Stepping into ‘The New’
Traditionally, it's Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent itself is an invitation into new beginnings, and we step into that newness with intention.
The new often stirs excitement in us—but rarely without a measure of uncertainty. Anticipation and anxiety often travel together, not always in equal proportions. The new carries the promise of possibility, but it also carries the weight of process. It offers pleasure, but it often requires perseverance. And in all of this, God promises to never leave us nor forsake us, which can be interpreted as His gentle intimate whisper to us to, “Step into the new with Me” (Heb 13:5).
When Jesus began His ministry, it was something profoundly new. It began with a moment of glory at His baptism, with the heavens opening and the proud declaration of His Sonship by the Father. But immediately after came the wilderness came forty days of fasting. Forty days of testing. Forty days of being strengthened for what was ahead. Even Jesus’ “new beginning” required surrender, stillness, and struggle. And just like Jesus, we too are invited to step into the new with the Father’s word to guide and help us.
Abram, who would later be renamed Abraham, also stepped into something new when God called him to leave everything familiar.
…“Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
—Genesis 12:1–3 (NKJV)
We are likely familiar with how his story unfolds: battles, mistakes, family tensions, long waiting, deep testing, and yet, through it all God’s faithfulness remains ever present. The promise did not come without pressure. The blessing did not come without stretching. The new did not come without the unknown. And still God invited him to step into the new with Him.
Our Heavenly Father doesn’t usually give us the whole road map from the start. If he showed us everything we’d face on the journey ‘from good to great’, more times than not we'd probably say, 'count me out!'
Scripture often uses the phrase “it came to pass.” This appears a 452 whopping times in the King James Version! Seasons come. Seasons go. Nothing stays still. Winter gives way to Spring. Lent leads us toward Easter. And here we are again at the threshold of a year that still feels new(ish)—new plans, new courses, new small groups, new people joining our communities, new programmes, new responsibilities.
All of it exciting.
All of it stretching.
And through it all, God still whispers, “Step into the new with Me.”
This is for everyone — whether you’ve been at Kerith for years or you’re brand new, whether you serve on a team or you’re just finding your feet, whether you feel strong in faith or you’re holding on by a thread. We are all stepping into new things—new rhythms, new challenges, new hopes, new uncertainties. Some of us are stepping into new jobs, new learning experiences, new relationships, new ministries or new responsibilities. Others are walking the journey of grief, desirous of healing, on the road to recovery, seeking courage, requiring financial liberation, or needing rest. Whatever your “new” looks like, God meets you in it and invites you to step into the new with Him.
We lean on His wisdom. We rest on His everlasting arms. We give thanks for the people He brings alongside us to support us as we step into the new, as well as the people He calls us to walk with while they navigate their own new seasons.
Lent reminds us that new beginnings are not powered by our effort alone. They are sustained by grace. They are shaped in surrender. They are strengthened in quiet places. And they are fulfilled by the God who never leaves us nor forsakes us.
As we enter this Lent season, may we choose to step into the new with Him — trusting His leading, embracing His stretching, and surrendering to His transforming work in us and through us.
Pelumi Aworinde
Bracknell Site Pastor
Are you joining in with us for the 40acts campaign? Let’s ‘do Lent generously.’ Find out more here.