“What’s old is new again.” Have you heard that phrase before? If you’re a follower of popular culture at all you’ve probably see that idea in action. Whether it’s fashion, music, or movies it’s common to see styles and trends recycled at least every generation or so. Men’s ties are skinny and then wide and then skinny again. Godzilla destroys Tokyo then 20 years later he’s trashing New York City. And I’ll never forget the time I was driving my daughter’s middle school friends to a game while they listened to music on an iPod. One of them excitedly shared “new” music from a band that was popular when I was in school (that would be back in the Mesozoic era.)
I’ve been thinking about the old becoming new again in the context of our theme for this school year “New in Christ” based on 2 Corinthians 5:17. I’m writing this in the immediate aftermath of our school’s fantastic all-day celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The Reformation is most certainly old, but I think it felt new to our students as they listened to music from that era, met Martin and Katie Luther, and fought off the entreaties of the indulgence salesman. We are blessed to be inheritors of the timeless message of the Reformation – grace, faith, and the Word alone are all the necessary ingredients for a life eternal in heaven. Thank goodness that our Savior Jesus Christ is timeless and not subject to the whims of fashion or trends. A few years from now when I’m in my hovercraft wheelchair and my great grandchildren listen to the Beatles on their neural implant music devices Jesus Christ will still be “the way, the truth, and the life.” Amen!