March 17: Covenant

By Arden Ratcliff

Jeremiah: 31:31-34

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

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When I received this in my inbox earlier this week, I knew I wanted to share it with all of you.  Here is Rev. Carol Cavin-Dillon, a friend and mentor of mine from Tennessee, reflecting on what covenant means to us today:

Not too long ago I was talking with a friend of mine who was planning a birthday party for her daughter. She had invited about ten children and was working on plans for food, decorations, party favors and all the stuff that comes with putting on a birthday party. The only problem was, she had no idea how many kids were coming. When I asked her about her party plans, she said, “I don’t know. Only two people have responded to the invitation. I can’t get anyone else to RSVP.” By the time the party rolled around, she still had no idea how many children were coming and was worried about having enough goodies for everyone. 

I understood my friend’s dilemma. It happens all the time. I don’t know what’s at the root of it—lack of manners? Fear of commitment? Busy lives? Lack of planning? My mother used to think that people who didn’t respond to invitations were “waiting to see if they could get a better deal.” She could be cynical at times, but my mother was also brutally honest.  

For whatever reason it seems that our culture is growing more and more reluctant to commit. I’ve heard complaints on all sides. And I wonder if it’s the natural consequence of our individualism. We enjoy our freedom. We don’t want anyone else telling us what to do. We want to be able to go where we want, when we want and with whom we want. If we commit to something—especially too far in advance—then we might not be free to do what we want to do when the moment comes.  

Well, while individual freedom is a tremendous gift, our Christian faith teaches about something that’s even more important: covenant. The more I ponder what covenant means, the more I realize how counter-cultural it really is. 

It is clear throughout the Bible that God is a covenant-making God. God initiates a covenant with Noah, with Abraham, with Moses and the Israelites. God promises to be faithful and steadfast in God’s love. The people, in return, are expected to be faithful to God and to live as God would have them live. And once the covenant is made, it is binding. Permanent. The people break it repeatedly, but God never lets them go. 

I remember hearing David Lowes Watson describe covenant on a video at the end of the Disciple I Bible study. He said that “covenant” comes from the word for “tether.” So in a covenant we make a promise and bind ourselves to others. We bind ourselves in a moment of strength, so that in a moment of weakness we cannot be unbound. 

I invite you this week to be reflecting on what “covenant” means for you. How are we in the church part of a covenant community? How do we live up to that promise? How do we fail to live up to it? If I were really to consider my participation in the church as a covenant between God, the congregation and me, what would it demand of me?