Starting Again Series

Nehemiah 1 New Years

We got to spend a few days with Sarah and Drew the week after Christmas, visiting in Colorado. We spent some time resting, but we also spent some time sightseeing, driving through the snow-covered mountains and seeing a winter wonderland.

As we were discussing their Christmas tree one time, they told us how expensive trees are in Colorado, almost double what they are here, but that you can get a permit to go out and cut a Christmas tree in some of the national forests out there. Then they told us about seeing some folks driving along the interstate with a Christmas tree strapped to the roof of their car. What great anticipation they must have had as they drove along, looking forward to unloading and decorating that tree they had cut and carried themselves.

What they did not realize though, is that when you carry a Christmas tree on a vehicle, especially at high speed for a long distance, is that you have to protect it from the wind. That high speed wind, especially with the dry air of Colorado, will dry all the moisture out of the needles of the tree and cause it to lose its needles.

They said as they followed, that tree was losing needles all along the interstate, When they saw it, it had already lost a great deal of its needles and looked like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, and was losing more by the minute.

People driving around the car could see what was happening. They could see the needles falling off. They could see the tree becoming more and more bare, but so far, those with the tree were unaware of what was happening.

Drew and Sarah wanted to follow the car to its destination to see the people’s expressions when they arrived and saw their tree was bare, and hoped that there were not children in the car.

Great dreams, great anticipation, shattered because they did not understand.

As we stand here at the threshold of a new year, some of us can remember how we entered 2023 with such great anticipation. We had dreams, plans, hopes, that did not come to fruition. 2023 was going to be different. It was going to be the year we changed. It was going to be the year, after Covid, when things were going to begin to go our way. We were going to lose weight, save money, start that business, get out of debt, heal our marriage, rebuild those relationships. We were going to start walking closer to the Lord. We were going to grow as a Christian, see His hand at work in our lives, read our Bible, witness to our friends and more.

But some of us, looking back over the past year, and some even beyond, all we see are needles along the road; Compromises, shortcuts, busyness, and at the end of 2023, we stand with a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, not at all what we had dreamed of.

I praise God that we serve a forgiving Lord. A Lord of new beginnings, fresh starts, and prodigal homecomings. I praise God that when He called me His child, He had already factored in my laziness, sinfulness, mistakes, and stupidity, and it didn’t change His love for me one bit.

This morning, as we have started new year, I would like to start a series on fresh starts, new beginnings, and turn arounds, from one of the books God gave us recording a nation’s fresh start.

Open your Bibles this morning and turn with me please to the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah chapter 1. Nehemiah chapter 1 and verse 1 as this morning we think together about God’s fresh starts.

- Read Nehemiah 1:1-11

I. BE HONEST ABOUT THE SITUATION

- 1:1-3

When Nehemiah had folks come to visit from Jerusalem, he asked for an honest evaluation of the situation. He didn’t ask about the good points in the city. He didn’t ask about the highlights, he said, “Tell me about the folks there.”

See, some of the exiles had already returned to the city. Ezra had already taken some of the people back and they had rebuilt the temple, but things were still not like they were supposed to be.

If you want a fresh start, if you want there to be changes, you have to start with being honest without yourself about where you are and about how you are.

How many relationships are on the rocks because one or both of the people in the relationship will not admit there are issues. How many people are on the rocks financially because they won’t admit they are having money issues and won’t admit that they need to change some of their spending or saving habits. How many people are struggling to pull themselves through the day because they won’t admit they need to change their eating or sleeping or exercise habits. Oh, the Lord and I are OK, though the last time you opened your Bible was at church last week, or the last time you prayed was when someone put you on the spot and asked you to say the blessing.