“A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)
On Saturday, September 7, the Northwestern Ohio Synod Council prayerfully and officially approved our new mission statement,
Sent by the Crucified and Risen Jesus to
- Make Disciples
- Equip Leaders
- Strengthen Parishes
- and Launch New Communities
for the Renewal of Northwestern Ohio and the World
I will be sharing much more about our new mission statement in the weeks and months to come, but as I’ve been reading through the Prophets, and most recently, the Book of Ezekiel, I am struck with how often renewal is at the heart of God’s work. God is in the renewal business.
In Isaiah 43:19 God says, “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”. In Revelation chapter 21, God promises a new heaven and a new earth, as the One seated on the throne exclaims, “See, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5b). And then the Prophet Ezekiel writes about the promise of a “new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 36:26). I take great comfort and hope in the renewing power and promises of God.
Can you think of places in your life and in the life of your parish in need of renewal? I would encourage you to ponder that question, and then ask the One who promises to make all things new… to make all things new.