Covenant: Abraham

"Isaac's Circumcision", Regensburg Pentateuch, c1300

Almost 400 years after the God makes a covenant with all of creation following the flood, God calls Abram to leave his home and start out on a trip to a new land. After he gets there, God makes a covenant with him giving his descendants the land he has been wandering around in. The troubling piece is that Abram has no children and age has not only crept up on him and Sarai, it has overwhelmed them.

Then, nearly 25 years after God called Abram to go, God appears on the scene again. Abram is now 99 years old, and again God promises the land to offspring, and promises to be their God. Abram and Saria get new names to announce their fruitfulness and Abraham, along with all of his descendants, and all of his household,  is required to carry a mark of this covenant.

The mark is intimate and becomes part of the very fruitfulness that is promised. The mark also produces blood, blood which seals this covenant, foreshadowing one to come.

Covenant:Noah

The season of Lent is upon us. During this season we will spend time talking about, and learning about, covenant, particularly God's history of covenant with God's people. We'll begin with the covenant God made with Noah and all of his descendants following the flood and we will end with the new covenant fulfilled by Jesus as we come to the end of Lent on Good Friday.

Domenico Morelli Noahs Dankgebet

The covenant God makes at the end of the flood is a broad one. It's not just for Noah and his family, but is made with all living things. Like other covenants with God, there is only a single source of action in the covenant, God. No demands are put on Noah and all the  living things that were with him in the ark.

God promises to hold death and destruction at bay and seals the promise with a rainbow. This Sunday, we will consider how this ancient covenant still affects our lives.

A Gospel of Restoration

The gospel of Mark relates the story of a Sabbath in Jesus life, early in his ministry, when he preforms two miracles of healing. Everyone in town hears about them and bring their sick to be healed as well. Jesus seems to have stumbled upon a ministry, something that would help the people right now, a work that would be of value. But, instead of capitalizing on his powers as a healer, he walks away to the disappointment and surprise of his disciples.

Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law. Orthodox icon.

It is an interesting and revealing story. Jesus sees his purpose as preaching the gospel and will not be tempted to abandon that purpose to do what would be easy, expedient. Instead he picks up and goes on to other villages to preach.

What is our purpose? Are we focused on it? Does it influence all of our decisions personally and as the body of Christ in the world?

This week we will try to wrestle with some of those questions in light of Jesus example.