A New Beginning
Have you ever looked back at your life and wished you could start over—like hitting a reset button? Most of us have. We think about moments we would change, choices we wish we could redo, or paths we wish we had taken differently. That desire for a fresh start is something almost everyone understands. I’ve talked with people who have made decisions that still affect their lives today, and they’ve said things like, “If I could just move to another country, change my name, get a new job, and start over, everything would be different.” I get that. I really do. But when you listen closely, what they are actually longing for isn’t a new location or a new identity—it’s a new life.
That’s exactly what Jesus offers. In Christ, sins are forgiven. The past no longer defines the future. We are given a new name, a new heart, and God’s own Spirit to help us live differently. If you want a new beginning, you don’t have to run away from your life—you run to Jesus. You don’t need to disappear or become someone else; you need to be made new. If you’ve ever thought, I wish I could just start over, then the gospel is speaking directly to you.
Matthew’s Gospel opens in a surprising way. The very first word he uses is Genesis. That’s not an accident. Matthew wants us to know from the beginning that what he is about to tell us is a new creation story. This is a new beginning for the world. When Matthew writes, “The Genesis of Jesus Christ,” he is saying that something has happened that changes everything. This story is for everyone who has ever prayed, “God, save me,” or “God, don’t leave me,” or “God, fix what I’ve broken.” Matthew is telling us that God has answered those prayers in Jesus.
This new Genesis leads to two big truths. First, God will save you. Second, God will be with you. Matthew shows us this through the name of Jesus. In the Bible, names matter. They aren’t just labels; they tell you who someone is and what their story is about. Jacob’s name, for example, means “one who grabs the heel” or “supplanter,” and his whole life is marked by struggle and striving. His name fits his story.
Even more than that, names in the Bible can tell the gospel story itself. The first ten major names in Scripture actually form a sentence when you look at their meanings: Adam—Man. Seth—Appointed. Enosh—Man. Kenan—Possession. Mahalalel—Praise of God. Jared—Descent. Enoch—Dedicated. Methuselah—Man of the spear. Lamech—Powerful. Noah—Rest. Put together, they tell this story: A Man will be appointed for man, who possesses the praise of God, who descends and dedicates himself, becoming the man of the spear, bringing powerful rest. That’s the story of Jesus hidden in the very beginning of the Bible.
So when Matthew focuses on Jesus’ name, he is telling us where this story is going. Jesus brings a new beginning. He saves His people, and He stays with them. This means your past does not get the final word. Your mistakes do not have the last say. In Christ, God isn’t offering you an escape from life—He’s offering you a transformed life.
But there is another important layer to this, and it has to do with the Church. A new beginning in Christ is never meant to be lived alone. When God gives us a new life, He also gives us a new people and a new place to live it out. The Bible calls that place the Church—the visible expression of the Kingdom of God. Salvation doesn’t just change you on the inside; it places you into a new community.
That means the Church has a real responsibility in this new Genesis. The Church is meant to be the “foreign place” people long for—a place where the old world doesn’t get to define you anymore. It should offer new purpose, new ways to serve, and new opportunities that fit a new life in Christ. The Church should feel like a refuge for people who are done being who they were and are learning how to live as who they are becoming.
If we are being faithful, the Church will be a place where people are known not by their past mistakes, failures, or labels, but by their new identity in Jesus. We must learn to see one another according to the new creation, not the old one. That means creating real ways for people to belong, to serve, to grow, and to be encouraged. It means being a community that loves deeply, supports faithfully, and cheers one another on as we learn how to live new lives together.
This is what it looks like when the gospel becomes real—not just in individuals, but in a people. Jesus is the New Genesis, and the Church is the new world that grows from it. It is the place where new lives are not only announced, but actually lived. And when the Church is faithful to that calling, it becomes a place that truly feels like home for those God has made new.
Peace be with you,
Pastor Bruce
