I will establish my covenant between me and you.
—Genesis 17.7
From a lectionary reading for Lent 2: Genesis 17.1-7, 15-16
Reflection for Monday, February 27 (Day 5 of Lent)
That word, again: covenant. We encountered it just a few days ago in the story of Noah, and now it returns, a persistent reminder of how God seeks us, takes our side, desires to become bound to us. This time the covenant brings new names: Abraham. Sarah. The names that Abram and Sarai had borne for decades fall away, their new names a sign of the altering and transforming and new life that God brings, far beyond the time we might have looked for it.
To be God to you, the Holy One says, and to your offspring after you. God will keep making the covenant, the promise, the berit of the Hebrew scriptures, where the word occurs again and again throughout the story of the people of Israel. Will keep being God to us, keep binding Godself to us, renewing us and revealing our true names.
This reflection is part of the series “Teach Me Your Paths: A Pilgrimage into Lent.” If you’re new to the series, welcome! You can visit the first post, Teach Me Your Paths: Entering Lent, to pick it up from the beginning.
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February 27, 2012 at 7:19 AM |
what is really striking for me is the fact that God makes a covenant, not only with Noah & family, but with the animals too. God seems to place such a high value on relationship…with this continual reaching out, not only to humans, but to “all flesh.” Interesting. Thanks for lifting up the word “covenant” because it really helped me to see our relationship with God in greater depth. Thanks!