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Where Do I Walk in the Covenant with God?

February 25, 2024

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16  |  Romans 4:13-26  |  Mark 8:31-38  |  Psalm 22:22-30

In all the readings for this the second Sunday of Lent a reoccurring theme has somehow taken up space in a rent-free room in the back of my mind. That should not be much of an issue as lots of thoughts tend to do the same, but in this case, it is not as quiet as the rest of its neighbors. It pops out randomly and asks if I notice it in my daily life, or in the lives of those who I purposely or unconsciously touch. I try to ignore it and move on but then it just gets louder…like squeaky shoes when you are trying to go by unnoticed. So what is this noisy squatter?…. A Covenant with God. This is a contract between two parties that once you enter into one, it has major repercussions. 

Just think when Abram entered into one, he became Abraham and it didn’t end with just a name change, but a whole list of promises/ requirements/responsibilities. His everlasting contract was not just between him and God but included his descendants who would eventually become the church so in other words us. The name change aside, these benefits or blessings were also given to us. 

• The promise of a place in the world.
• The promise that his descendants would be a nation.
• The promise that through his descendants all would be blessed.

Our part in this contract is easy – just be faithful, follow his teachings and keep his commandments… see simple – until you realize that you are human, not quite a saint, and you can just forget about angel level status. 

But the covenant residing in my head is not asking me to know the logistics, definitions or legality of it, but rather to see it in the world around me. It asks me to see it in the work that I do, and especially in the work that the people around me do. As they with their hands, paws (I sincerely believe that animals are also part of that covenant) or what not, bring the letter of that promise to life. An example of this closer to home, in a simple visible way, is the youth group mission trip. Think about how it connects the children of God, who even though miles apart, share the same faith and are trying to share the wealth of their blessings and thus have a better understanding of their own covenant with God.

Unfortunately, or fortunately for some of us, this deeper understanding can reveal our shortcomings in our part of the everlasting promise. So facing my new resident I wonder how far I have gone, how far have I veered from it. But for me it also helps to see his covenant leave the words on a page and come alive in the randomness of everyday life. 

Geo Borgia