Metanoia
Today I want to start by talking about our minds. As a missionary, my mind is constantly on overdrive. I'm sure this doesn’t only apply to missionaries but I wanted to share anyway.
One of my favorite things to do on a daily basis is to go out for a long run. It’s a sacred time I use to commune with God and replenish my cup. During this time, I listen to podcasts on various subjects in order to keep my finger on the pulse of society, culture, and current events. It is also a time when I listen to my audio bible. By the time I get to a certain amount of miles and have saturated my mind with information, I often ask myself what the Lord thinks about all of this. So I start listening to a book of the Bible. My favorite reader is Max MClean, a Panamanian-born New Yorker who has a majestic voice. The royal timbre of his voice brings seriousness and urgency to my experience of listening to the word of God. I often remind myself that I need to preach the Gospel to myself on a daily basis in order to renew my mind and to think about God’s thoughts. It’s on one of these runs that I decided to listen to the book of Romans from start to end. What an amazing and powerful book! By Chapter 12 I was experiencing what theologians refer to as Metanoia, the Greek word for the transformation of the mind and alignment with the Holy Spirit’s will. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary calls it a transformative change of heart. Renewing our minds with God’s word is necessary for daily repentance or change of mind. A central part of our Christian life revolves around aligning ourselves with the will of God and adjusting our spiritual lenses to his vision of our condition and that of the world. It is the springboard from which any missionary endeavors are launched into action. It is out of the joy of having our eyes opened like Gehazi the servant of Elisha or the apostle Paul, that we can wage war against the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Ephesians 2:2–3
This affects how we view ourselves, others, and even current events. We all have questions about everything that “feels” like the Greeks say in a constant state of flux. By we know that it only appears so. The word of God is our anchor, the one permeant truth we can reset our thought with. In Romans 12, The Apostle Pauls says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
One thing I love about our Anglican tradition is that all our services and even our prayers are designed to give us time to renew our minds. So I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to constantly seek to renew your mind with the infallible word of God and to share this treasure with others in your life.
May the peace of Christ be upon you.
Marc Omar+
