March 21/Fifth Thursday of Lent
He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac. ~ Ps 105.8-9
Of all the lovely phrases that speckle the traditional marriage rite from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, my favorite occurs during the exchange of rings, when the marrying couple also exchanges these words, “With all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.” This is the essence of the covenant relationship: complete and mutual self-giving. A covenant is intended to be durable and reliable, firm and lasting. But when it comes to our covenant with God — in which he offers us his abiding love if we will but “walk in his ways” — we fail the durability and reliability test every time. Even the most well-meaning among us fails to keep our promises, leaving in our wake the flotsam and jetsam of broken commitments. We are too distracted to pray, too tired to go to church, too self-focused to respond to the needs of the world. How blessed we are that instead of forgetting us, in turn, God remembers forever his promise of eternal love, and waits for us to find our way back to him. As today’s reading from Genesis tells us, God laid out his covenant promises to Abraham: abundant progeny, a lasting stake in the land, and most importantly, God’s berit olam, or “everlasting covenant.” No matter how many ways the descendants of Abraham have found to break faith with the Lord — and we are those descendants — God does not break faith with them, or with us. In our own lives we forget our promises to him every day. Reflecting on God as “the unchanging presence, in whom all moves and changes,” poet Denise Levertov observes, “Lord, not you,/it is I who am absent.” May we use these final days of Lent to renew our covenant with God and deepen our commitment to love and serve him.
Steadfast and eternal Lord, Grant me strength and devotion to keep my promises to you and to my neighbors today and every day. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032124.cfm
To hear the Guildford Cathedral Choir sing “O Jesus, I Have Promised,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjmWZ49pnGY
