David Bahn – Reflections

I used to love going into my grandmother’s attic. It was filled with lots of neat stuff. An old electric heater with a cone-shaped heating element in the middle of a concave heat reflector sat on the shelf to the left. A large trunk was directly in front of you when we entered the attic (it had a full-sized door entering it from the upstairs hallway). Other old stuff was on the shelves on one wall. It was an exciting and almost frightening experience!

Jesus says that a person who is trained for the Kingdom will bring forth old and new treasures:

Matthew 13:51-58

⁵¹ “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” ⁵²And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

⁵³And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, ⁵⁴ and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? ⁵⁵ Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” ⁵⁸And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

The simple truth is that being a disciple of Jesus is a process of discovery not unlike exploring my grandmother’s attic. You discover all manner of things – old and new – that have new meaning and application. The word of God continually unfolds new truths and we become aware of new implications of our faith.

We learn that we really must love our neighbor; and that may include that pesky neighbor who we would rather ignore. The impossible task before us becomes an opportunity for God’s glory to shine through. The difficult and disappointing events in life become places and times for the glory of God to be revealed.

What new and old things have new value and meaning for you these days. If your life is filled with “the same old same old” perhaps it is time to look at life through the lens of the Kingdom of God. God calls us to repentance and faith in Jesus and promises us abundant, eternal life through him. Part of that abundance is founded in the fullness of life itself – rich in God’s grace and mercy and enriched in the discovery of the new things of God’s love in Christ.