See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you. 

(Isaiah 42:9)

God tends to do new things. 

Humans tend to keep doing old things.  

I confess: I am a rehasher.  I like to remember and relive and recreate with existing molds.  I have to work — it’s a discipline thing, I believe — to look forward to things yet defined.  When I really let my imagination do its God-given task, I get excited and scared.  The scared part calls me to the fetal position; the excited part calls me to step forward in faith, accompanied by the One who makes all things new. 

We constantly run the risk of relying on history rather than God.  We function by memory and not by faith.  

Ah, but when memory includes God’s faithfulness, then you’ve got power.  

When it comes to moving forward in faith, our primary memory should be the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  ἀνάμνησις – Anamnesis: to remember, to recall, to memorialize.  We do this at communion, celebrating The New Thing that is Jesus.  

Not “do I remember” but “what do I remember”? 

Do I remember what I have done or what God has done?  Do I remember what worked or do I remember why it worked (because God was in it)?

Remember: God does new things.