We went with friends to see the movie Hot Tub Time Machine, hoping for some foolish fun instead of a sappy chick flick. We went in with low expectations and came away with a few good chuckles. On the way out, my friend Peter hoped that at least I could get a good sermon out of it. Taking him up on the challenge:

Hot Tub tells the story of three unsuccessful friends who go back in time and face the possibility of renewing their lives. Worried at first that they would unalterably change the future for the worse, each ultimately faces the chance to improve upon it all: relationships, friendships, and career.

It is like Yom Kippur without the fasting. On Yom Kippur, we each face our past, weigh the imbalance of our deeds and misdeeds, and then commit to make decisions that will lead to new possibilities and a new better future. Without the ridiculous trigger of a Russian beer induced hot tub time machine, we can – nonetheless – change our future by altering our present.

The best part is that we need not wait for a time machine to wisk us off or even for Yom Kippur to take us forward, because the gates of teshuva – of repentence, turning, change – are always open.

So soak in the hot tub of time and take a chance to improve your present and future.