Introduction
Every year we celebrate the Covenant Service together near the start of the year. This service reminds us of the three Covenants God has made with the human race and of our place in the New Covenant sealed by Jesus' blood on the Cross. This service and the words of the Covenant we will be renewing a little later on come from John Wesley and the Methodist Church - it is one of their gifts to the wider Church. It is, if you like, our religious New Year's resolution and a resolution which will, hopefully, last a little longer than our other ones!
The First Covenant - With Noah
The word "covenant" simply means "agreement" or "solemn agreement". We don't hear it much in everyday English - its use is restricted to the Church and to the Law. If you sell a house and there are conditions on its sale then a "covenant" or agreement to this effect will be added to the legal contract. In Church we use the word Covenant to mean the solemn agreement between God and his people. The first such agreement is found in the book of Genesis and was made by God to Noah. We read in Genesis 9: 8-18:
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you-the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you-every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."
God promises never to destroy life again on the earth. The waters of the Great Flood have subsided in the story and now God promises Noah that he will never again destroy all life. The sign of this covenant will be the Rainbow. Whenever we see a rainbow we should remember God's love of life and promise never to wipe it out.
The Covenant with Abraham
Over time, however, the people forgot their side of the bargain and failed to worship and honour God. So God again made a covenant with Abraham. Abraham had been a nomad who worshipped just One God. He came to know this One God who made a covenant with him and with his descendants. We read in Genesis 17: 1-14
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God." Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner-those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant."
Abraham is told that he will be the father of many nations and that kings will come from him. He is told that this covenant is an everlasting one between God and the descendants of Abraham. The sign of this covenant is not to be a rainbow in the sky but a physical mark in male flesh, circumcision. This is the sign of the covenant between God and the people. We read of it in today's gospel reading when Joseph and Mary took Jesus to be circumcised in accordance with the Law. Jewish males today are circumcised on the 8th day of their life as a sign of God's agreement with the Jewish people.
The New Covenant
As Christians
most of us are not Jewish by race. We are not born into the Covenant of Abraham.
But Jesus came to expand the old Jewish notions about God and to show that
God wanted a covenant, a binding agreement with all people. On the one hand
God promises to forgive the sins of those who seek forgiveness, to raise them
to new life in this world and to promise them physical resurrection and the
pleasures of heaven. We receive new life as a free gift, not because we have
earned it by being good, but because we have simply asked for it and trusted
that God would forgive us and set us free form all the binds us. On the other
hand we promise to live no longer for ourselves but for God. I often say that
we are to be living sacrifices - but living sacrifices are always tempted
to crawl off the altar at the last minute!
This new covenant between God and humanity is also sealed by a mark in the
flesh, but in the flesh of Jesus. We remind ourselves of this every time we
celebrate communion together. We read in St Luke's Gospel 22: 14-20
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfilment in the kingdom of God." After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."
Last week we saw that the gifts from the Magi represented Jesus as King, Priest and as sacrifice. Every time we share communion we recall his death on the cross and his body broken and blood spilt out as a sign of the bridge he made between heaven and earth. This is our covenant and the sign of this covenant is the communion meal we share together.
What does this Covenant Involve us Doing?
This new covenant is summed up in the words we are using later on in this service. In sum it means that in response to the love of God poured out for us we promise to submit to God's will. The words we will say are set out on the little laminated cards on your pews.
I am no longer my own, but yours.
Your will, not mine, be done in all things,
wherever you may place me,
in all that I do and in all that I may endure;
when there is work for me and when there is none;
when I am troubled and when I am at peace.
Your will be done
when I am valued and when I am disregarded;
when I find fulfilment and when it is lacking;
when I have all things and when I have nothing.
I willingly offer all that I have and am
to serve you, as and where you choose.
Glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
May it be so for ever.
Let this covenant now made on earth,
be fulfilled in Heaven. Amen.
Our Approaches to the Covenant
When I was a
kid I liked the Pick and Mix counter in Woolworths where I could choose a
few of these sweets, and few of those, according to my personal choice. In
this way I could choose to have only the sweets I liked, instead of that 'assortment'
which always seemed to have a few I did not like, and which got left for someone
else. Some of us might prefer a 'pick and mix' approach to the Covenant, and
to our faith.
Some of us have noticed that insurance companies indulge in 'cherry-picking',
where they offer very competitive rates to 'careful mature drivers', and household
insurance companies selecting special offers for particular postcodes. Both
concepts attractive in their own way, but, somehow, not fair on everyone.
Bus companies only want certain routes not the unprofitable ones in the country.
Sometimes we may want to "cherry pick" our faith!
This Covenant
Service, with all its words, and potential promises, may encourage 'pick and
mix' and 'cherry pick', rather than take it as it is. For example, you could
pick, from 'Christ has many services to be done' the ones that are easy, bring
honour, suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests, those
which please Christ and please ourselves, and we could mix them with 'Your
will be done - when there is work for me, when I am at peace, when I am valued,
when I find fulfilment, when I am valued, and when I have all things.
Such a selection would make Christianity not only very attractive, but easy,
and ego-boosting. The churches could be filled to overflowing if that were
the gospel on offer. But it isn't.
On the other
hand, no-one in their right mind would deliberately pick the services that
are difficult, which bring reproach, those which are contrary to our natural
inclinations and material interests, the ones where we cannot please Christ
except by denying ourselves, and we would not mix them with doing God's will
where there is no work to do, when we are troubled, when we are disregarded,
when fulfilment is lacking, when we have nothing. Such a selection, if offered
by the churches, would be guaranteed to empty them of all except sado-masochists!
But that gospel is not on offer either. We 'take what comes' because such
'pick and mixing', such 'cherry picking', is foreign to an authentic Christian
faith, which takes what comes, and which seeks, above all else, to be faithful
to the God who offers us a covenant with Himself. And what matters, is that
'the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens
us.'
Conclusion
The covenant is not a gospel of good works, but a gospel of grace. It is not a gospel of us trying to please God, but a gospel of God coming to us with strength and mercy. That is why, this evening, whatever our circumstances, whatever our faith, we can make this covenant of God our own, giving ourselves to Him, trusting in His promises and relying on His grace.
Amen.
This sermon was first preached in the Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester. Click here for further information.