How lovely to hold a tiny baby. I so enjoyed this at the baby shower we hosted for my new little great niece last weekend. When we hold a newborn baby, there is so much promise. We can think of the fresh beginning of this wee person’s life. There is something about holding a baby that reminds us of the beautiful and hopeful things of life. Sometimes that hopeful anticipation of good things to come can get blurred with all the cares of life that we carry. I recall when our girls were babies that people would comment on what a a blessing is that time of life. For babies who are loved and cherished, their early years are pretty uncomplicated. They eat and sleep and cry if they need something and laugh with delight at those around them. Sometimes people express a desire to go back to the simple times of childhood. We find in Scripture a hopeful indication of the possibility of God’s work of making us new creations. It is a gift from our loving God to know that, “Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) When our desire is to be “in Christ” and we keep on surrendering our lives to His transforming power, then we are made new. The birth of a baby is welcomed and celebrated. We also have reason to celebrate new birth that comes to us because of Jesus. Hope in God’s redemptive work is something we can pray for and receive when we are committed to becoming new creations as God intends. What new things is God wanting to shape in each of us and how will our prayers welcome this vital work? When we pause for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow September 12th at 1 pm, we will pray for what is new that God wants to birth in us and those around us.
Praying that each of us will want to remain in Christ and to be the new creations that He invites us to be, Pastor Lola
Thank You God that You specialize in making new. Thank You that we are not held by the past because You have power to make us new creations. We want to surrender to You what has been in our lives that You want to change. Forgive us our sins and also make us new by empowering us to forgive those who sin against us. Where there are damaged relationships, we pray for healing. For people who are not speaking with each other, we pray for resolution of that and a releasing of bitterness. We want to value and honour the gifts of family and friends and to treat each relationship with careful consideration. When there are misunderstandings, please help us to move quickly to find a way forward so that understanding can be restored and we can be new creations. It is only in Christ that we see this possibility of us being new creations, so we ask You to keep us firmly established in Christ with all of our thoughts and motives and intentions. For the times that we pray and do not see the answers we longed for, we ask that we will not turn away from You. Instead, we pray that we will come even closer to You, not wanting to miss what You are saying to us and how You are working to make things new in these times too. And God we are trusting You to guide all the words that we speak so that they will be life giving and contribute to how You want to make each of us into new creations. Please remind us that we will never get beyond needing Your redemptive work of making us new. This process will never be complete this side of heaven. With our awareness of this truth, we ask for the wisdom to keep bringing all of who we are to you for Your renovating. We think of old houses we have seen that have been completely rebuilt and made beautiful again. Our gracious God, please do this same kind of work in us. Remove what is old and needs replacing and may we as new creations bring glory to You our Creator. At times we grow discouraged because of the need in us for ongoing renovation and restoration. Thank You God that You are willing to persist with this divine work. Thank You today for those who have completed their time here on earth and are now raised to be the eternal new creations that You have designed them to be. We pray for comfort and peace for those of us who remain here and continue to struggle with the reality of sin. Our God, we pray that as we are made into new creations that our capacity for love and compassion will increase. In becoming more like Jesus, we expect that the outcome will be visible that we are new creations because we are in Christ and wanting to remain there always. Make us new Lord. Yes, make us new we pray, in Christ’s Name. AMEN.