Reflection – Regenerate by the Moderator

By the Moderator - Rev Bruce Moore

Have you ever walked through the Australian Bush a few months after a bushfire and found yourself surprised by what you see?  Many of our Australian plants are uniquely designed or have adapted to germinate and grow better by being exposed to fire.

Our First Nations peoples have known for thousands of years how fire stimulates the mass germination of wildflowers and other plant growth. The practice of cool-burns with plenty of white smoke is an important way of regenerating country.

It is an amazing sight to walk through the bush after a fire… with the bright green shoots of new growth, contrasting the fire blackened Eucalyptus trunks. The resilience and adaptability of the Australian Bush is so amazing. Underneath the bark of a eucalypt tree and other woody plant species lies thousands of dormant buds. These invisible sources of new growth are called “epicormic” buds.  They are a remarkable adaptation, triggering rapid regrowth after bushfires or significant damage caused by insects, animal grazing, droughts or even floods.

The Bible teaches that regeneration is a spiritual rebirth and transformation that is initiated by God.  The Apostle Paul wrote to one of the Churches saying “that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” This reminds us of the idea that regeneration brings about a fundamental change in a person’s nature and identity.  It gives to us hope… particularly if we have been hurt or damaged by what life has thrown our way.

In Jesus we are made new – we are new creations in Him.  The old has gone… and the new has come.  Regeneration is not something that we can do ourselves… but it is the work of God alone. The imagery of birth helps explain this point. Through birth a new life comes into this world. But it is silly to think that the infant deserves the credit for doing the work - the infant is reliant on the activity of the mother or those assisting in the birthing process.

Much more so in spiritual birth…. regeneration is the work of God and God alone! In the words of Jesus himself, he reminds us that he has come that we might have “Life in all its Fullness”.  God created us and the whole of his creation to flourish in the way he designed us to be.

This new identity is a game changer!  It completely changes our relationship with God and each other, just as it changes the way we see the world. Our new identity in Jesus means we have the same relationship with God that Jesus has - that being… God has adopted us as his children. We are able to call Him “Abba! Father!”

So wherever you find yourself in life, it is my prayer that you might experience the regeneration that only Christ can bring in you. That you would know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, created in the image of God.