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“Is Covenant All There Is?” |
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I’ll never forget the day I lost my sense
of innocence. I was a student at Euclid Junior High School in Littleton,
Colorado. I remember that it was a sunny, unusually warm day for November in
Colorado. After lunch, I went out onto the playground with my classmates, and
as I looked around, something didn’t seem right. It was unusually quiet, and
quite a few of the girls were huddled together – crying. “What’s going on?” I asked. “Don’t you know?” they responded. “What?” “President Kennedy has been shot,” they sobbed. Suddenly, there was a knot in my stomach. I didn’t throw up, but a part of me wanted to. We stayed in school that day, but every class was a disaster. Nobody wanted to do anything. I was hungry for more information, but I didn’t expect to get it at home. The spring before, our television set stopped working. My parents so appreciated the peace and quiet, the fact that the whole family spent the summer reading, and that we spent our evenings playing outdoor games with the neighborhood kids, that they hadn’t replaced it. But that day, my parents went out and bought a new TV so that we could watch the events surrounding the shooting unfold. When we got the irrefutable news that JFK was dead, my life was never the same again. I had gotten used to living in “Camelot,” but with his death, Camelot was no more. No matter what has been revealed about the man’s moral character in more recent years, it doesn’t change the quality of his leadership as president. JFK helped us to believe that America was “the greatest.” I was asking myself, “What could I do for my country?” rather than what could the country do for me. I had childhood dreams of growing up and joining the Peace Corps. No matter what you personally think of the man, it is my opinion that the legacy of John Fitzgerald Kennedy shaped the thinking and character of an entire generation. Because he was president, he became the target of assassin bullets. In that sense, he gave his life for his country. He raised to our nation’s collective consciousness the belief that to be an American is to be heroic, strong, self-sacrificing, and just to all people no matter their skin color. I think this legacy has continued to bear fruit even after his death. With Kennedy’s death, my future was altered – even a little uncertain. Our nation’s leader was gone. Lyndon Johnson was not the same man. He didn’t inspire us the way Kennedy did. LBJ led us with behind-the-scenes efficiency rather than with public charisma. I, like many others, had to dream some new dreams. The way I felt after Kennedy’s assassination must have been similar to the way the Hebrew people felt on the plains of Moab, as they mourned the death of the great leader and prophet, Moses. No matter what they thought their future would be it was now changed. Charismatic Moses wasn’t with them, and would no longer lead them. God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob might come true, but some of the joy – the anticipation – the excitement – was gone, buried with Moses in his grave. The future was altered. It was Moses who gave them a new future. His vision of returning to the promised land of their ancestors gave them a hope beyond dying a cruel and impoverished death in the Egyptian sands. He gave them “the Decalogue” – the ten rules or commandments by which their community could live in a healthy relationship with God and each other. With Moses as the liaison, God renewed the ancient covenant that had been made with their ancestors. It was Moses who provided the leadership to journey through the rocky sands and mountains of the Sinai Peninsula for a generation. No wonder they mourned for thirty days at his death on the plains of Moab. With the passing of this great leader, the future of Israel was changed. This was a people in transition. They had left an old life, journeyed for a time toward their vision of a new life, and now they were forced to dream new dreams that did not include Moses. And yet, that wasn’t the whole story. Before Moses’ death, he went to the top of “Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah.” There, God reminded Moses of the covenant made so long ago. God reconfirmed the promise. In essence, what God said was that some things were changing – but not the covenant. The covenant would outlive Moses just as it had Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And so it did. In May of 2004, many in this room (and others who are not with us this morning) began a journey together. Our common vision has been to establish a faith community that outwardly expresses its love for Jesus, and would love the world sacrificially, generously, and as fully was Jesus does. Our intention has been that we would call everyone to be followers of Jesus. We would encourage all to participate in a Spiritual Life Group where our relationship to Jesus (and God) would be nurtured and flourish. We would ask all to listen to God’s Spirit to direct each into a ministry to which they feel called. Each would be challenged to a deeper and more regular prayer life. All would be encouraged to tithe their time and their financial resources in offering to God. We would attempt to make decisions through spiritual discernment and consensus building. And we would openly welcome all people to the Lord’s Table and into every aspect of our congregational life. Our journey has brought us to this day. Today, our membership charter will close, and we acknowledge the signers of the charter as the first members of this new congregation called Bread of Life Christian Church. If you haven’t signed the document and still would like to, this is your last opportunity. In some ways, we are like those people of Israel standing on the high ground, looking down across the Jordan River valley. We acknowledge our covenant with Christ. Our future is secure. Because our relationship with Jesus is a journey, this is only a moment to pause and celebrate how far we have come. Because our relationship with Jesus is a life-long journey, we can pause and celebrate only for today, and then we must put one foot in front of the other, and continue to walk forward where Jesus would lead us. As the people of the tribes of Israel, stood on that high ground, staring down at an altered future, and asked themselves, “Is covenant all there is?” God’s resounding answer to them was, “Yes! Covenant is all there is.” The closing of our charter is the ending of one part of our journey together – and the beginning of another. We can see how far our journey has brought us but we can also look into our future together as a congregation. What do we see there? Only covenant. A covenant that binds us to Jesus – a covenant that binds us to a denomination – a covenant that binds us to 94 other congregations in the Greater Kansas City Region – a covenant that binds us to the world wide living body of Jesus Christ, called the Church – and a covenant that binds us to each other within this, the Bread of Life Christian Church. And if you are asking yourself the question, “Is covenant all there is?” God answers us resoundingly, “Yes! Covenant is all there is.” This morning, claim God’s promises to all who believe in Jesus! Let’s celebrate the covenant made between God and us – between Jesus and us – and made between each of us – one to another – and – then let’s continue this journey together. Let us pray. Faithful God, sometimes we forget that even when the journey is long – even when it is hard – even when obstacles are before us – you are still right here – changeless – loving – patient. As we found this new congregation, the work we do will be for future generations. As we journey together, sometimes the future will not be what we expect. Help us to keep moving forward, O God – with love – with hope – with compassion – with generosity – and with persistence. For you have reminded us that, “Yes! The covenant is all there is!” In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. |