January 15thSomething New: Recognizing God’s Movement in Change
- by Kara Carter
“Look! I’m doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it? I’m making a way in the desert, paths in the wilderness” Isaiah 43:19.
We have turned the calendar to a new year. Presents have been opened, leftovers enjoyed, and we have packed away nativity sets away for another year. Some of us made New Years resolutions. Some of us have kept them – so far. 2025 is unfolding and waiting to be unpackaged with all its opportunities, joys, challenges, and change.
The Spirit of God is doing something new. The Spirit is breathing new life into God’s church, disrupting, disturbing, inspiring, empowering.
We will soon be approaching the 5th anniversary of the Global Covid 19 pandemic. The pandemic changed us. The church was changed. Covid didn’t bring about change but rather escalated the rate of change that was already occurring prior to March 2020. What change do you note in your current congregation? Many are experiencing a decline of in-person attendance Sunday morning. For congregations who moved worship on-line, we continue to learn how to enrich the worship experience for our on-line worshippers, recognizing our congregations are larger than we see. For some congregations, faith formation programming has taken new shape. The sharing of resources between congregations has blossomed. We are learning we need each other and that concern about wear and tear of church carpets and fixtures is a barrier to living fully as God’s missional people.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on your church.
The Spirit of God is doing something new. The Spirit is breathing new life into God’s church, disrupting, disturbing, inspiring, empowering. Where do we perceive the Spirit moving? As we grow in attentiveness to God’s presence and activity in our lives, our neighbourhoods, and the world, may we respond with bold hope and unwavering faith as we join with God to further God’s mission of restoration and reconciliation.
Prayer: God of endings and new beginnings do something new in our hearts, in our homes, in our communities and in your world. Pour out your Holy Spirit on your church, giving us all the vision, and the courage, and confidence we need to do all that you call us to do. Amen.
- Kara Carter is pastor at Elmira Mennonite Church.