A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you, and\ I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.
Ezekiel 36:26-27
The prophet tells us we will be given a change of heart, that God will work from the inside out so we can feel and enjoy the love of God for all. Our inflexible “heart of stone” will be replaced with “a heart of flesh.” The Holy Spirit will dwell in us all and will help us to obey God’s law.
At my church, Advent Lutheran in West Lawn, PA, I inherited the task of distributing Bombas Socks on the retirement of our Director of Ministries. She had left detailed instructions, but the enormity of the task seemed overwhelming at first. Five thousand pairs of donated socks to distribute!
E-mails were sent to many organizations, but some contacts had changed. Others were not in the office on a regular basis. Responses were slow in coming. Volunteers from our own church to deliver the socks—all had to be coordinated with each group’s own office hours. I was determined that I would NOT be doing this task again.
But, in the end, so many were so grateful for socks that by the time the next donation rolled around, I found even more organizations to which we could donate socks. My “heart of stone” was surely replaced with a new spirit and a new heart as I look forward to our next distribution time.
I see myself continuing to help with this project as long as Bombas continues to give us socks to distribute. God has surely guided my way and given me a “heart of flesh.”
Dear Lord, we thank you for your loving guidance as we share the good news of your birth and the blessings of your bounty. Amen.
Bonnie Arner, is president of church council, Advent Lutheran Church, West Lawn, PA.
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