The New Yorker in Me
put off the old, put on the new
Taking a brief break from our “Conversations” series to just do a quick check in with my favorite readers and share a reflection on Ephesians 4:20-24 and what it has to do with my recent trip with my family into New York City. I apologize for the day late newsletter.
But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:20-24
Keep your head low. Don’t make eye contact. I just automatically did these things as I rode the subway each weekday to school in the city. New Yorkers are expecially good at minding their own business. It doesn’t matter if a performer comes on the train to sing or do some acrobatics in the small train car, we can act like they are invisible if we don’t want to acknowledge them. If unbothered were a people, it would be New Yorkers. Even the pigeons act unbothered. They strut around, larger than life, fattened from the carbs they get from pizza crusts and bagels. In fact, I had forgotten how large they were. I was impressed by their height in our recent visit to the Big Apple.
It was obvious that we had not been to the city in a while, at least not by train. We had spoiled ourselves by driving in on the occasion where we needed to, but yesterday we took the train in and walked everywhere like we used to long ago. Just this time, we had three kids with us. We looked and acted like tourists as if someone took us out of the country and dropped us right into the heart of NY.
Where once my husband and I used signal lights as a suggestion and crossed the street against the light’s red blare, yesterday we hesitated and missed our chance. The obvious city slicker snickered at us as he walked by us from the other side, making it all the way across 8 lanes with not a car in sight. Obedient to the light, we had missed our chance to cross the big intersection as cars came zooming by.
Recently, I listened to an excellent sermon by one of our pastors on Ephesians 4. The main point of the sermon, could be summed up in the following.
Our pastor challenged us to stop living as antinomian, people who believe that faith is enough and then they have the freedom to do what they want. But to instead “put into practice the putting off of our old selves by the renewing in the spirit of our minds and put on our new selves.” I was reminded that the work that Christ had finished indeed had brought me salvation, but there was still a desperate need on my part to continue to put off the old self as my sinful nature often creeps back in hard pressed situations. That my utter failure to obey, while it does not take away my salvation, does act as a reminder of my constant need to depend on Christ and not fall into despair and more sins. It is work that we must do in a living faith that is possible through the Holy Spirit. Our pastor then shared a quote to reiterate this from John Stott:
It indicates that, in addition to the decisive rejection of the old and assumption of the new, implicit in conversion, a daily—indeed a continuous—inward renewal of our outlook is involved in being a Christian. If heathen degradation is due to the futility of their minds, then Christian righteousness depends on the constant renewing of our minds.
After the sermon, I both felt challenged and encouraged. Challenged to continue to work toward keeping my mind renewed in the Gospel truths, a retelling of the love story of God’s love through Christ over and over again. Encouraged because I am living in real time this reality of old sins and thoughts creeping back into my life. Doesn’t sound like much encouragement right? But oh it was! That God new what our struggle would be, and Christ left us reminders again and again:
Remain in me. (John 15:4)
Take heart! For I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:30)
And Paul does so too in His reminder “to be renewed in the spirit of our minds.” So parents, take heart!
As we walked through Times Square, there were costumed performers that had walked up to my husband and boys. They waved hello and asked for high fives just to be ignored by my husband. Having become the softy that I am now, I felt bad and as I walked by Sonic the Hedgehog, I gave him a high five. Immediately, Elmo and three other colorful characters circled around us, saying, “Picture? Picture? Picture!” I could not even tell you what the other characters were as their colorfulness blended into the background of all the lights. Sonic had wrapped his arm around my little girl who was half his height. She looked up at me ready to crack up, but her eyes were also saying, “help!” Immediately, I realized what this would mean money I had not intended to pay. I strongly said, “No, thank you! No, thank you!” and pulled my little girl’s arm out of Sonic’s hold. They immediately realized, “not a tourist, a New Yorker.” If I could see their uncostumed faces, I believe they were rolling their eyes. Yes, I had been away for long, but my street smarts will kick in when need be. At the same time, I’m not the same old New Yorker. The old me may have cursed Sonic out for touching my daughter. Yet, I was able to be kind, but firm in my “no, thank you.” In the same way, I know Satan’s schemes, I know the old pitfalls of where I fall short, where I am weak. I also know that when I fall, I am forgiven and steady, because God has me. I feel less guilt than I once did and more confidence in Christ.
I will end with this chart shared by our pastor:
In this already, but not yet I feel the struggle and the tension, but I hope for and look forward to the day when I will be glorified with Christ unable to sin while able to not sin. I will have a rememberance of when what it was like before I knew Christ, what it was like after, and I will praise Him forevermor with all the saints. May the renewal of our minds become the renewal of our children’s as well. May our story of salvation=faith —> works become our children’s also.
Until next time, I’ll save a seat for you at the table.