that allows change to take place.

For Christians, this idea is most fully represented by the cross and the empty tomb. New life is possible, but only after we?ve let go of the old. The empty tomb represents our hope in new beginnings and possibilities. But it only comes after the cross which is all about sacrificing and emptying ourselves of self.

As a community, when we think and dream about all the exciting new ideas and possibilities we might pursue, the harder question might be to ask what things we?re willing to let go of in order to make room for the new. How might we set aside our selves in order to welcome some new thing into our midst? Sometimes the church has called this the ancient art of hospitality ? welcoming the unknown into our lives by setting aside the familiar.

I wish you all God?s blessings as you go about clearing out your shelves and much joy and excitement as they fill up again.