You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. (Psalm 65:11 NLT)

OPENING SCRIPTURE:

“Therefore, IF ANYONE is IN CHRIST, the new creation has come: THE OLD HAS GONE, THE NEW IS HERE!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)

• A new start in Christ is not about erasing the past- the past has been redeemed not erased.
• A new start in Christ is not about denying wounds and the pain- Christ carried our pains and bore our wounds.
• A new start in Christ is not about pretending we never failed- Christ has given us the victory

A New Start is about identity– “In Christ” – who we are now because of who Jesus is.

Jesus Anointed By A Sinful Woman (Luke 7:36-50 NIV)

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. (Luke 7:36-38 NIV)

• Excluded by her community from all religious places, she found hope in a pharisee’s house at the feet of Jesus.

Desperate for a new start, she courageously entered a hostile environment knowing judgment awaited her.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Then Jesus said to her, “YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN.”

The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

Jesus said to the woman, “YOUR FAITH HAS SAVED YOU; GO IN PEACE.”

 #1: A New Start Begins with Honest Surrender

God cannot heal what we keep hiding!

“As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.” (Luke 7:38 NIV)

• She did not hold back, but poured out her past, everything at the feet of Jesus.
• God is not moved by performance, but by humility.

“A broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17 NIV)

• Contrite here means “honest’ and “repentant”
• God will never despise or reject honest and true repentance.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION FOR 2026: Stop pretending and start surrendering.
Bring your whole self to Jesus—not the version you think He wants, but the one you actually are.

 #2: A New Start Requires Letting Go of What Once Defined You

“she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume” (Luke 7:37)

• It represented her past identity, survival, or reputation.
• She broke it open – symbolizing she was done. She is not going back.

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14 NIV)

PRACTICAL APPLCATION FOR 2026: Identify what you need to release.
What are you holding onto that belongs to your old life—habits, labels, shame, or control?

#3: A New Start Is Sealed by Forgiveness and Peace

Then Jesus said to her, “YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN.” (Luke 7:48)

• He did not ignore her past – He removed its label
• He did not minimize her sin – He canceled its power

Jesus said to the woman, “YOUR FAITH HAS SAVED YOU; GO IN PEACE.” (Luke 7:50)

• With no strings attached she left the room.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION FOR 2026: Receive what Jesus has already given.
Stop rehearsing what God has forgiven. Walk in peace, not condemnation.

• That story has so many symbolisms. Her anointing of Jesus was foreshadowing His burial.
• What she poured out symbolized what Jesus would soon pour our- His Life!

Just as the woman came broken and left forgiven, we come to the Lord’s table the same way.

• The bread reminds us His body was broken.
• The cup reminds us His blood was poured out.
• Communion is not for the perfect, for the worthy—it is for those seeking a new start.

CONCLUSION

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?