Genesis 35:1-4 — And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: and let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

These verses come in Genesis immediately after the horrific story of the rape of Dinah and the subsequent massacre of Shechem. They reminded me of how often God will allow us a “restart” in our lives. It’s not that the past is wiped out. Things rarely go back exactly to what is was before … But a change in direction may leave us with consequences but not catastrophe. There are prices to be paid. Jacob’s family had to let go of the household idols and their earrings worn as amulets, and Simeon and Levi lost their places as separate tribes in Israel.
The story of Jacob and his sons put me in mind of David, who was given a “do over” after his murder of Uriah the Hittite. (Perhaps the miserable failure of David’s response to the rape of Tamar was the similarity to Jacob that brought him to mind, and I’ll maybe write about Biblical fathers and daughters another day.) David’s new start carried a price as well, as Bathsheba’s child died and he lost moral authority with his sons.
Then, this morning, our Pastor talked about Peter, who we might call the “Do over Disciple”! Peter failed miserably to follow big words with big actions, but Jesus restored him, and he became a greater, though humbler, leader than he could ever have imagined. Peter paid a price too. At the very least he had to surrender his image of himself.
The biggest invitation to “start again”, of course, was the one that Jesus made possible for all of us. His awful death allows us all to change direction and destination. It’s often said that it is a free gift. And it is — we do not have to give anything except our acceptance …. And yet … There are gifts that are worth so much more if we are willing to invest something in them. So it is with Jesus’s gift to us. We pay very little for our salvation, He payed it all. But after that comes the process of growing into His image, being sanctified, being made holy. That process needs us to be prepared to give up a lifestyle, to let go of anything that we might be tempted to hold closer than God.
Starting again, heading off in a new direction, is a privilege God offers us, from time to time. Sometimes the price is high … But oh how great the reward!