Journey to Promise: The Covenant (Exodus 19:1-6, 16-19; 20:1-21)

 Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC...

Journey to Promise: The Covenant (Exodus 19:1-6, 16-19; 20:1-21)

 

[Slide] The climax to Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind happens at Devil’s Tower, Wyoming. An immense alien spacecraft comes down from space in thick clouds, rumblings, bursts of fire, and trumpet blasts. People stand in awe as the ship hovers above the mountain. Some cowered. I love it when the one guy goes running for the porta potty to hide.

 

I was a teenager when I first saw the film. I was in awe just like the characters on screen. Little did I know that Spielberg was recreating God’s appearance at Mt. Sinai. [Slide]

 

The Hebrews were terrified by what they saw and heard. The whole experience shook them to their cores. They begged that Moses act as mediator, because they were sure if God spoke to them again, they would surely die. God’s overwhelming appearance on the mountain sent a solemn message. [Slide] This is Serious!

 

God’s appearance at Sinai is a foundational moment in the history of Israel. Everything has been leading to this point in time. The covenant at Sinai is like marriage vows. [Slide] God is taking Israel as His own possession. And the Hebrew people are choosing Yahweh as their one and only God. Just as two lovers promise vows to one another, Israel and God are making vows that mark their union.

 

Before God came down from heaven and stood upon Mt Sinai, He told Moses to mark the foot of the mountain with boundaries. [Slide] No one was to approach the mountain on pain of death. The mountain was utterly holy, and therefore to be regarded with utmost reverence. The boundaries that cordon off the area at the base of the mountain prefigure the purpose of covenant law.

 

Law acts as boundaries. Traffic laws set boundaries for drivers. Do not Pass. Do not exceed the speed limit. [Slide] Do not pass Go and collect $200! Monopoly rules! Law defines the wrong things to avoid and the right things to do. For instance, in Speedway, it is a city ordinance to maintain the sidewalks in front of our homes. It is law to keep them clean, mowed, and clear of snow. Failure to do so can lead to fines.

 

Boundaries may sound restrictive, but boundaries provide identity. [Slide] As the Israelites kept the law of the covenant, they knew themselves as God’s own. By living within the boundaries of God’s covenant, they were set apart from all other nations as God’s chosen. As Rabbi Abraham Heschel once wrote, “The Sabbath has done more to keep the Jews, than the Jews have kept the sabbath.” The peculiarity of taking a 24 hour period of rest and holy reflection, ordered the lives of all Israel and gave them an identity as God’s holy people. Laws that seem weird to us, like not eating pork or shellfish, or not wearing clothing of mixed textiles, drive the point home to the Jews. Their peculiar laws set them apart from other nations, as God’s own.

 

One important function of law is that it shapes community. [Slide] If I were to pour a glass of water on the table it would haphazardly spill all over the surface. [Slide] But when I pour water into a bowl, the boundaries the bowl provides gives shape to the water. The water conforms to the shape of the bowl. In the same way, keeping God’s law shapes Israel. Their lives are conformed to the boundaries set by the covenant.

 

[Slide] Covenant law establishes what God defines as sin. The law makes us aware of sin’s activity in our lives. Sin pushes us to break past the boundaries, to spill over the edges. That makes a mess in our lives.

 

[Slide] When Israel lived within the boundaries of covenant law, they prospered. God dwelt among them and blessed them. God protected them from their enemies. God blessed their field and flocks with abundance. Their families grew in safety and numbers.

When they kept the law, they experienced the peace and plenty of God. But when they broke the law, they suffered the loss of God’s protection and a curse fell upon their land and livestock. Instead of peace and plenty, they suffered peril and poverty.

 

[Slide] Keeping the vows is serious business. The sanctity and security of the union between God and His people depends on faithfulness to the covenant.

 

[Slide] The Ten Commandments act as a preamble to the Law of Moses. Up to this point covenant law was presented through narrative. God created the Sabbath day at the completion of creation. Abraham was commanded to circumcise all males in his household as a sign of belonging to the covenant with God. But the Ten Commandments open chapters of legal code.

 

[Slide] Have no other gods before me. Since Yahweh is the God who set Israel free from slavery and provided for them in the wilderness, Israel owes Yahweh for their very lives. Therefore, choose to worship and serve The Lord alone. There is no other. Israel’s heart belongs to One and One only. “Hear O Israel, The Lord Thy God, the Lord is One! Love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength.” (Dt 6:4-5)

 

[Slide] Make no idols. Do not imagine the eternal creator of all that we can see and all we are unable to see, in the form of something God has created. Don’t limit God to creaturely limitations. God is not a man, a lion or an eagle, not the sun or moon. The invisible God lives in unapproachable light. (1^st Timothy 6:16)

 

[Slide] Do not take the Lord’s name in vain. Do not use God’s name in empty and worthless ways. Revere God in your heart and give God praise deserving of God’s glorious reputation. God’s name is holy. Treat it as such. The Jews substitute the name of God with Adonai, which means master to keep from an empty use of the divine name.

 

[Slide] Keep the Sabbath day holy. On the seventh day, cease from all work and join God and God’s people in a holy day of rest and enjoyment of God’s good creation. Jewish families prepare meals ahead of time on Friday before sunset. Effort is minimal. Enjoyment of family and community is maximum. The Genesis creation story tells us that God saw all that He had made. Indeed, it was very good! God rested from all His labor and blessed the seventh day, setting it apart as holy. Rest Rejoice and Renew.

 

[Slide] Honor your father and mother that you may live long in the land of promise! It is the only command with a promise: Long life to those who honor their parents. How do we honor them? We love and care for them. We respect and obey them. As children, we do this naturally. As we age, we must make a more intentional effort to honor our parents. Let no bitter resentment take hold in your heart, for this will surely shorten your life. Instead choose love and exercise mercy and forbearance as needed.

 

Our relationship with our parents will shape how we relate to the rest of the world. And so the law pivots from our relationship with God and people on the relationship with our parents. If our relationship with our parents is problematic, we will likely find it a challenge treating others with love and respect. The command to honor our parents is followed with major moral laws. [Slide]  Do not murder. [Slide] Do not commit adultery. Remain faithful to your spouse in all things. [Slide] Do not steal. [Slide] Do not pervert justice by giving false testimony in a court proceeding. Or simply, “Do not lie.”

 

And last but not least, [Slide] Do not covet. Have you ever noticed how coveting leads to stealing, lying, adultery, and even murder? When you crave something enough, you take risks to get it. You trade your soul for something you covet. But then you find out “all that glitters is not gold.” Possessing what you covet doesn’t make you happy for very long.

Coveting is a form of idolatry. We are exchanging our heart’s true need for God with some lesser thing. The first command to have no others before me, is related to the last command, Do not covet. As Jesus taught. Don’t worry about what you’re going to eat or drink or what you’re going to wear. Pagans chase after such things. Instead, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. All else, God will provide. (Matthew 6:33)

 

[Slide] When John Wesley started the Methodist movement he gave his small groups three simple rules to keep. Do not harm. Do Good. Stay in Love with God (Keep all God’s holy Ordinances). Practice your faith through prayer, study, worship, charity and service.

 

[Slide] In the United Methodist Church we promise to keep vows in covenant ceremonies like Baptism and Membership. Turn in your hymnals to page 34. In the baptismal covenant we ask

 

Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness,
reject the evil powers of this world,
and repent of your sin?

 

Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you
to resist evil, injustice, and oppression
in whatever forms they present themselves?

 

Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior,
put your whole trust in his grace,
and promise to serve him as your Lord,

in union with the Church which Christ has opened
to people of all ages, nations, and races?

 

Will you nurture one another in the faith, teaching, and setting a good example for others?

 

Will you remain faithful to Christ’s church and serve as Christ’s representatives in this world?

 

Can you see how these vows give shape to our community, how they foster a unique identity as the people of Jesus?

 

[Slide] We also give membership vows to the United Methodist Church to faithfully participate in the church’s ministries by our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.

 

We pray for the church always. We begin with prayer, we act with prayer, and we continue onward with prayer. As Jesus said, apart from me you can do nothing. He is the vine. We are the branches. Unless we abide in Him by a spiritual connection, we cannot bear fruit that lasts. Without prayer anything we do will be empty.

 

We show up. We give. We serve. And we tell others hopeful, encouraging words filled with faith. Turn to page 38, paragraph 15

 

As members of this congregation,
will you faithfully participate in its ministries
by your prayers, your presence,
your gifts, your service
and your witness?

 

These are the boundaries of our faith community. By keeping our vows, we are shaped in our identity as the people called Methodist. This is our covenant. May it keep us and we endeavor to keep it.