The Rev. Dave Jagger shares learnings about renewal during the season of Advent.
It’s been 22 years. My wife and I have lived in this house for 22 years. This is the longest that either of us have ever lived in the same house.
Which means the kitchen is 22 years old. And the bathroom is 22 years old. And you get the picture.
So, this fall, we decided it was time for an update: a new kitchen and a new bathroom.
Now we have never done this before. This is our first house after a couple of manses.
There are a lot of decisions to be made to renovate a kitchen and a bathroom. How far are we going? Will everything still be in the same place? What about the walls?
More electrical outlets? Lighting? How many sinks?
Cupboards, countertops, flooring? Which materials? What colours?
It goes on and on and on.
And while you’re doing the physical stuff that people see, what about the stuff in the walls, like plumbing and electrical, that people don’t see?
And it’s supposed to be done for Christmas.
So we emptied out all the cupboards and set up a temporary kitchen in the basement laundry room, with the old fridge full and plugged in upstairs. (Thankfully we already have a second full bathroom downstairs.)
And then the chaos began. It seems like a lot of work and a lot of inconvenience. And people keep saying how great it will be, how much we will love it once it’s done. And I’m sure we will.
But we’re not there yet.
Which has me thinking of Advent.
So much to get ready. And not just the stuff you see.
Our hearts. Our minds. Our spirits.
Advent is one of the church’s seasons of renovation.
This is one of the church’s seasons of renovation: a season that asks us to consider ourselves and our churches. Maybe our spiritual practices have been the same for a long time. Maybe they need freshening up. Maybe we’ve become so used to the way things are that nothing short of tearing it back to the studs to start again will do!
As the people who make up Trinity United Church in Elmira, Ontario did their own individual spiritual renovation work and became even more aware of the needs in their town, together the congregation found themselves feeding people and building community where there was none before.
To do something new, though, renovations usually require a few trips to the local thrift store to unburden ourselves of what we no longer need. Is there a program or a tradition that has turned into a burden and no longer moves your Community of Faith forward in its mission? Maybe our preparations for Christmas this year require us to clean house, to downsize, to give it away.
Will it be easy? Not likely. But real spiritual growth doesn’t tend to be, for people or for congregations.
Will we enjoy the process? Maybe. I don’t know how many times I’ve complained about being downstairs cooking when something I need is upstairs in the fridge.
But change requires change. You can’t stay the same and expect to change. It’s your vision of what could be that pulls you ahead. That’s how things get better.
Whether it’s a personal renovation or a congregational renovation, this Advent season can lead to things being better. More loving. More thankful. More generous. Closer to God. Ready to meet Jesus.
– Rev. Dave Jagger is the Community of Faith Stewardship Lead within the Philanthropy Unit of the General Council and is really allergic to dust. Achoo!
The views contained within these blogs are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of The United Church of Canada.