“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

No matter how badly you have messed up in your life, you always get to start over with God! Every morning you wake up, the steadfast love of the Lord is there waiting for you. It was there yesterday, and it will be there every morning that you wake up. It does not grow old or stale. The mercies of God that never end are new every morning. Every day, God gives you the opportunity for a fresh start. 

If you are wondering why you would want to start over, consider the sins of your life and the cumulative effects of your rebellious, selfish, and foolish tendencies. Like the cumulative effects that aging, a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle have on a body, our lazy, selfish, and hard-hearted habits over time can cause us to grow cold and hard-hearted to God and to others. This can lead to spiritual death – the inability to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

But how can you start over after so many years of neglecting God and the life He has called you to? Jesus, of course. That’s what He does. It is the powerful force of His Word that kills and makes alive. The eternal gospel of Jesus Christ crucifies your sinful flesh and resurrects the new you, the eternal “you” He has made you to be. God the Creator is also the Re-Creator! This is what He does every day through His Word and Sacrament!

Look how creation itself testifies to death and resurrection cycles observable in nature. As winter approaches, leaves fall, flowers wither, and grass stops growing. Through the cold, dark season, trees and flowering plants will appear dead. But next year, like every year, Spring will come and new life will burst out all over again. Like the sleeper rising from their unconscious nighttime rest when the sun appears, we observe death and renewal cycles in God’s creation. These point to the Resurrection. But for certain assurance of the Resurrection, we have God’s Word. 

Jesus has promised that He will return, and when he does, we will rise in our new resurrected bodies to meet Him in the flesh! Because He has covered us with His righteousness and declared us innocent by His blood, we look forward to that day when He will welcome His holy bride, the Church, into His presence to celebrate the wedding feast. Until then, He invites you to a foretaste of this feast in His divine service. He invites to hear life giving words of forgiveness. And He invites you to start fresh in His steadfast love and never-ending mercies which are new every morning.