Change

There's an old Baptist joke that goes something like this: How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb? CHANGE!?!?!?!?! Now the joke may lose a little something as it makes its way through the blogosphere, but the idea translates well in most any environment....most of us don't like change!

Yet, at the heart of the Christian faith is the undeniable message of change. In Matthew 18, Jesus said, "...unless you change...you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Paul wrote in II Corinthians 5:17 that "if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!" (TNIV) To find forgiveness and grace in the living Christ is to find change every day. Faith calls us out of the ruts that trap us in the predictable patterns of daily living and challenges us to walk along new pathways that are defined by the steps of Christ. As he called his disciples to join him, he said simply, "Follow me."

We are certainly cautious about change, but apart from it, what a dull world this would be. As people of faith, our hope is built on the transformation that comes through faith in the risen Christ. CHANGE!?!?!?!?!? Yes, and thank God for it!