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Almighty God, renew Your people with Your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness sustain us by Your mighty power;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect for today asks God to renew His people.
But just what are we asking - if we make these words our own heartfelt prayer?
Earlier this week, I attended a gathering of clergy in the Malvern Deanery at which the guest speaker, Martin Cavender, Director of an Anglican organisation called ReSource, spoke about Renewal in the Church. By a 'God-incidence', it's a subject that's been much on my mind in these first few weeks of the New Year, so I'd like to share with you this morning something of what Martin Cavender said, interspersed with my own reflections - particularly as they relate to today's Collect and Bible readings.
"Almighty God... renew Your people with Your heavenly grace...". The word 'renewal' - like words such as 'vision' and 'change' - has been cheapened and devalued in recent years, both in secular and religious circles. 'Oh no - not renewal again. We've had enough of that. Anyway, hasn't the Charismatic Movement and all that stuff about new spiritual power - hasn't all that passed its sell-by date?'
Well, no actually. Because real renewal is not just for a little clique of the like-minded. It's not about particular styles of hymns, songs, prayers or rituals; it's not just for 'Charismatics' or 'Pentecostals', happy-clappys, extroverts, prophets or prima donnas. Renewal is not a 'movement' that has had its moment. On the contrary, renewal - the bringing of new life out of change and decay - is an integral part of the nature of planet earth, where life is continuously succeeded by death and then new life emerges once again. You only have to look at what's beginning to happen in your garden at this time of year to see the truth of that. And just as it is a fundamental principle of earthly life, so renewal is equally essential to spiritual life. It is an integral part of Scripture - for on almost every page of the Bible we can find examples of the way God repeatedly offers newness of life to human beings.
Today's Gospel, for instance, presents Jesus as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn 1:29). Through the sacrificial death of Christ on the Cross, this broken world is offered forgiveness, healing, renewal. John's Gospel goes on to remind us of the coming of the Spirit at the baptism of Jesus and the sending of the Holy Spirit upon His followers - both references to the divine energy which empowers renewal.
An overview of the theme of renewal as it runs through Scripture shows that renewal is a process - not a one-off event. It begins with an encounter between the human and the divine in which God takes the initiative. Renewal has many dimensions and it includes the gathering of the old into the new. It's not a party-political attempt at change for the sake of change; rather it brings the old and the new together in ways that restore and reinvigorate what has gone before, so that nothing good is wasted. Renewal is based on the hearing afresh of God's Word; it occurs only through the work of the Holy Spirit; and it is Christ-centred. Renewal is characterised by repentance. It restores true fellowship, right relationships. Renewal, like the manna in the wilderness, is a daily need. It is not just something that happens on the day of our conversion or very special occasions; we need it new every morning. And its purpose is continually to inspire and empower the worship, welcome and witness of God's church.
Our first reading, today's epistle, does not use the word 'renewal', but it does demonstrate the principle and power of renewal at work in the Church - in this case the church in Corinth, but what Paul says of the Corinthians should be true for the church at all times and in every place. In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 2, Paul writes that the church of God comprises "Those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ". In other words, God calls individuals to come together into a company of people whose sins are forgiven through the atoning work of Christ on the Cross and who are set apart for God's special purposes. 'Calling on the name of the Lord Jesus' is the mark, the badge, of all God's renewed people in His large and growing worldwide family. And of course, calling on this Name is not just about saying words. It means turning to Jesus Christ as Saviour, submitting to Him as Lord, acknowledging Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life; daily renewing and living out our Baptismal promises to live by faith and trust in Christ Crucified and Risen. And as we do that, so God daily renews us with the grace and peace to which Paul referred in the Epistle (1 Cor. 1: 3). God enriches us in everyway with the gifts of His Spirit, so that we can come to know Him more deeply and speak up for Him clearly and live out our lives in ways that give glory to Him in the world.
I'm not someone who regularly receives 'pictures' or 'prophecies' from the Lord; usually God speaks to me in other ways. But two weeks ago, when I was doing the Sunday afternoon chore of cleaning out the kitten's litter tray, my mind's eye was filled with the vivid image of a slate or blackboard, on which was written all kinds of rubbish: hurtful words, painful memories, total mess and muddle. Then I saw a hand with a cloth wiping the slate clean; cleaning everything off so that it looked like a completely clean sheet, a new page; no trace remained of the scribbled words and scrawled figures that had filled the board a moment before. And it seemed that God said to me: "That's what I do for you, Mary, and for all who come to Me for forgiveness and renewal. Every day, I wipe the slate clean for you. And that's what I want you to do in your dealings with one another. Forgive as I have forgiven you. Wipe the slate clean. Start again. Be renewed."
So you see why Martin Cavender's theme of Renewal for mission in Word and Spirit 'rang bells' for me last week. What he said about renewal echoed and confirmed what God seemed to have imprinted clearly on my mind a few days before. That Christians are called to be renewed people. That renewal is something that we are commanded by God to build into the rhythm of our relationships with Him and with each other.
Did you notice how today's Epistle ended? With these words: "God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful". (v 9) "God... is faithful." As it says elsewhere in the Bible: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness, O Lord" (Lamentations 3: 22-23). God's faithfulness is unchanging; and in His great love He forgives, transforms and renews His people daily - if we are willing to make this our own heartfelt prayer:
"Almighty God... renew Your people with Your heavenly grace and in all our weakness sustain us by Your mighty power; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Mary Barr
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