Wesley Covenant Service
Sometimes the book of Deuteronomy is interpreted as a series of sermons preached by Moses. So our text today from Deuteronomy 29 would contain one of his final sermons. It is found near the end of the book and describes events near the end of his life.
Almost without exception when someone knows they are nearing the end of their life, especially if they know their thoughts are being recorded, the things they share are things that are important to them.
So what is important to Moses as he shares these thoughts near the end of his life?
Let’s look at verse 9 “Therefore diligently observe the words of this covenant, in order that you may succeed in everything you do.”
Moses, the one who gave us the Ten Commandments, the great law giver, wants the people to know how important it is to diligently observe the words of the covenant described in this text.
What is important to Moses, as he nears the end of his life? That the people diligently observe their covenant with God. I would venture to say that is still important for God’s people today.
This service is called a covenant renewal service which has been part of the Methodist tradition since John Wesley compiled it in 1755.
I get it. Covenant is not a word we use every day. I have been asked more than once down through the years as I’ve led this service why we can’t come up with a more modern, less archaic word than “covenant,” and whether or not this covenant renewal service is all that important. I would say, “yes the service is important and the reason we can’t come up with a more modern word for covenant is because there is not one.” We don’t really have another word that would take the place of covenant. We don’t have a category for it in today’s language.
The word “contract” has similarities but verses 12 - 13 of our text helps us to see the nature of a covenant [goes beyond a “contract.”] “to enter into the covenant of the Lord your God, sworn by an oath, which the Lord your God is making with you today; in order that he may establish you as his people, and that he may be your God as he promised you and as he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
Notice the language is very, very personal. It says we are “his people,” not just “a people.” He is “our God,” not just “a God.” It is the language of intimacy. If you overhear someone refer to someone else as “My Tommy,” or “My Suzy,” you would assume they are talking about someone very close to them, like a spouse or a child or sibling or a dear, dear friend.
A covenant is personal.
A covenant is also serious business. There is “law” involved. A covenant is an agreement sealed with an oath that goes beyond a contract. Steven Christopher talked a little bit about contracts last week.
In a contract, one person says to the other: “I will be who I shall be as long as you are who I want you to be.” That is a contract. A covenant goes further….
In a covenant we say, “I will be who I should be whether or not you are who you are who you should be.” And, of course, that only works if both parties involved in the covenant honor it. Of course, that is the way it normally works.
Obviously, some relationships don’t need to be covenantal. It is ok for some relationships to be contractual.
For example, I have a contractual relationship with Kroger. I love Kroger. My mom used to work for Kroger. The same nice lady helps me if I run into trouble at self-check-out. Kroger is fine. I shop there a lot; but if I find another store, closer to home with better prices…. I’m gone. I have a contractual relationship with Kroger. So again for illustrative purposes, let me just say I have no covenantal relationship with any store that sells gasoline in Williamson county. None.
Not every relationship needs to be a covenantal relationship, but our most important relationships do.
Which means our relationship with God needs to be a covenantal.
I want to talk a little bit about how one of the most important covenants in the Old Testament connects with the New Testament. As you may know, the word testament can also be translated covenant. Testament is the Latin translation of the Greek word covenant. So let’s think about how the Old Testament (or covenant) and the New Testament (or covenant) go together.
In Genesis 15, Abram later known as Abraham has entered into a covenant with God. In Genesis 15 that covenant is being renewed. No doubt, the language sounds a little bizarre to our ears, but let’s take a look at what’s going on
So here is Genesis 15
There is a lot going on there that is foreign to our ears, but that the people of that day and time would have understood without any problems. When a greater power (nation) and a lesser power (nation) wanted to enter into an agreement, a covenant, they did what is described there in Genesis 15. They took animals, they sacrificed them. The bigger animals they split in half. Then a representative of the lesser power walked through the pieces of the animals as a way of symbolically saying, “may what has been done to these animals happen to me if I do not honor the terms of our covenant.” Then a representative of the greater nation or power would walk through as a way of saying “I will honor our agreement,” which usually involved the greater power protecting the lesser power in exchange for tribute.
Genesis 15 is a description of a covenant ritual being carried out between Abram and God. Abram does everything he is supposed to do. He sacrificed the animals, which couldn’t have been easy. I’m sure they didn’t go down without a fight, especially the big ones, and he waited on God to show up. He waited and he waited and waited. Nothing.
The sun was no doubt beating down on him. It was getting hot. He waited so long the birds of prey started swooping down on the carcasses. The text tells us Abram he had to chase them off. He worked so hard and waited so long that, exhausted, he fell asleep.
And that is when the divine presence appeared.
Verse 17
When the sun had gone down and it was very dark (and Abram was passed out in a deep sleep) a smoking fire pot and flaming torch passed between those pieces.
I don’t know exactly what a smoking fire pot and flaming torch is for sure, and no one else does either, but it is clear they represented God’s presence.
Verse 18 tells us “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying, I will give you a land. I will give you a son.”
They made a covenant. Guess what? You might have noticed. Abram never walked through the pieces of the animals.
God was the only one who honored the terms of the agreement. Abram never walked through the pieces. Only God said, “If the terms of this agreement are not honored by either party, so shall what has been done to these animals happen to me.”
Well Abram did not honor the terms of the agreement. Abram’s people did not honor the terms of the agreement, but God did and that is what the New Covenant is all about.
That is what Jesus’ sacrifice for us is about.
What is it we so often say when we approach the table of the New Covenant at the Great Thanksgiving?
You probably know it by heart.
Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy.
Free us for joyful obedience.
We have not honored the terms of our covenant with God, but God did.
Just as those animals were sacrificed in God’s covenant with Abram, Jesus has been sacrificed for us which is one of the ways the Old Covenant and the New Covenant go together.
Our relationship with God is covenantal unlike any other covenant. That is why this service is so important and that is why there may not be a better word than covenant to describe it.