Newness is a “now and not yet” reality of our lives in Christ. We long for Him to bring to completion the newness He has begun.
in our lives. in our homes. in our world. in our cosmos.
We rejoice in the newness that is apparent and wondrous.
But we also lament over the spaces that have yet to be renewed.
Over the past few months, I’ve been reading through Walter Brueggemann’s Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth. The book is a rich collection of prayers that invite the reader to meditate on the nature and works of God as revealed in Scripture.
The prayer below is entitled “No newness yet.” In reading and meditating on these words, may our joy increase in knowing that the Lord’s renewal is daily and active. And may our grief over the broken places in our lives and world be grounded in the hope that in Christ, future newness will be realized.
You are the God who makes all things new.
We gladly raise our voices and move our lips
to acknowledge, celebrate, and proclaim
your staggering newness.
As we do so, we hold in our hearts
deep awareness of all the places where your newness
is not visible, and
has not come.
Our hearts link to many places of wretchedness
short of your newness.
We picture our folks at home,
sick, in pain, disabled, paralyzed
and no newness yet.
We know up close the deep wretchedness
of poverty, of homelessness, of hunger
and no newness yet.
Move our hearts closer to the passion of our lips.
Move our lips closer to your own newness.
Work your newness in hidden, cunning ways among us.
Move us closer to your bodied newness in Jesus,
newness of strength come in weakness,
newness of wisdom come in foolishness.
Draw us from the wretchedness we know
to his scarred, bloody wretchedness
that is your odd entry of newness into our life.
We pray in the name of his suffering newness. Amen.
// “No newness yet” by Walter Brueggemann //
Sweet Dependence 