The Path of Renewal

Renewal is God’s intent for us and the world.

When we start talking about renewal lots of ideas (and even some old prejudices) come to mind. But at its core, renewal is God’s life-giving, restorative work. It transforms us little by little into Christ’s image and brings the world under Christ’s reign.

This transformation can seem miraculous, idealistic, maybe even impossible. We’re only humans after all. Humility isn’t bad, but neither is a longing to experience the abundant, eternal life Christ came to offer. It’s a life that flows out of us like living water (John 7:38). Our moments of feeling dry, weary, needing a change, or like butter spread on too much bread (to quote a hobbit) can be good. In those moments, if we’ll listen, we’ll hear God’s Spirit wooing us, calling us to walk again the path to renewal.

Our first step on this path is to return. It might sound strange, but didn’t Jesus begin his ministry by saying “repent, for the kingdom of God is among, within, near you?” Despite the connotation “repent” has today, Jesus was simply saying, stop doing what doesn’t work and return to the life of God already present with you. As we let go of the behaviours, perspectives and perceptions that have only brought death, we are free to return to the abundant life offered to us.

Once we’ve returned, we can receive refreshment. My inner Presbyterian struggles with this. Like many of us, my sense of the spiritual is connected with the work I’m doing. But there are times when I need to be Mary instead of Martha; when I need to rest at the master’s feet and wait for him to refresh me. Perhaps this is why Isaiah promised that those who waited on the Lord would renew their strength. It may also be why the Holy Spirit is often associated with water, because water has power to refresh dry, desert places. There comes a time on the path to renewal when we need to wait and simply let God’s Spirit refresh us. The church has developed many spiritual practices for nurturing these times and they’re worth exploring.

After refreshment, its natural to want to participate in God’s renewing work. Water left standing will grow stagnant or dry up, but running water has transformative power as it shapes the land and brings life to the desert. As we become channels of Christ’s Spirit he moves through us, he transforms the world into one that fits his vision and fuels our efforts with strengthening joy.

One last thing: Like the instructions on my shampoo bottle, we may need to “repeat as necessary.” Life brings distractions that compete for our attention and before long, we may find ourselves feeling spent once more. Whether its personal, or transforming our world, renewal is less about destination than process. Daily, sometimes moment by moment, we can walk the path of renewal. Each time we return to Christ, receive refreshment and go out to renew God’s world, we become recipients of, and participants in, God’s transforming work.