A covenant for our hearts

Homily Lent 5 Yr. B Jeremiah

Whether we like it or not covenants of all different kinds are a critical part of our lives. When we get married, when we are employed, when we arrange for the purchase of goods and services, we are part of a covenant.

Our legal system too is based on a covenantal arrangement. Some covenants are made binding by oaths, or ceremonies.

Others are based simply on mutual agreement, trust and perhaps a handshake.

But in most covenants there is some reciprocal agreement. I’ve been talking a lot about covenant the last five weeks as we’ve progressed from Genesis to Exodus and now this week to the prophet Jeremiah.

God’s covenant with the people of Israel has been reframed several times. Abraham and the Israelites are promised the land of Canaan in Genesis 15. That promise is repeated to Moses in Exodus.

But some of the Israelites rebel against Moses while the people of Israel are still in the desert. God then turns what had been an unconditional promise into one which is conditional.

If you obey my laws, then you will live long in the land that I give you.

And God sends the ten commandments as a legal foundation for obedience of his covenant.

The trouble is the people of Israel have trouble living up to their end of the covenant even under the leadership of two great Kings, David and Solomon.

When the Assyians overrun Israel and drive the Hebrews into exile in Babylon the people of Israel are shattered. They weep. They mourn the loss of Jerusalem to the invaders.

It is in this context that Jeremiah, the prophet writes. When we think of Jeremiah, we probably are more likely to think of a grumpy, angry prophet, reminding the people of Israel of their failures, their sins, how they brought this punishment on themselves.

However, there is a section of Jeremiah’s writing from which today’s scripture is taken called the “Book of Consolation.”

Jeremiah offers people hope in what he calls a “new covenant” different than the past covenants with God that they broke.

This covenant, instead of being a matter of laws to be obeyed, will be written on their hearts. “I will be their God and they shall be my people.”

This new covenant also means God will forgive the sins of the people of Israel and no longer remember them.

In terms of the overall narrative of the Old Testament, this is a pivotal moment.

As Christians we can see it pointing towards Jesus, who is written on our hearts and promises forgiveness of our sins.

But we need to remember this covenant was proclaimed by Jeremiah about 600BC.

It comes at a particular time in the life of the people of Israel. God has seen the people scorn him again and again.

Yet God still cares for his people and wants to offer a new way forward, hope for the future, a chance to make things right.

One thing we should think about when considering the text is that in our society the heart is usually associated with emotions.

But for Jeremiah and the Hebrews the heart was the central organ, the mind.

In writing the covenant on our hearts, God is making the covenant part of our minds, allowing us to internalize it rather than relying on external law.

How do we internalize God’s covenant, God’s forgiveness, God’s care for us.

Biblical scholar Walter Bruggemann calls the new covenant “an invitation to deep breath and fresh generosity, and a move beyond petty and deep resentment towards the embrace of the other.”

Jesus put it simply: Love God, and Love Your Neighbour.

What would it look like if we actually were able to do that in our society. What would the impact be on poverty, homelessness, health care, relationships, education, employment.

In our culture today we don’t have enough humility, enough forgiveness, enough caring. Me first is far too prevalent. Anger, frustration and hatred corrode our common life.

But what Jeremiah was saying to the people of Israel is still true today.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We have to Let God write the covenant on our hearts and in our minds, so we can make a difference one person at a time.

That’s the only way change can come. One person at a time. If we think of changing the whole world it is overwhelming.

When I was watching the NDP convention yesterday I recalled how only a few years ago the NDP didn’t have a single member in Quebec. And the party was fourth party in the House of Commons.

Now the new NDP leader Thomas Mulcair, who is from Quebec, is leader of the opposition and leads a caucus including almost 60 members from Quebec. Mulcair was the only member NDP member from Quebec before the last election.

So what starts small can grow.

And the same thing applies in the life of the community of faith. That’s what gives us hope for the future. Like thepeople of Israel we don’t know what the way forward is. But God’s covenant, written on our hearts in Jesus, offers us a way forward.