5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
~Revelation 21:5

The day that this blog post comes out, June 3, 2022, is World Bicycle Day! As the summer begun here on the Jersey Shore this past weekend, it was a joy to see so many people out and about on their bikes. Young or old, it didn’t matter. A bicycle is a bicycle and has been an integral part of society around the world since the 1860s. Recreation, transportation, entertainment, these two wheeled, pedal-driven are everywhere.

It makes me think back to all the moments I had on my own bikes and seemed as if growing up, my birthday present was always a new bike because I was always outgrowing the one from the year before. My birthday is in the spring so it just made sense to have a new bike for the summer. It was for my birthday that I got the first bike I remember as my bike. It was a blue beach cruiser from Walmart that I remember begging for. It’s the bike I remember taking my “road test” on to be able to ride my bike to school (it’s a Hamilton thing). It’s the bike I remember having for years, through the early stages of riding around the block, to riding around town all day with my friends. I remember riding the Manasquan Bike Path with my family on this bike, and the Wall Township extension that went by the library. I remember going to the Allenwood General Store for brunch on the way to Allaire State Park and stopping at the Dairy Queen in Manasquan on the way home.

But then as my friend group shifted, I became “too cool” for my blue beach cruiser. I wanted a more traditional “mountain bike” style so that I could ride the wooded path by my house. It wasn’t really an activity for a cruiser so it made sense to me. I remember being told, “you have a perfectly good bike in the garage, you’re not getting a new one.” I fought my parents tooth and nail for a new bike. I even tried to save my babysitting money to buy one myself, but I liked Slurpees® and Lunchables too much and never seemed to have enough.

Finally, after what felt like years, I won a mountain bike at a banquet! I was so excited! We loaded it in the car and took it home. The very next morning I jumped on the bike, put on my helmet and took off!

And I hated it. It was awkward because it was not my bike. The brakes were hand brakes instead of foot brakes. The handle bars were lower so I was leaning forward rather than sitting up straight. But this was the choice I made.

So, I road that new bike and it still sits in the garage today over 10 years later. A silver Mongoose with purple stripes that seems to always have failing brakes and flat tires. And even though it’s not my blue beach cruiser, it is my bike. And it will always be my bike in the same way I think of my cruiser because it too holds memories of bike rides with family and friends. It holds memories of the morning after prom, riding with my friends to get breakfast and ice-cream with our hair still done from the night before. It holds memories of friendships deepening over the rubber hitting the road, wind roaring in our ears as we tried to talk with one another. It holds memories of growing up.

New things are not always bad things. Sometimes, when those new things begin, they feel awkward and strange, just as my Mongoose did compared to by Cruiser. But there are moments where that newness is necessary for growth. God makes us new through our baptism, and the differences between before and after are much needed. Even when we think about the beginnings of the church when a group of disciples, who could only do so much, are gifted with something new so that they might reach and help lead people from all corners of the earth to God. And clearly they did if we have come to know and believe!

There are lots of new things happening in the world around us that are strange and uncomfortable at times. New laws about plastic and Styrofoam usage, how to drive near a bicyclist, and using cannabis products. And those are just the ones I’ve heard people talk about this week. This doesn’t even begin to include new things that are happening in the church with a new pastor, or the changes we as a society are making due to the pandemic, ending the sin of racism, or the inclusion of persons in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Since God is making all things new, and we are called to join with God in ushering the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, how might we be God’s hands and feet?

 Comment your thoughts below!

Blessings friends,
Pastor Nicole