Friday, March 6, 2009

Nova ex veteris

Nova ex veteris.

The phrase, from Latin, means, "The new must be born out of the old."

Which could mean that that which has been is the seedbed for that which is to come. Makes sense.

But what if we use the words "new" and "old" to refer to people? These are words that have always meant a lot to me, especially when referring to human-types.

So then would nova ex veteris come to mean that new things (ideas, ways, etc.) would be born out of old people? In other words, innovations would come from the older crowd.

Gray hair would be a sign of creativity.

Wrinkles would be the crevasses from which the vanguard would spring.

A limp would not mean a wound or damage. Instead, a limp would be the opportunity for a new way of traversing the landscape, always in search of novelty.

I don't think nova ex veteris means that the old and the new are separated from each other, but that they are organically linked in such a way as to be like ground and seed, the one nourishing the other so that new growth might appear and flourish.

Isaiah wrote, in reference to God's continuous rescuing and restoration: For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert!--Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)

Rivers in the desert.

Rivers in the desert of despair faced by the recently jobless.

Rivers in the desert of anxiety of the young among us, who wonder both how we got into this mess and what life's got in store for them as they turn toward their futures.

Rivers in the desert of loneliness and isolation that cripples so many and leaves them despondent.

Rivers in the desert of shame, a land inhabited by too many, who can't even imagine that God wants to wash away the pain and the shame and replace it with His stamp of approval.

Rivers in the desert of damaged self-worth, where too many wonder if their lives have any significance at all, who scream into the wasteland, "Do I matter?"

Nova ex veteris.

Maybe the old needs to be put to death in order for the new to arise (and I'm not talking eugenics here--look it up).

Jesus told Nicodemus that we needed to be born anew in order to enter and experience the Life of the Spirit, the Kingdom of God.

Nova ex veteris.

The new must be born out of the old.



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