Dear friends of Renewal,

Everywhere I go these days, I see giant inflatable Christmas characters: Santa, snowmen, reindeer, elves, Grinches, and even a Christmas dragon (whatever that means.) Every year, it seems to get a little more creative: an inflatable Santa clinging to the side of a chimney, kickboxing gingerbread men, and a Jedi warrior with a candy cane. Seriously.

In fairness, I have seen a few inflatable nativity scenes, but they’re few and far between.

Too tired or busy to get your display set up? I’m seeing a lot more signs for decorating services.

We spend enormous amounts of time and money in preparation for the festive season. We do precious little, by comparison, to prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the Messiah. As the secular craziness continues, the apparent need for Christ is greater.

He came to dwell with us not as a worldly king but as a refugee whose earthly parents settled in a forgotten town. Most of the Lord’s human life was incognito. It was all preparation for the greatest period in human history, when God’s own Son set the world on fire. The life-changing power of God’s salvation and strength was deliberately counter-cultural.

As adherents of the supremacy of scriptural truth over reason, experience, and even tradition, we are invited to remain strong and courageous against the ever-expanding tide of consumerism. We point to the Renewal Fellowship’s mission of leading each other and the church to authentic Biblical thinking, powerful Spirit-led prayer and effective Gospel witness. Yes, authentic and unabridged. We are invited to submit to the power of the Holy Spirit. Our witness can be as basic as keeping our sanctuary lights on 24/7 during Advent as a bold statement in these darkening days that the Light has come into the world.

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent. I pray that we will be reminded of the story, sing the timeless classics and ponder anew the amazing truth of God’s love. Christ remains our only hope more than ever.

I wonder when the world will awaken.

Amen.

Rev. Andy Cornell,
Executive Director