The hope that new beginnings bring
The Bible is full of new beginnings. Stories that have ended and that allow others to make their way with hopeful possibilities. Actually, the very life of human beings is full of endings and beginnings, cycles; joys that are interrupted by sadness, which, likewise, are dissipated by new dawns. During this time, Trinity UMC in Ewing is one example of this, and I feel honored to be part of this new season for our congregation.
Please, let me bring a few examples to illustrate the point. In the biblical account of the flood (Genesis 7, 8 and 9), where the vast majority of religious people have read about destruction, sin, death; God speaks of covenant. The Divine offers hope for a new beginning. After the devastation of human misery, God appears with a rainbow in the sky, drawing with this the symbol to make clear that such destruction would no longer be an option.
It is then that the blessing closes the catastrophe, thus the sun emerges as a symbol of restoration over the water, the cause of the tragedy. And together, they give life to the hopeful symbol. Isn’t this beautiful? This is actually a great lesson about what we can do about the evil that has affected us.
Likewise, in the story of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11), when the human being wants to stand as an oppressor over his peers, when greed wants to master the minds of those thirsty for power to become like God and then be able to subjugate their neighbors; then, the same Savior intervenes, bringing confusion in the language, offering hope to the unprotected even in the midst of chaos.
In the midst of the difficult test, when the patriarch is immersed in the decision to give up his son, his beloved; God intervenes and provides for the sacrifice (Genesis 22). This is in fact a new beginning, since in the culture in those days it was common and normal to even give children as an offering to the gods in order to appease their anger. However, it does not work that way for the God of Abraham, who, far from accepting human sacrifices, makes a pact and now this God is the one who provides for the holocaust. This Divinity is a different God, a provider!
God usually intervenes so that human beings rise from their ashes and grow. And it does not do so by removing or preventing evil which is inherent to us, but using that same as an opportunity, springboard and platform for growth. The Divine did it with the liberation of a people from slavery in foreign lands, through the speech of the prophets who rose up to denounce the bad behavior of the people and their leaders, through social protest, through hope in the midst of slavery, in exile, in hunger and in despair.
Nevertheless, the biggest example of a new beginning was brought by Jesus. The son of God changed all of history, showing love as the most powerful weapon against any injustice and violence in the world. Jesus’ answer to pain, grief, injustice, desperation, hopelessness, and violence is love. God’s answer to death is life.
Today, we are facing the opportunity to continue being part of a new beginning. This does not happen “like magic” but is a process that will continue to unfold as we continue to listen to the words of Jesus, live, heal, forgive, support, and love each other, so that we can continue to move past tragedy as we learn from it and build on it, facing the present and the future.
Today is a new beginning! And we are together in this…
Warmly,
Ps. David Gaitan
