Making All Things New

Last week we talked about what it meant to invite people to come home after being in exile and this week we will be talking about what it means to make all things new.  As you read through Ezra and Nehemiah you may have noticed that there is a lot to be made new: from the broken down walls to the broken relationship between God and God’s people.  And neither Ezra nor Nehemiah are too shy to tell the people all about it.  In fact they are calling for renewal or “making new” that partners both a spiritual and physical renewal of God’s people.  There are walls to rebuild, there is a Temple to resurrect, but there also is a covenant (promised relationship) to reestablish.  And although we might want to quickly declare the walls, the physical renewal and the covenant, the spiritual renewal: I’m not too sure we can make such a quick distinction.  When both Ezra and Nehemiah looked throughout the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah they saw brokenness and I believe the walls were pointing to a greater spiritual reality that not only included the mess of individual lives, but also major issues of injustice.  The people have been oppressed, the poor have been mistreated, and suddenly it is time for God’s people do something about it.  So as we are finishing Ezra and Nehemiah I can’t help but hear the voice of God saying, “Where do you see brokenness?”  A brokenness that is both personal (mess of our individual lives) but also a brokenness that is systemic (social issues in our community, city, nation and world).  Our God is a God of renewal, holistic renewal that incorporates the physical and the spiritual, the social and the emotional, the communal and the individual.  Maybe I am so stuck on renewal because a team of pastors and lay leaders from Shiloh traveled this week to Annual Conference.  Over 3000 United Methodist from The West Ohio Conference gathered to be reminded that we are participating in God’s work to make all things new.  And as we looked around the room we saw examples of the Holy Spirit moving through regular folks to bring a spirit of renewal to churches throughout Ohio and the world.  There are relationships to be repaired, there are walls to be built, there is a worship of God to be reignited and we at Shiloh get to be a part of God’s kingdom work right-here right now.  When I think about the power of God to renew communities I think about Price Hill and Delhi - even though each is unique- brokenness abounds.  We see it in people’s faces, we see it in our streets, it may be called different things, but the reality is God is calling forth a renewal-a making of all things new- and God is asking us to be a part of it all!  So I wonder what do you see?  What brokenness can you name?  And how will you be a part of God’s healing power to make all things new?  I am convinced more than ever that our world is hungry, we are hungry for a spiritual and social awakening like our nation has never seen-so how can we be a part of the kingdom movement that God is birthing in our midst?

Blessings, 

Pastor Rachel