In life, as I see it, there are two kinds of new beginnings: the ones we choose and the ones life chooses for us, whether we welcome them or not.
We choose things like moving to a new town, starting a new relationship, a new job and so on. The second is perhaps the more challenging: the new beginning that life throws on us after a loved one's death, the new beginning that is forced when a job is terminated, or the new beginning that comes when picking up the pieces after a divorce.
These new beginnings, however they come to be, pose a challenge for us to consider. How will this new thing change me? Or better yet, how will this new beginning transform me?
In the Atlanta airport, there is a sign amidst a big construction project that reads: "Change is great.
Transformation is better."
At the 11 a.m. service, the N.C. Baroque Orchestra will accompany the Bach Cantata. We will celebrate together, and I look forward to a weekend of fellowship and worship in the life of the church.
