Out with the old and in with the new

For quite some time it has been apparent that we need a new kitchen. The current one was installed about 30 years ago, and it has certainly seen much better days. Some of the drawer ends had fallen off, and a few cupboard doors were hanging on only loosely! After much thinking, discussion and planning, the work on installing a new one finally began last Monday. The men came in and started to remove all the existing units, as well as all the kitchen equipment. Actually, the work had started a few days earlier, because the contents of all the kitchen cupboards had to be removed: our dining room is now fairly full of kitchen cupboard contents!

When the men began to remove the kitchen units, lots of the plaster fell off the walls, and it became clear that all the remaining loose plaster would have to be removed. By the time they had finished, quite a bit of the wall area was back to bare brick. It really was a case of "back to basics". Since then, the walls and ceiling have been re-plastered, and we now have two dehumidifiers working hard to remove all the moisture, so that the walls can be painted and the new kitchen units installed. It's been quite interesting having to manage without a cooker this week! The house really is rather upside down, but I am sure that by the time the work is finished, all the mess and inconvenience will have been worth it. Whether the kitchen will be finished in time for Christmas is another matter!

On Wednesday of this week we attended a carol service at Doncaster Minster. It was a great occasion, with over 1000 people in attendance. The service was designed to be something to invite family, friends, colleagues etc. to, and the guest speaker was J John. Towards the end of the service, J John invited people to respond to the message, and a number of people gave their lives to Jesus. I am reminded of some words of Paul writing to the church in Corinth, 'Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come!'

When we become a follower of Jesus, we are changed. The old way of living, where we live to please ourselves, is gone. Instead, we live to please God. Just as with our kitchen, the old is taken away, and is replaced by the new. So God wants to do a work in our lives, to make us new, so that our lives will reflect the light of his love. Of course it doesn't all happen overnight; in fact, it is a lifetime's process. As someone once said, "Be patient with me, God hasn't finished with me yet!" The important thing is that all those who are followers of Jesus are open to his ongoing work of transformation in their lives.