Fresh Starts

Sunday September 25th, Ezekiel 18: The LORD said: 2Ezekiel, I hear the people of Israel using the old saying, "Sour grapes eaten by parents leave a sour taste in the mouths of their children." 3Now tell them that I am the LORD God, and as surely as I live, that saying will no longer be used in Israel. 4The lives of all people belong to me--parents as well as children. Only those who sin will be put to death. Let’s tackle that last line first. The wages of sin is death; the gift of Jesus is life. Sometimes the Old Testament gets a bit harsh in how it says things and we have to remind ourselves that we are resurrection people, now for the first part. There is some truth in the idea that a bad apple doesn’t fall far from the tree or that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the third and fourth generation etc., however, Ezekiel announces something new. It is good news. We are not bound by what has gone on in the past, either in our lives or in the lives of our parents. We are free. Sometimes that freedom is the freedom to make fresh mistakes and sometimes that freedom is the freedom to make the same old mistakes our parents made. One would hope that at the very least you are into making fresh mistakes. Jesus offers new chances in life through forgiveness. If you are like me you need new chances often. So, do your part, offer new chances and fresh starts to others. All it takes is a little forgiveness.