Over the past few Sundays in Old Testament scripture we’ve heard about some of the covenantal promises that God has extended to humanity over the course of salvation history – promises that flow from God’s limitless love and mercy.
Two weeks ago we heard about God’s promise to Noah – a promise establishing that humanity would never again be subject to God’s wrath as experienced in the great flood (Genesis 9:8-15).
Last Sunday we heard about God’s promise to Abraham – a promise establishing Abraham’s descendants as a people chosen by God through whom all of humanity would receive blessings (Genesis 22: 1-18).
Today we hear about the covenant that God enters into with Moses – a covenant where God promises his fidelity to all of humanity and instructs us on how we can be faithful to him in return (Exodus 20:1-17). In the covenant with Moses God gives us his law in the Ten Commandments – a gift that invites us to enter into loving relationship with God (and each other) in response to the great love that God has for us.
And we know that all of God’s promises throughout salvation history are brought to fulfillment in the New Covenant that Jesus established with his death and resurrection. It is with the New Covenant that Jesus re-emphasizes what is at the heart and intent of all of God’s covenants – a mutual exchange of love between God and humanity, and between all people.
Of course faithfulness to our covenantal relationship with God can be difficult. Remaining true to our promise – keeping our end of the bargain, so to speak – is challenging for sure. But there is good news. The promise of the New covenant – the reconciliation with God that Jesus achieved for us – is precisely what empowers and enables us to live out the love that God desires. Moreover, God’s promise is never rescinded. Even if we stray from God’s way, even if we disobey God’s commandments, even if we close ourselves off to God (or to each other), we need not fear or become discouraged. For God’s faithfulness is unconditional and never-ending. It is God’s unyielding love and mercy that provides us the ability to turn ourselves back to God (and each other) over and over again. It is God’s limitless forgiveness that allows us to be forgiven and reconciled to God (and each other), over and over again. We never run out of chances to make things right in God’s eyes. God always gives us the chance to turn our broken promises into a fresh start.
So, we continue our Lenten journey with supreme confidence in God’s love and faithfulness. We re-dedicate ourselves to respond to God’s love and faithfulness with our own.