Thought for Today
Psalm 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
Jeremiah 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Luke 22:19 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
I wrote yesterday about Jesus’ parables and the fact that our Bible Study is commencing a study of those parables. A former neighbor and friend in Houston emailed me to tell me that their class at our former church in Houston is also studying Jesus’ parables.
As I continued to think about Jesus’ parables, I thought about a phrase I have recently encountered often, God’s covenant faithfulness. Faithfulness is defined as, “The characteristic of being steadfastly loyal to a person or to promises. Theologically, it is a basic description of God who is perfectly faithful to all that God promises, in contrast to sinful humans who are unfaithful in their relationships and actions.” (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, pg. 101) That same source defines covenant as, “A formal agreement or treaty between two parties that establishes a relationship and in which obligations and mutual responsibilities may be enacted. Many biblical covenants are found, some providing only divine promises while others entail obligations.” (ibid, pg. 64)
I was taught in seminary about several specific covenants in the Bible: the Abrahamic Covenant; the Davidic Covenant; etc. Interestingly, as I thought about covenants this morning, I could only find 1 verse in the Bible directly mentioning God, faithfulness and covenants together, Psalm 25:10. Jesus’ parables being much on my mind right now, however, I began to think about the fact that the Bible itself is really a book about God’s covenants and God’s covenant faithfulness. Creation itself is a physical manifestation of God’s covenant faithfulness.
In the Creation Narrative in Genesis, God creates Creation through a series of individual, distinct actions, each one of which is seen by God as good. God has remained faithful to the implicit covenant of those creative acts in the reality that each act still stands. Light and darkness are still operative. The earth, stars and planets still ‘dance’ in the rhythm of gravitational attraction. The oceans and dry lands still remain; the flora and fauna still thrive. Have some things changed? Obviously. There are stars still forming; some stars have gone nova. Oceans have dried; others have formed. Continents have drifted and still drift, ‘dancing’ to the movement of tectonic plates. But Creation still stands.
As a Christian, I believe that the Incarnation of Jesus, the Christ, is the ultimate example of God’s covenant faithfulness. Many understand the Incarnation as the ultimate fulfilment of the Davidic Covenant. I believe it is also the fulfilment of those words above from Jeremiah. The Jesus who taught us using those parables that are being studied in Houston and in Newbury are being studied in countless other faith communities throughout Christendom is the same Jesus who gave us the Great Commission in Matthew.
The very fact that those simple, everyday lessons Jesus taught in parables are still as applicable in the Electronic Age as they were when Jesus spoke them is testament to God’s covenant faithfulness. We still plant, tend and harvest, whether in commercial farms or in gardens. We are still called to use our God given talents and abilities. Good is still found in those from whom we would not expect to act according to God’s will, even in those we consider apostate and who do not believe in God.
Our Creator God created Creation. Our faithful God still maintains Creation. Our Creator God sent God’s own Son for our salvation. The same Son who promised “I am with you always, to the end of the age." And, Jesus still is with us always.
Be aware of God all around you, see God’s faithfulness, trust God,
Pastor Ray