I'm Ready Now

SR Eccl 1

From our scripture reading in Eccl 1:

*Ever feel life is like that? Same old thing?

Meaningless, what do you gain, sun rises and sets and hurries back to rise, wind blows round and round, rivers flow into the sea but the sea never fills, wearisome, what’s been done will be done again, it’s never enough. Nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:10 NIV

Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

Kind of funny that an ancient text can claim “there is nothing new.” It was here long time ago. Long before we were here.

“Old” principles seem to work. Stuff grandmas teach. Be kind, treat everyone golden rule style, work hard, be a person of integrity. Build wealth by slowly saving and investing over a long period of time. Despite these type of timeless truths (proverbs), there’s always some new angle or approach to life. A new claim that this is the thing that really works. This one is different. This is new.

The new things of life, the new method, diet, style, strategy may apply in some areas of our work or personal lives. It’s always good to rethink what we’re doing to make sure we’re not stuck or following some path just because that’s they way we’ve always done it. I like learning new information, new skills. When we host a program or service at work it’s good to assess after what worked and what didn’t so we can try some new approaches. We do the same in Scouts after a camping trip: “what did we learn?” “what can we do better?” So that’s all true.

Have you seen these “Life Hacks”? Little tips and things that make a big difference. Careful, if you Google “life hacks” you might spend all day on websites wondering how you ever lived without this particular tip.

Put away your Christmas decorations in an egg carton!

Quick and easy phone speaker—cut a slit in an old toilet paper roll (you have plenty of those right?) and stick your phone in it.

Put pancake mix in an old ketchup bottle for a no mess experience.

And here’s a Scout one. Doritos make for great kindling. Who knew? Scouts always have Doritos on them. And on and on it goes.

What also is true that new things don’t make a new life. New things don’t always contribute to a meaningful, fulfilled life. In this sense, the new method, diet, style, strategy doesn’t contribute any new MEANING to life. Life hacks are all good. But life is still what it is. Same old thing.

What we can be reminded of this AM is Christians are given not life hacks, tips, and tricks but a new life.

Romans 6:3–4 NIV

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

When we were baptized we identified with Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. We were buried with him. We were in the tomb with him. We are dead to ourselves. As good COC folks, we all know that baptism means to “dip, immerse, or plunge” not sprinkle. Baptism is not a symbol per se, but there is a symbolic movement in that we go down into the water and we come back up out of the water made clean.

So we’ve been raised from the dead to live a new life. A new life. Not a life with a bunch of cool hacks and tips. I don’t know about you but I don’t always feel new or want to live in the way that Jesus tells me is the new way to live. We don’t come out of the waters of baptism on autopilot set to always do God’s will. Jon Foreman says in the song “Afterlife.”:

Cause everyday the world is made A chance to change But I feel the same

Every day, a chance to change. A chance to walk in a new life.

Romans 6:6 NIV

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—

Jon Foreman continues

And I wonder Why would I wait till I die to come alive? I'm ready now I'm not waiting for the afterlife

I think he has it right. Let’s not be confused about resurrection. Let’s not make it only about the “afterlife.” I certainly do want to face death with confidence even though it’s a scary prospect. I want to put my faith in a saviour who has submitted to death on a cross and was raised by God’s power. And I also want that power in my life now. I’m ready now. Paul the Apostle says he’s ready now (as he shares about having faith in Christ instead of the law):

Philippians 3:10–11 NIV

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

See if you think resurrection is all about later on this doesn’t make much sense. Knowing the power of resurrection and then sharing in suffering and dying? Sounds backward doesn’t it? That’s because the resurrection is life fuel, not life insurance. Resurrection gives new life every day, new possibilities and the strength to carry on when we’re locked inside and we can’t go on a hike (am I right Coyla?). Resurrection is for our grief, loss, and discouragements that we have every day. Resurrection is because there is no life hack for our own failures and for life’s very real disappointments.

So this Easter morning, I encourage us to say together:

Why would I wait till I die to come alive? I'm ready now I'm not waiting for the afterlife.