New and Improved
By Ron Otto, Lincoln Christian Church

[March 29, 2021]  We are either a life shipwreck or a life restored; a life memorial or a life resurrected off the ocean floor and put back into service.

This past December, I found myself watching programs about Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor was surprise attacked back in 1941. The biggest targets for the Japanese were the U.S. Navy's nine battleships.

I was surprised to learn so many of our ships were raised, refitted and returned to service. That part of the story was new to me. Granted…not all of them!

USS Arizona sustained heavy damages during the attack and ultimately sank. Most of the men on board died. A total loss. The ship still remains at the bottom of the harbor. Today, visitors pay their respect at the USS Arizona Memorial. She is a memorial.

On the other hand, the USS West Virginia was one of the worst hit in the raid. Seven torpedoes, hit by two bombs, caught fire from the burning USS Arizona and sank to the sea floor. She was then pumped free of water and patched, sent to Washington's Naval Yard for full repairs. She was brought up from her watery grave and was returned to service in July 1944. The USS West Virginia was a major player in the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and was the first of the older battleships to sail into Tokyo Bay to witness Japan’s surrender in 1945.

Thirteen ships that were hit and sunk were all resurrected and restored and returned to service.

Maybe you feel like you took a hit. Maybe someone or something has torpedoed you. Now you’re wondering is your life just another shipwreck on the bottom of the ocean or is there a chance you could be raised and repaired and restored? Are we to become another memorial or can we be lifted up and returned to something amazing? The answer is yes! You can be New again! Isn’t that the point of the resurrection of Jesus, that we will all be made NEW?

The word, “new,” resonates with us. That’s why advertisers use it so often. It fits well into the phrase, “new and improved.” When you connect your life to Jesus…NEW is always the outcome

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" - II Corinthians 5:17

Something new is coming and its closer than you think.