Genesis 31:36-55
The indignant speech of Jacob reveals much of the character and rights of the shepherd life. Now that Laban and Jacob have each had their speech against the other, they enter into a covenant. The Lord is present in this in such a way that he doesn’t just oversee things, but is actually a third party to the covenant. It is understood that God’s role is to take action against either human party who violates the deal. (God is often acknowledged as the third party in the covenant made between a man and woman in marriage – but hopefully in a little more positive sense; as the one who is acting in their promises and in their lives and will empower them to “be a sign of God’s kingdom on earth” as the preamble to the vows says.)
I find myself fast-forwarding to the highest form of covenant, in which Jesus pledges himself to us with his own blood. In this he is not just a third party but the main party, the initiating party, the one who is present with us and empowers us to fulfill our part (discipleship in every sense), until he comes again and fulfills the covenant himself. Sometime when we are revising our congregational calendar, we should make a point of making the last Sunday of the year a high point instead of the ‘low Sunday’ it usually is. And we should celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper as a reminder of who will be present and ahead of us in the year to come, and all time to come.
Prayer:
I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
before the "gods" I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
When I called, you answered me;
you made me bold and stouthearted.
May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.
May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.
- Psalm 138:1-5 NIV
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
when is the last sunday of the year? is it the lay calendar (i.e., this sunday, dec 31), or is it the church calendar (which i think ends with lent and begins with easter???)
i like communion. i know each moment of our lives is in convenant with god, and i know church doesn't happen just on sunday mornings, but like a general meeting, sunday mornings is when we ALL gather together, and celebrate together. to me, the communion is more than symbolic, it's an actual act of re-vowing our covenant with god through christ.
I really like the insight into the Lord's Supper as an act of covenant renewal.
As for the church end/new year ... Liturgical calendars/lectionaries generally begin with Advent. But the essential theme of Advent is the Lord's Coming - ahead of us, which sounds more like an end (the End). Easter makes sense to me as a new start. But so does Pentecost, and Epiphany. So as a matter of communicating the Gospel to the world I'm happy with working with the (western world's) calendar year.
Post a Comment