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Trying Something New

Trying Something New

by Rev. Alexandra Robinson on August 06, 2025

Trying Something New

“So if anyone is in Christ there is a new creation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Kalalau Beach, Hawaii.

Easter Island, Chile

Jokulsarion, Iceland

Though I wish I could say these were my summer vacation destinations, they are actually the places my screensaver has taken me. Each day when I turn on my computer, I see a new scene. This daily trip lets me see a place I would not have experienced otherwise. It is a reminder that each day provides possibilities to learn, grow and discover something new.

I believe this is true of our faith as well. Each day provides a way to understand something new about the Triune God and our relationship with the Divine. The best way to experience this is by putting ourselves in unfamiliar positions or situations. That fresh take gives us a different perspective, allowing us to experience something about God that would otherwise be unknown.

Though it is understandable to seek God in the comfortable and the familiar, if we only look there, we are missing out on the vast breadth, depth and height of God’s nature. For instance:

When have you experienced God as exciting?

Have you ever felt Jesus presence as agitating?

How do you imagine the Holy Spirit as flickering in your midst?

This fall, our church initiative is to “Try Something New.” Though we will be launching some new classes and groups, this phrase is not a marketing tool to get you to sign up for church activities. This is an invitation to experience God’s presence in new ways. You might want to try praying in a new way, or commit to reading your Bible in a new way, or serve the community in a new way. In doing so, the Triune God will meet you in those places revealing something to you. In turn, this becomes a renewal for your relationship with the Holy. For just as in any relationship, the more time we spend doing different activities or sharing experiences, we learn and grow in understanding of another and ourselves.

I am going to do my best to model this as well, by trying something new with my preaching this fall. As a result of the church survey we conducted, some of you shared a desire for the sermons to have deep Bibilcal teaching, and connection to current events. So I’m

going to be trying a more didactic style of preaching, in more of a “teaching” sermon style as we walk through the book of Genesis and find ways we can apply it to the current events of the world! (wish me luck, as this could be tricky!)

So I hope you will join me this fall, as together we discover new ways of being in relationship with God and one another!


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