Introduction
Tonight our service is special; for some of you it's quite new. The Covenant Service is a gift from the Methodist Church and provides an opportunity, at the start of the New Year, for us to reflect on and renew our commitment to God. The Covenant is a binding agreement that God makes with humanity; scripture shows us covenants with Noah, Abraham and Moses in the Jewish tradition, each with it's own sign - the rainbow, circumcision, the Law and a New Covenant through Jesus sealed with his death on the cross. The Eucharist being the sign of this new covenant. We remind ourselves of all that God has done for us and we renew our commitment to God, worked out in this church, as we start our New Year together.
Text and Background
The reading we heard today from Alan comes from the first letter of Peter in the New Testament. In the passage we heard the author is re-assuring his readers that they are loved and honoured by God even though the world often seemed to hate and vilify them.
The letter, itself, was written somewhere between 70 and 100, from Rome, but scholars think that Peter himself was not the author as the Greek used and style of language seen is not that of a fisherman from Palestine; it is too advanced and schooled in Greek philosophical ideas. All these are, of course, theories as we don't really know as we weren't there. The latest theories, however, suggest it may have come from a group of Peter's disciples in Rome after his death.
Unlike Paul's letters, the purpose of the letter is not to teach doctrine or to give specific ethical instruction but to encourage the churches who read it to remain steadfast in their faith in the face of hostility and persecution. The letter reminds them of the enormous value of the faith they have received, assuring them of their eventual vindication and reward and emphasising the blameless suffering of Christ on the Cross. The sufferings they endured were not so much state sponsored persecution but verbal and physical abuse from their neighbours. The author encourages them to give no cause for criticism but to excel in good conduct.
In today's passage there is an idea of the Church being seen either as a second Israel or as being grafted on to the people of Israel. The writer has an image of the Temple in Jerusalem being made up of different stones - like any substantial building. He uses this image then for the church, Jesus the corner stone of the Church was rejected by people but is the cornerstone of the church. We too are called to be "stones" to come to God as a "living stone" to be built into a spiritual house.
If you contrast a stone built building and a modern one you will notice some differences. This church building is built in brick. If you look at the walls you will see the bricks, all of the same size, all next to each other with mortar to bond them together. Compare these walls to an ancient church, or a castle made of stones. Stones are uneven, they have rough edges and they need to be knit together with some skill. They need lots of mortar to keep them from rubbing against each other, yet they last a lot longer than brick. We are those living stones, with all of our rough edges, idiosyncrasies, and difficult bits. The mortar which stops our rough edges from being too disruptive is God's love.
The writer assumed that his readers would know of the Jews' understanding of themselves as God's chosen people - a people who were chosen by God to follow him and sanctify the world. The writer uses this image but says it of the Church and, of course, to us: you are
- a chosen race
- a holy priesthood
- a royal nation
- God's own people
He tells us that our purpose as a church is to "proclaim the mighty acts of Him who called you out of darkness into marvellous light" and reminds us that "once you were not a people but now you are the people of God".
These are powerful words.
Working It Out
In a few moments we will joyfully celebrate God's gracious offer to Israel that "I will be their God and they shall be my people" and make this offer our own. We believe that this offer is then extended beyond Israel to all women and men in Jesus Christ, who also provides the supreme example of what it is to live in such a relationship with God. That relationship primarily involves the corporate life of the community of God’s people (i.e. the Church).
It is concerned with individuals within that group. What God offers is a loving relationship.
- The Covenant is not a contract in which God and human beings agree to provide particular goods and services for each other!
- It is not something that we have to do to create a relationship with God. God has freely and graciously already made it possible.
- Rather, the Covenant is the means of grace by which we accept the relationship and then seek to sustain it.
- It is, therefore, not so much about getting in to a relationship with God as it is about staying in it.
- It is not about acquiring a relationship with God, but living within the loving relationship that God has already offered us.
The sign of the Covenant for the Jews is circumcision, for the Church it is the Eucharist where we meet God who offers himself to us, to feed and sustain us, to renew and redeem us as we receive the simple things of bread and wine.
We pray the prayer of the Covenant and commit ourselves anew to God at the start of this New Year, and we realise that we work out this covenant in the context of this congregation of MCC Manchester. The New Testament tells us that as we join the group of those seeking to follow Jesus, we respond to God and begin to share his relationship with God. Within the group of disciples, this leads to his Spirit bubbling up in us as individuals, encouraging and enabling us to live out our side of the relationship.
We live out this Covenant in the context of our life in church together and in the context of our daily lives. We choose to be part of this church called MCC and there is clearly much we value about it - the chance to be ourselves, acceptance for us, a place to grow as a disciple of the Lord, a place to enjoy good worship and to be challenged to grow, a place to make friends and to be part of something which makes a difference in the lives of those who come along. It is easier to be a Christian in the context of a good community of faith where we're loved, valued and supported than it is to be on our own, or to try and survive in a church which is hostile to our lives and loves.
Conclusion and Response
Over the next few weeks we are going to be looking in more detail about what it means to keep the Covenant in MCC Manchester. We say the words, we pray the prayer, and we become very attached to this community of faith where we live our our discipleship. Over the next four weeks we are inviting you to respond in four ways to what we say and hear in church on Sunday. This week we are want to know what you think of this church where we work these things out.
There will be some things which we value and which will be common to all - welcome, acceptance, inclusiveness etc. Other things will be more particular - forms of worship, small groups, friendships etc. We are inviting you to tell us what you like and what you think we could improve by a brief on-line survey. Details are on the newsletter and will be sent out to you by email too. We would love to hear from you and your responses will help us with our planning as we seek to make this place an even better mirror of God's love to our people.
(Rev Andy Braunston)
This sermon
was first preached in the Metropolitan
Community Church of
Manchester. Click here for
further
information.