Spiritual Hiccups - Is That New?

Today's meditation from Richard Rohr begins, "We do not think ourselves into new ways of living.  We live ourselves into new ways of thinking."  Newness is a recurring theme for Christians.  We speak of the portion of Scripture beginning with the gospels as a "New" Testament.  And in today's epistle reading Paul writes, "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"

At Christmas, we celebrate the new thing God does in the Incarnation, God's love taking on flesh in Jesus.  But while we marvel at what God does, while we love to remember and retell the stories connected to Christmas, sometimes we seem content simply to believe in and worship God's newness without actually joining it.

I think this can be especially problematic for folks like myself who grew up in the Church.  Always surrounded by the elements of the faith, it is sometimes difficult for me to think of that same faith making me over into something new.  Faith can seem to be mostly about tradition and status quo, not about the radical newness that Paul says comes to us in Christ.

And my personal difficulty with being made new in Christ has ramifications for the Church's ability to share the faith with others.  The newness Paul has found in Jesus is the most exciting thing he has to share with others.  But if I do not experience any newness in Christ, what do I have that I can share?

It might be a useful exercise for all Christians to occasionally ask themselves, "What is different about my life because of Jesus?"  And I do not think anything having to do with one's status after death is an appropriate answer to this question.  Not that this status is of no concern or importance, but it does not speak to the new quality of life that both Paul and Jesus speak of constantly. 

As the recent celebrations of Christmas are slipping out of view, what new thing emerges for you out of its message of hope and newness?  As we celebrate the fresh slate of a New Year, how does the remarkably new thing God does in Christ continue to work its newness in our lives so that we can share its joy and hope with the world?

Click to learn more about the Daily Lectionary.