Devotional Messages

2 Corinthians 5:17 – So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  (NRSV)

One of my favorite cartoons, Mutts, celebrated New Year’s by having one of the dogs ask another dog dressed as the traditional New Year character what kind of year it would be.  The response was, “Well, I’m wearing a top hat and a diaper, so… I’m ready for anything!”

I don’t know how a top hat and a diaper became the symbols for a new year, but I can see how it makes sense.  We know it is an auspicious occasion, but we also it’s early days.  And I think it’s important to hold onto that knowledge.  When we read about newness in scripture, we often assume it’s an instantaneous transformation.  But there are very few things that arrive fully formed.

So when you consider whether you feel renewed (which you hopefully will if you participate in worship this Sunday), the question is not whether you feel completely different.  It’s more about whether you can feel the tentative push of a seedling coming up from the soil, or whether you could start to sketch out the dream you’ve been wishing for, without having to fill in every detail yet.

Our spiritual growth is a process.  The “old” that is left behind is like the seed husk the plant emerges from.  But a full-size tree doesn’t break out of an acorn!  Sometimes being made new means that we’re particularly vulnerable for a while, to things like the winds of resistance or the over-watering of self-indulgence.  Sometimes being made new means we’re extra sensitive, because our new skin hasn’t grown tough yet.

So as we approach the rituals of renewal, let’s keep the long view in mind.  Let’s keep our top hats and our diapers ready, so that we’ll be ready for newness of life in Christ, whatever it may look like!

Collect for the Week:  Eternal God, whose love blossoms ever new, grant that we might be fully prepared for the renewal of our spirits that you are preparing, that we might share in the joy of newness of life.  Through Christ Jesus our Lord and the Holy Spirit, Amen.