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Restored and Renewed in Christ
Each winter at Camp AREV we choose a theme that speaks to the deep needs of our students and the next generation of Armenian youth. This year’s theme—“Restored. Making All Things New”—feels especially timely, not only for camp but for the entire body of Christ as we enter the Christmas season. Christmas is, at its core, God’s declaration that restoration has come. Into a world fractured by sin, disappointment, and burden, Jesus came to make all things new.
I’m reminded of an experience from camp a few years ago. One of our students arrived carrying a heaviness you could see in her shoulders. She was quiet, withdrawn, and felt “too broken” to belong. But over the course of the weekend—through worship, time in God’s Word, and honest conversations with her leaders—something changed. On the last day she opened her heart and shared her struggles and burdens. It was as if God put her back together. That is the work of Jesus as he brings restoration in our lives: God meeting us in our brokenness and shaping us into something whole.
Scripture promises this kind of renewal. Psalm 23:3 says, “He restores my soul.” Restoration isn’t self-help; it’s the work of the Shepherd who knows exactly what we need. And in Isaiah 43:19, God declares, “See, I am doing a new thing… I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Christmas is the ultimate “new thing”—God making a way where none existed.
Another picture of restoration came to me as I was thinking about the recent renovations and upgrades we have made to our original buildings. Some of the walls were falling apart, paint was faded, and water leaked through the pipes. But as we went through the process of demolition we wanted to salvage and save certain parts of the build. Notably the decision we made to preserve the original fire place in the lodge. Through that process, it occurred to me that God puts us through a process of refining before he resorts our hearts. This is how Christ works in us. He doesn’t completely discard the worn and weary; He renews them. 2 Corinthians 4:16 reminds us, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, may we remember that the child in the manger came to restore what sin has broken—our hope, our relationships, our identity, and our future. My prayer for our churches, our families, and every camper who steps onto the grounds of Camp AREV is that we would experience this restoration deeply and personally.
In Christ, renewal is not only possible—it is promised.
Rev. Razmig Minassian
Camp AREV Director/Minister to Youth WR
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