Renew: We Belong to One Another
January 18th, 2026
Introduction: Two Patterns, Two Kingdoms
Romans 12:2 sets a clear contrast before us: on the one hand, there is “the pattern of this world.” On the other hand, there is the kingdom of Jesus. And one of the clearest signs that my mind is being renewed is this: the kingdom of Jesus is marked by humility. So, when I am growing in humility, I am leaning into Jesus kingdom. Let’s take some time to consider what humility is and is not.
1) Humility is not thinking of yourself more highly than you ought
Paul warns us against the kind of pride that quietly convinces me I’m more important than I really am. Pride is especially dangerous because it can make a person blind to reality. Have you heard the story of MacArthur Wheeler? He is a great example of this. One day, he and his friend Clifton Earl Johnson got it into their heads that lemon juice could make a person invisible to security cameras, sort of like invisible ink. So Wheeler rubbed lemon juice all over his face and took a Polaroid photo to “test” if it would work. But the photo didn’t develop properly, and when it came out, his face wasn’t visible. He took that as proof: “It works!” With that “evidence” in hand, they went out and robbed two banks in the Philadelphia area, genuinely confident the cameras wouldn’t record them—only to be arrested shortly afterward, because, as you know, lemon juice does not make anyone invisible.
It’s funny to laugh at the absurdity of their actions, but the pattern of this world tempts me to overestimate myself too: to assume that if I feel sure, I must be right; if I feel important, I must be the center. But renewal produces a different posture. Humility says, “Lord, I’m not the measure of all things. I’m a creature, not the Creator.” It’s not thinking less of myself; it’s thinking of oneself accurately, with sober judgment.
2) Humility is recognizing the gifts God has blessed others with
Romans 12 reminds us that one body has many members, and not every member has the same function. A renewed mind can celebrate gifts that are not my own. Whereas pride feels threatened by someone else’s strength. Humility can honestly say, “That’s not my gift—but I’m grateful God gave it to you.”
Back in December, I stopped by at Life Restoration Church’s Christmas outreach (the Nigerian congregation that meets in our building Sunday afternoons) and saw the joy they had during their time together—right down to that giant Christmas tree cake that seemed taller than some of the children. I remember thinking: “These folks know how to have fun!” And that is not a trivial thing. Joy and welcome are gifts God uses to open hearts to the gospel.
Humility recognizes: God has blessed others with gifts I may not have, and I don’t need to feel diminished by that. The point is not that I have every gift; rather the point is that the body has what it needs.
3) Humility is recognizing that in Christ we belong to one another
Romans 12:5 brings it home: “in Christ… we form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” For years, I mostly heard Romans 12 applied to individuals within a single local church, but I’ve come to see something larger, too: local congregations—though many—belong to the one body of Christ. Unity is the work of the Holy Spirit, and humility sounds like this: “Your church is not my competitor. Your success is not my threat. Your need is not my inconvenience. In Christ, we belong to one another.”
Conclusion: The “God Factor” in Our Unity
When I started pastoring at First Mennonite Church last year, I noticed that our facility had surplus capacity, and I prayed for wisdom, asking the Lord to make clear what we should do. But I didn’t tell anyone, as some things belong in the prayer closet.
Then one day at the office, I received a phone call from a strange man, named Pastor Kingsely, who had a church that had been renting space but was now looking for a new place to gather for worship. Then, as the Church Council, we brought this request to our congregation, and we found minutes from a congregational meeting back in the summer of 2024 where there had been a directive to search for a congregation to share our worship space with—even though follow up to find another congregation had taken place.
Three different moments: each “in Christ” overseen by a God who orders the details of our lives! Pastor Kingsley later told me that when he found out Life Restoration would need a new gathering place, many people were asking, “Where are we going to gather?” But he committed it to prayer, trusting the Lord would provide.
One day, he saw our brick building in the neighbourhood, thought, “I’m not familiar with Mennonites,” but felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to call and inquire. Months later, after everything had been approved by our congregation and they had been worshipping in our building for some time, I asked Pastor Kingsley, “How many places did you call before you called us?” He said, “Just one.” Wow—the Lord saw each of our needs and answered our prayers by bringing us together.
There are moments like this where you realize that belonging to one another is something we get to participate in, but “in Christ” also means there is a God factor at work, a unity Jesus creates that we cannot manufacture. Today,
Bringing Our Needs to the Lord in Prayer
You might be facing challenges that feel overwhelming. You might be praying prayers that feel unanswered. I want to affirm for you today that we serve a God who knows exactly what you are facing, and who has the power—sometimes through one phone call, one conversation, one providential moment—to meet the need of his people.
So let’s believe that together today. Let’s resist the pattern of this world because the kingdom of Jesus is marked by humility: not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought, but instead recognizing the gifts God has blessed others with, and living as people who truly belong to one another in Christ.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, renew our minds. Conform us into the image of Christ. Make us one. Amen.
Be Amazed: Come and Renew
January 4th, 2026
Introduction: Resolutions vs. Renewal
It’s the first Sunday of 2026, and I can’t help but notice how quickly New Year’s resolutions tend to fall apart. They often begin with good intentions, but most of them lean almost entirely on willpower. We try to do things differently without addressing the deeper issue of being different. That’s why, as I’ve been praying about the year ahead, I haven’t only been asking, “What should we do in 2026?” I’ve been asking, “Lord, do you have a word for us as a church family?” The word that kept coming back to me is a word from Romans 12: RENEW. Paul says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). This is not a willpower project; it’s a transformation project. Resolutions are usually something I do by sheer force of will. But renewal—especially spiritual renewal—is something God does in me and through me, and then in us together. It goes deeper than trying harder. It’s a new way of thinking that produces a new way of living. So as we begin 2026, here’s the question I want to hold before us: Where might God be at work renewing us—renewing you, renewing me, renewing us—so that we are transformed? Romans 12:1–2 gives us a clear picture of what renewal looks like when God’s work takes hold.
1) SURRENDER
Worship isn’t only a one-hour experience on Sunday morning with a particular style of music. Paul calls us to a whole-life understanding of worship: “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice… this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1). When Paul says “body,” he isn’t asking me to offer God a “carcass,” as if my physical body is simply replacing Old Testament animal sacrifices. He’s calling me to offer my whole, integrated self—my life as it is actually lived: my thoughts, my habits, my relationships, my work, my worries, my money, my time, my speech, my obedience. The prophets warned Israel that worship can become hollow if it stays external—if something is on the altar, but the worshipper is still holding back. That’s why Paul uses a paradox: a living sacrifice. In other words, don’t bring God an offering instead of you. Bring God you. The Magi show us the difference between merely admiring Jesus and truly worshipping him. Matthew says they “bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures…” (Matthew 2:11). Renewal begins with surrender: true worship is whole-life worship—my whole self, offered to God.
2) NON-CONFORMITY
Paul moves from worship to formation: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world.” A “pattern” is a mould. It’s a default script—something I can step into without even realizing it, and if I stay there long enough, it starts shaping me. The world we live in has a formative effect on us. There are patterns that feel normal, but they are often contrary to the values of the kingdom of God. Paul hints at what those patterns produce later in Romans 12: repaying evil for evil, getting trapped in cycles of resentment, being overcome by evil rather than overcoming evil with good (Romans 12:17–21). If I’m not careful, those reflexes become “normal.” And Matthew 2 shows me what this looks like in Herod. He feels threatened by Jesus, so he grasps for control. He cannot worship Jesus because he cannot surrender. His life is driven by fear. That is what the pattern of this world looks like: fear, grasping, control, and self-protection. Renewal requires non-conformity because the world is always pressing me into a mould.
3) RENEWAL
Then Paul gives the heart of it: “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This is not a minor adjustment; it’s a deep change—metamorphosis. And the way Paul phrases it matters: it’s ongoing (“keep on being transformed”), and it’s something God does (“be transformed”—not “transform yourself”). Renewal is not me trying to build a new life on top of the same old instincts and cravings. It is God reshaping my mind over time, and that renewed mind produces a renewed life. Paul attaches a promise to this renewal: “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2). Renewal isn’t meant to stay in the clouds. When God renews my mind, I begin to recognize God’s will as something I can actually walk in—one faithful step at a time.
Law and Gospel: Self-Improvement vs. Christian Renewal
Here’s one of the clarifying differences between trying to change my habits and allowing God to transform me: self-improvement runs on pressure, guilt, and willpower, whereas Christian renewal is a work of the Spirit of God. Paul’s whole appeal begins “in view of God’s mercy” (Romans 12:1). That means everything rests on grace. I’m not transformed by shame, or by proving myself, or by trying harder. I’m transformed as I see what God has done for me in Christ. The law says: “Change, and then you’ll be accepted.” But the gospel says: “You are accepted by mercy—now be changed.” The Magi didn’t go home by another route because they were scolded into better behaviour. They went home changed because they encountered a new King, and everything looked different after that.
Application: Where do I need renewal, and where do we need renewal?
Even though we don’t live in first-century Rome, we still live among powerful moulds that shape us more than we realize. Two of them are especially common:
- The consumer script: “I am what I have.”
This age trains me to grasp for more—more comfort, more upgrades, more experiences—as if life is found in what I can accumulate. But a renewed mind learns open hands: simplicity, gratitude, contentment, generosity.
- The image script: “I am what people think of me.”
This age trains me to curate myself—manage appearances, avoid weakness, protect reputation, control the narrative. But renewed minds learn to live before God: integrity, humility, truthfulness, and freedom from needing to be impressive.
So here’s where I’m starting this year, by praying one sentence—“Lord, renew my mind today.” and asking: “What would being a living sacrifice look like for us as a church family—offering our time, attention, and resources for the sake of others?”
- What would non-conformity look like for us—refusing consumer and image scripts in our shared life, especially in how we treat one another when we disagree?
- What would renewal look like for our mission—becoming a community where outsiders are welcomed, drawn by the light of Christ, and helped to take a next step toward Jesus?
Conclusion: A vision for renewal in 2026
That’s what I’m asking for in 2026: not a church that simply tries harder in its own strength, but a church that is being changed by God’s mercy—renewed and transformed, individually and collectively, more and more into the image of Christ.
Be Amazed: Love Comes Down
Fourth Sunday of Advent – December 21, 2025
The Longest Night of the Year
December 21 is the winter solstice—the day with the least daylight and the longest night of the year. When the sun goes down in the late afternoon, it can feel a little depressing! And yet, if you step outside and look up at the stars, it’s hard not to wonder about all that space out there, and whether anyone is listening.
When I was a kid, I learned about Voyager 1 and Voyager 2—NASA spacecraft launched in 1977—each carrying a golden record with music, greetings in dozens of languages, and images meant to show what human life is like here on planet Earth. In my mind, that story raises a bigger question: if God truly wanted to be known, how would He reveal Himself? Would he send “facts,” or a list of rules, and expect us to fill in the blanks? We live in a world full of opinions about God, and many people are left wondering what is true, who God is (if He’s there), and how anyone could actually know.
This is why John’s Gospel is such a gift. John isn’t writing as a distant philosopher; he’s writing as an eyewitness to the life of Jesus, saying, “I want you to know what I have seen and heard, because it changed everything for me.” John begins his story in a surprising way; he does not start with shepherds, angels, or wise men. In John 1:1–18, he gives us three pictures of Jesus: Jesus is the Word, Jesus is the Light, and Jesus is the One who brings us into God’s family. Christmas is not only the birth of a baby; it is the story of God coming close.
Three Pictures of Jesus in John 1:1–18
1) Jesus is the Word: God Speaking and Acting
John opens with words that echo Genesis: “In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1:1–2). That phrase is not incidental. John is taking us back to creation, where God speaks, and the world comes into being, and he is telling us that Jesus did not begin in a manger. Jesus pre-existed “in the beginning,” eternally with the Father.
John continues: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). In other words, Jesus is not merely a messenger delivering God’s message; He is the co-creator of the world. Christmas is not the beginning of Jesus. Christmas is the moment the eternal Word comes near in a new and personal way—in flesh. This matters because plenty of people admire Jesus as a wise teacher. People will quote something like the Golden Rule—“Do to others what you would have them do to you”—as if Jesus is simply an ancient moral guide with helpful advice. But John does not allow us to reduce Jesus to a life coach. His claim is bigger: Jesus is God’s Word come down to us. Advent is not first about what we do to know God; it is about what God has done to make Himself known.
2) Jesus is the Light: Truth That Pushes Back Darkness
Once John shows us that Jesus is the Word through whom everything was made, the next question becomes unavoidable: when He comes into our world—into our confusion, our pain, our sin—what is He like? John answers: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4–5). Notice: John does not merely say Jesus brings light, as though He is carrying a lamp. John says that he is the light.
John is pointing us back to Genesis again: “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). Light is not only physical illumination; in Scripture, it becomes a picture of what is true, clean, and life-giving. Darkness is confusion, hiding, guilt, and the evil that twists what is good. So, when John calls Jesus “the true light” (John 1:9), he is saying Jesus is good—completely and consistently—and when He shines, He exposes what is false, guides what is lost, and gives life where there has been death.
This ought to shape how Christians talk about sin. When the Bible says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), it should never be said with superiority. It should be said with honesty and hope: not “you are terrible,” but “I am deeply flawed, and Jesus is so good.” The point is not that we are better; the point is that Jesus is the Light, and we are pointing others to Him.
3) Jesus Brings Us Into God’s Family: Love That Adopts
If Jesus is the Light, how do we come into that light? John’s third picture answers: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Notice what John does not say. He does not say, “to all who cleaned themselves up,” or “to all who finally got their spiritual act together.” He says, “to all who received him.” Receiving a gift is not the same as earning wages, and believing is not the same as performing. It is grace for those willing to receive it.
And John says the gift is a new status: “the right to become children of God.” That word “right” matters. It is legitimate standing, real belonging—not as a tolerated outsider, but as a true son or daughter welcomed home. But how can God give that kind of belonging to people like us? John’s answer is not that we climb our way up into God’s family; it is that God comes down into our world to bring us in from the inside. That is why Christmas is not only sentimental; it is the incarnation.
The author Dorothy Sayers offers a vivid picture of this. In her Lord Peter Wimsey novels, Wimsey is a brilliant and successful sleuth, but incomplete, and later Sayers introduces Harriet Vane—an Oxford-educated detective novelist, strikingly similar to Sayers herself. Literary commentators suggested that Sayers “wrote herself into the story” to bring it to a resolution from within. That gives us a glimpse of the incarnation: God does not simply send a clue; the Author of life literally wrote Himself into the story. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14).
Application: Don’t Just Look—Receive
So what do we do with this? John’s answer is wonderfully direct: receive Him. Not merely admire Jesus, or approve of Him as a moral teacher, but entrust yourself to Him. You become a child of God by coming to Jesus with empty hands and saying, “I receive you. I trust you. I need you.” This is what love looks like when it comes down.
This Christmas, don’t only look at the manger and think, “What a cute baby.” Look again and realize what it means: the Word became flesh so that sinners could become sons and daughters. Advent is not only remembrance; it is invitation. If you have been curious about Jesus or unsure what to do with Him, John does not ask you to solve every question first. He invites you to receive Christ—because the deepest gift of Christmas is not improved spirituality; it is adoption into God’s family. And if you already believe, this text invites us to live as people in the Light—humble about sin and confident in His grace
Closing Prayer
Sovereign Lord, we thank You that You did not remain distant. You have spoken—not only in words, but in the Word made flesh. Jesus, You are the Light of the world. Shine into our darkness—into our confusion, our guilt, our fear—and expose what is false, heal what is broken, and guide what is lost. Make us Your sons and daughters by grace and as a church, help us to live in the Light with humility and joy, so that others may see Your goodness. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
