Oak Chapel United Methodist Church

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The following is the entire worship service because it is all a part of the message (sermon) for the day.

Welcome & Announcements

We’ve been talking the past couple of weeks about “The Spirit behind the Law,”  specifically looking at Jesus’ teachings according to Matthew 5.  I’ve asserted that Jesus didn’t come to make new laws, but to teach us, to help us to connect with the spirit behind the existing law.  Some have said they don’t agree!  They’ve told me that Jesus came to usher in the new! 

Well, okay!  Jesus certainly did come to usher in the new, but what was new was … a new covenant … not new laws!  The law … and the spirit behind the law has always been the same!  It’s a part of the old and the new covenants!  Yet, the agreement that God has made with his people certainly has changed!

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You know, I remember back when we were in high school.  My sister would get tons of phone calls (she said they were from her girl friends, but I knew they were from boys!).  Well, our phone hung on the wall in the kitchen.  And, it had one of those really long, twisted-up phone cords on it.  Debby would grab the phone, stretch that cord for all it was worth, and go hide herself in the coat closet!  She’d close the door and talk, talk, talk, talk, talk!  (I tried to listen in, but the coats really muffled the sound!)

Those old phones with their long, twisted cords!  Sure, they were phones.  But boy, have they changed!  The new are so much different than the old ones!

Well, there was an old covenant.  It was a covenant between a loving God and God’s people.  Today, there’s a new covenant --- still between a loving God and His people!  But boy, have they changed!  The new one is so much different than the old one!  And yet, the law itself didn’t change!  …I guess we should take a closer look at this…

Before we get started, though, what is a covenant?  I’ve got a covenant here in my hands.  A covenant is an agreement between two parties.  This one’s the lease agreement between Oak Chapel and Kreative Kids.  In a covenant, you state your intent – in this case, to make a portion of our building available for a day care operated by Angie and Markeith.   The covenant also has terms: There are certain rooms they can occupy and a part of the grounds that can be used as a playground.  And, there are conditions: They can operate here, if they pay us a certain amount of rent per month, reimburse us for part of the utilities, and meet certain cleanliness and good business practices.  Oh, they also have to be insured!  And, there are penalties too:  If they are late on their payments, they have to add interest.  And, if they don’t meet these terms and conditions, we can ask them to leave. 

This is a covenant.  It has terms and conditions – laws – that are a part of it.  But, the laws, themselves, aren’t the covenant!  God has made covenants with His people over the centuries – two in particular.  Both of them include laws, commands.  The laws aren’t the covenants themselves.  This is important to keep in mind!  Think about God’s covenant with us today as Ji-Hyun/Heavenbound offers our prelude.

Prelude, etc.

Pastoral Remarks & First Readings
Dick is going to read to us about the old covenant God made with the Israelites just before they entered into the Promised Land.  Moses was the messenger of God, at that time, and related this covenant to the people.  Keep in mind that this occurred around 1400 B.C.!

O Lord, you want us to really get this.  Open our hearts and minds to not just hear, but to understand.  Amen.

[Readings & sung response]

Pastoral Remarks

Well, would you want to live under this covenant?  !!I like that part about how God would restore their fortunes, prosper them in all their work and health!  That’s pretty enticing!  Read it, though, a few times during our time of prayer.  Look at the terms and conditions!  See how you would feel if this was your only choice in life!

Sharing of Joys & Concerns, etc.

Second Reading                     Hebrews 8:8-12

Pastoral Remarks

The author of Hebrews is quoting from the prophecy of Jeremiah!  There’s going to be a new covenant, he said around 600 B.C.!  Moses related the old covenant to the people around 1400 B.C. and Jeremiah predicted a new one about 800 years later!  Why?  Do you remember what happened over those years?  God had said that anyone who persisted in his own way, instead of living perfectly according to the Law, would have the wrath of God burn against him!  Read your Bibles!  Start with Joshua and read all the way through Isaiah and continue through Amos and Hosea!  See what happens --- lots of persisting … and lots of wrath!

“The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah … because they did not remain faithful to my covenant and I turned away from them…”  Man, with all the turning from the old covenant, it’s absolutely amazing that God would make another!

Choir Anthem / Offering, etc.

Hymn

Jeremiah prophesied:  “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah … because they did not remain faithful to my covenant and I turned away from them…”  “I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts!”

Now hear this good news! 

Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
Gospel Reading          Luke 22:19-20
The good news of God for the people of God!  (Thanks be to God!)

The new covenant --- finally instituted by Jesus!  We bring it to remembrance by the sacrament of Holy Communion … which Jesus also instituted!

So, two covenants – one old and one new!  And they are different … vastly different!  Yet, thankfully, they both have the same intent!  Look at your handout, Deuteronomy 29:10-13, the last two lines, “to confirm you this day as His people, that He may be your God as He promised.”  Now, look at our Hebrews reading.  It says, “This is the covenant I will make … I will be their God and they will be my people.”  In both covenants, the intent is the same – that God would become our one true god and that we would become His faithful people!  …What a relief to know that the intent never changed!  And yet, they are different covenants!

You know what a washboard and a bar of lard soap were taken down to river for, right?!  It was for the same intent as the washing machine in your basement, right!?  But, I suspect you’d rather have your washing machine, wouldn’t you!?  It’s so much less work!  In the same way, I’d much rather have the new covenant than the old --- it, too, is so much less work!

Actually, you may like some aspects of both!  But, you really can’t mix the washboard system and the washing machine!  If you throw the bar of lard soap in your washing machine, I’m pretty sure you’ll destroy a shirt or two.  And, rubbing a blouse on the washboard before throwing it in the washing machine … probably won’t help most of today’s fabrics either!

Two covenants, the same basic intent – but not the same … and not even compatible!  Let’s take a closer look.

In the case of the old covenant, to be in a right relationship with God had great benefits!  What were they?!  “[You’ll be] most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land!”  So, to be one with God under the old covenant would result in great prosperity!  …Super!  How do I become a benefactor?!

Well, the answer is:  “[If] you … return to the Lord your God … if you obey … and keep his commands and decrees that are written in [the Torah].  …When all these blessings and curses … come upon you and you take them to heart … and when you and your children return … and obey --- then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes…!”  So, to have God prosper me, I have to first obey his law … to the T!!  Sounds pretty tough!!

Well, how about the new covenant … what are its benefits?  Here’s what Jesus says in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.”  “Peace!” that’s the benefit under the new covenant!  Notice that there’s nothing about prosperity here!  As a matter of fact, Jesus goes on to say, “In this world, you will have trouble”!!  That doesn’t sound like prosperity of health or wealth!  “But,” Jesus continues, “take heart!  I have overcome the world!”
 
Later, in light of the new covenant, Jesus gave his disciples a job:  “Go, make disciples, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  …What did Jesus command?  Yes, the spirit of the law!  He taught the law, but with a spirit based on the radical love of God and neighbor!  The law was the same and a part of the new covenant!  But, the covenants themselves were different!

Well, obviously, there’s a lot more to talk about regarding the terms and conditions of the new and the old covenants.  We’ll discuss them over the next couple of weeks.  But, here’s the point for this week:

There have been two covenants --- but we only have one choice!  The old covenant is no longer being offered!  We can only choose … or not choose … the new covenant.  And, here’s the problem, as I see it:  Almost nobody chooses the new covenant … even Christians!  That’s right!  Instead, Christians make up their own! 
The most popular covenant of Christians is to take the best of the old and the best of the new and create a hybrid.  Here’s how it looks:

Everyone wants the prosperity part of the old covenant --- prosperity of health and wealth!  So, they choose that to start with!  And, they like that forgiveness thing from the new covenant (in the old covenant, God said there would be no forgiveness!)!  So they take the new forgiveness and put it in their shopping with the prosperity.  Now, they don’t think they can really follow the law, especially the spirit behind the law!  So they use the forgiveness thing, saying, “Well God forgives me!  He knows I’m at least trying!”  So, forgiveness affords them some of that peace they want too!  And there you have it – a hybrid covenant!

But, there’s only one covenant that God offers today … not a hybrid!  It’s kind of like your old black and white TV set that you have those bunny ears hooked up to.  In what, two more years, it not going to work any more!  You’re going to have to convert to the new digital cable and fiber optic age!  The old won’t be available!  The bunny ears won’t do anything for your new HDTV.  And plugging the cable directly into your bunny ear port on your black and white TV won’t do a thing for you either!  You can bang on the top of both sets all you want, but it ain’t gonna work!

God’s old covenant is no longer an option today!  And, guaranteed prosperity in health and wealth via a right relationship with God is not in the terms or conditions of the new covenant!  Don’t ask me why!  I don’t know!  I could make some guesses, but I don’t know if I’m right!  That’s just the way it is!  The covenant that’s on the table today is about peace … for this life and for the next!  That’s it!  That’s what it is!  And, trying your best to follow the commandments – that’s not an option either!  The choice is not works – it’s grace!

We try to mix and match … but they ain’t gonna work together any more than the bunny ears and the HDTV!  As a matter of fact, this mixing and the confusion that results are what cause many to turn from Christ --- because they don’t see the results!  They pray, but they don’t see the health and wealth!  Bad things happen to good people!  “Where’s the great life that God promises?” they ask … and laugh … and cry! 

This hybrid covenant can be really tough on the Christian!  The Christian works hard like the Jew did, but doesn’t see continued prosperity of health and wealth!  And in that … there’s no peace!  God doesn’t promise it that way!  Trying to have the best of both causes us to wind up with not only nothing … but worse --- with total frustration and unrest … absolutely no peace!
Jesus came with a new covenant, but with the same law.  Now, though, the law would to be written on our hearts … as well as on our minds!  It wouldn’t be about fear … it would be about a faithful response to grace.  And the result would be … peace --- with God as our only god and us as God’s faithful people.  Prayer would continue to be important --- but it would be mostly about keeping our hearts on the spirit of behind the law … and the peace that would result.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid!”  He also said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  He didn’t pray that we be taken out of this world and settled into a land of prosperity of health and wealth.  He prayed, instead, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one.”

It’s about cordless cell phones, washing machines, and HDTV’s now!  The old is a good memory, but it’s gone!  But, it’s only technologies that have changed!  The same intent remains – good communication, cleanliness in the way we live, and high definition in how we see the world.  God still wants to be the one we rely on for what’s good and important to life.  But, God no longer promises prosperity.  God promises what I think is even more precious.  God now promises peace! 

We definitely got the better end of the deal!  The Jews worked hard for what they thought they could achieve.  But, they never could --- they chased elusive prosperity!  Jesus, on the other hand, has done all the work for us!  All we have to do is to receive the gift of his Holy Spirit --- and in that, we receive real prosperity … peace and joy in the kingdom of God on earth! 

Choose the new covenant.  Amen!