All Things New… or All New Things?
The way we celebrate the holidays can create some unfortunate, unintended consequences. As a kid, I thought of Christmas first-and-foremost as the season of… new things! New toys. New stuff. New clothes. God did a new thing in Jesus. The wisemen brought him presents. That’s what it’s all about, right?! God seems to be in the business of giving his people new things.
Whoops.
The Promise of God is NOT to keep giving his people all new things, or all new Christian stuff, if I put it more crassly. While we care a lot about the latest technology, the latest fashion, and the latest in domestic decor (Kitchen counters! Fresh paint!) I believe God cares very little about these matters. God is in the business of making all things new. That’s quite a difference!
“Out with the old and in with the new.” That’s a cultural saying. Not a biblical one.
Jesus came to be a Savior and Redeemer. To work with what was created good, but got broken along the way. Jesus’ mission is to make all things new. Nowhere is this clearer than at the very end of the Bible. Revelation 21:5 says, “He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making all things new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
God’s way of redeeming, of breathing new life almost always starts in surprising places and unfolds in surprising ways. It might’ve been smart for God to have Jesus born in Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, right? But, God chose the little town of Bethlehem. It would’ve been great to have the Savior grow up and be educated in Rome, the center of global power two thousand years ago. But, God chose the armpit of Nazareth. And it could’ve been memorable to have Jesus’ first miracle happen in some famous place so that it could be remembered forever. But… Jesus’ first miracle (turning water into wine) happened in an obscure village called Cana in Galilee. To this day, nobody knows exactly where this tiny town was.
God’s way of making all things new often begins in obscure places and starts small.
Perhaps there is an obscure place or corner of your own life and times where - right now at the beginning of 2026 - God is working, desiring to do something new in you.
While I love to listen to Andrew Peterson’s “Behold the Lamb of God” around Christmas, my favorite Andrew Peterson song, “All Things New,” contains these lyrics:
So hold on to the promise - The stories are true - That Jesus makes all things new
Rise up, O you sleeper, awake - The light of the dawn is upon you
Rise up, O you sleeper, awake - He makes all things new
That’s it! Maybe it’s a relationship. Maybe it’s your connection with God himself. Maybe it’s a back alley in your character, a bitter loss, or unspeakable pain. God is in the business of making all things new. May this be true for me and you in 2026.
- Pastor Gregg