Wednesday, April 26, 2023
“This same Good
News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit
everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you
first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.”
(Colossians 1:6, New Living Translation)
Am I referring to the war in the
Ukraine? Or, perhaps, then, the war in Sudan? Or maybe the many mass shootings in the United
States since the beginning of the new year.
Nothing so serious as all that.
No, the disaster, I have recently
discovered, is that McDonald’s is changing its traditional, tried and true recipes
for its hamburgers. They are replacing chopped, raw onions with seared, caramelized
onions. What gall! There has not been such an outrageous scandal since Coca-Cola
tried to change its recipe many years ago. McDonald aficionados are outraged;
up in arms; threatening boycotts. How dare McDonalds change its whole raison d’etre!
The nerve of some people!
Personally, I like caramelized
onions, but that’s just me.
Change seems seldom welcome or
wanted by a lot of people. Just try changing something in the order of a church
service and you will see what I mean. It will usually illicit strong protests, especially
if it is a swing to more modern worship songs. Or try to change one’s habits,
like smoking, dieting, and one sees that change can be very hard even if it is
good for you. Or try changing one’s lifestyle or relationships or work habits
or whatever, and many folk will get upset even at the mere suggestion that we should
change in any way.
Can a leopard take away or change
its spots, asked Jeremiah. “Generations come and generations go, but the
earth never changes.” (Ecclesiastes 1:4, NLT) To borrow a saying from Jesus
which is not too far off the mark, “it is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” (Matthew 19:24, NLT) Few of us intentionally
seek out or enjoy or welcome change.
But change is the very essence
of Gospel living. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a
new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:7, NLT) Some might squirm with
such an “old-fashioned” term like “repentance.” But it captures the dynamic of
what it means to change under the influence of Jesus Christ. “My old self
has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in
me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me
and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, NLT)
This is no trivial change. It is
the radical, deep-seated change that alters our thinking, our attitudes, our
behaviour. It is the change that challenges us to see the world and especially others
differently – without malice, prejudice, hatred, fear. It is the change that
ignites compassion, forgiveness, justice, love. It is the change that builds
character and responsibility.
“Either way, Christ’s love
controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we
have all died to our old life.” (2 Corinthians 5: 14, NLT)
Our faith should always be growing,
expanding, developing and open to new possibilities. We need to keep our minds
and hearts open to fresh visions, new expressions of grace and love. We need to
allow the Holy Spirit to blow us in new directions and towards new horizons.
God’s call upon to be ready to
change is everywhere in a scripture. Just think of Sarah and Abraham who in their
old age are called to leave house and kin and travel to a strange, new land. Likewise,
when we are in relationship with Christ, we are emboldened to be part of the
New Kingdom.
“Since, then, we do not have
the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with
that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it!
And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life
renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately
reproduces his character in you.” (Ephesians 4: 21 -24, The Message Bible)
Trust me, caramelized onions aren’t
that bad!
Dale
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