He saved us— not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. - Titus 3:5
Renewal is something that comes around quite often, but not typically how we would like. Most often when we think of renal that occurs regularly it’s something like our insurance premiums, or driver’s license, or car tag renewal that often mean money out of our pocket whether we like it or not.
However, there is a greater renewal that happens all the time. As we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, we are renewing the covenant between us and God. When the Holy Spirit calls us to love where we once had not loved, we are renewed. When we realize that something greater is happening in our lives than we could make for ourselves then our spiritual strength is being renewed, by God’s great mercy and grace.
I am always perplexed and amazed by the might power of God’s work, in my life and the lives of others. Because I truly know when something great is happening, it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit work to build us up in community as the body of Christ.
We have been waiting for a renewal of sorts for many weeks. Waiting to hear that it is safe to return to life as normal. Yet, the continued information says it’s not yet safe. We want to see our friends, we want to come to church, we want to do so many things, but we do not yet know if we can. We have now entered the first day of a new season – welcome to summer – but we are still awaiting our salvation. However, the God of salvation has kept us safe thus far, and according to his mercy, as Paul writes to Titus, he will see us through washing and renewing us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We, at church, are working on plans, and seeking the conference permission to hold in-person worship soon. However, it may not feel the same, there will be some changes, and restrictions, but these first steps will hopefully allow us to experience some of the joy of gathering. Please know that in the process, what we are offering online will continue. We know some of congregation will choose to remain at home, and we understand. We love and miss all of you, and the most important thing we can do in our faith is to keep each other safe.
May God’s mercy renew us today, with a hope that soon, someday soon, we may be washed and renewed again for the purpose of living for His Kingdom.
Grace & Peace,
Sam