Transforming Renewal

"Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” - Revelation 21:5

Prayer: Lord, renew me by Your grace. Help me to be transformed to be like You. Let what You have begun in me be accomplished by You. Amen.

Transforming Renewal

Today I want to draw our attention to the first reading and the image of the temple that Ezekiel gives us. Ezekiel gives us his eye witness account; "The angel brought me, Ezekiel, back to the entrance of the temple of the LORD, and I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east." Showing us that God is the source of this water, that it comes from the temple. More specifically from the altar. The altar being the fountain of blessings pouring out. (The Book of Revelation reveals that it is the throne of God and the lamb, in the New Testament we have eyewitness testimony inside the temple.) Ezekiel with his testimony later tells us a fascinating detail: "This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah, and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh. Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

The water not only makes salt water fresh, but renews everything that it touches. We know from our experience of earth that every fresh water river or stream that flows into the salty ocean, sea or lake, becomes part of the salty water, but this water that flows from the temple of God is different it even makes salt water fresh, mysteriously removing the salt and renewing all things.

This gives us an image for the gifts and graces of God what He does for us. That through the blessing of His grace we are renewed, transformed, and then become a blessing to our environment, like the trees that provide shade, do not fade, provide fruit and medicine for others.

May God's grace transform us, to renew us and our surroundings.

-Fr. Jeremy

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