COVENANT SERVICE SERMON REV N.P. MALINGA

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1 COVENANT SERVICE SERMON REV N.P. MALINGA READINGS: Deuteronomy 2: 1-7 Philippians 3: 7-14 At the beginning of each we gather as Methodist to renew our covenant with God. Coming with different experiences of the past year- successes and failures, celebrations and pains- we come to say, inspite of all that has happened to us in the past year- God is still OUR God. At the Covenant Service we also set a theme of focus for the year for us as a society. Our 2013 theme comes from DEUT. 2:3 YOU HAVE MADE YOUR WAY AROUND THIS HILL COUNTRY LONG ENOUGH, NOW TURN NORTH. Deuteronomy means the second law. The book is put together or is organized as a series of farewell speeches or addresses given by Moses. There are three speeches in all, the first one written in Chapters 1-4, the second in chapters 5-26 and the third one in chapters Scholars of course agree that the book was written much later than Moses time. The content of the book however, does focus on the events of the 40 year journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. These speeches of Moses are given to the new generation of the Israelites-all of them born or those who grew up on the way the Promised Land (Canaan). All their parents who left Egypt had died on the way due to their disobedience of God. They are about to enter the land promised to their parents and now Moses is preparing them for the future-a settled life. He tells them a story of their journey with God- so they do not forget who they are and whose they are. The main message that Moses leaves with the Israelites in these speeches is Obey God. You have gone around this mountain long enough, now turn north! Now it is the second time God says these words to his people. In chapter 1 verse 6 as Moses begins his speech at Horeb- The Lord your God said to us you have stayed long enough at this mountain, break camp and move on that was at Mount Sinai. It was at this mountain that they made a covenant with Jahweh after receiving the commandments by which they were to live. They stayed at Mt Sinai/Horeb for about a year until God commanded them to move on. They moved towards Canaan up to Kadesh and due to their disobedience God turned them back southwards. They wondered for years around the hill country facing the mountain called Seir.

2 Now we are told that the journey from Mount Sinai to Canaan is an 11 day journey-but it turned to be a 40 year journey as a result of Israel s refusal or failure to obey God s command. This second command of God comes to them after they had spent the bulk of 40years camping around this mountain- You have made your way around this hill country long enough, now turn north. WHAT WAS IN THE NORTH? In the north was the land God had promised them. When they left Egypt the place of destination/ the goal was to get to this land (Exodus 3:8) - the good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Their being there would fulfill Gods plan to make them a nation to turn other nations to God. They were on the journey with God, for God. WHAT THEN WAS THE REASON FOR WONDERING AROUND? The answers to this question are not in the passage we have read, but let me suggest three: 1. Looking back If you follow the journey of the Israelites you learn that everything on the journey was compared to where they came from-egypt. Read Exodus 17- When the journey became tough they looked back to Egypt. Even though they were slaves there but slavery seemed better that the journey to freedom. They missed the food they ate, the meat, the fish, the water they drank etc. Even though God provided them with water and with manna, that could not compare with a settled life of Egypt. Their cry to Moses when the journey became tough was- why did you take us out of Egypt? the past/ looking back tends to delay progress and movement when idolized-and most of the time it overshadows what God is doing in the present and in the future. 2. Fear To continue their journey towards Canaan they had to go up Mt Seir and go through the territories of people who were settled and had armies to fight them- the Edomites, Amorites etc. When they sent spies to explore the territories they were to pass, they heard that those people were big and tall-the giants and they became afraid (Num 13:32). Now you would expect that people who had seen God fight for them with the Egyptians/ how he opened a way for them in the sea- they would fear nothing and nobody, but they wandered around the desert afraid for themselves.

3 3. Indifference As the generation of the people who had left Egypt, who knew what it was like to be slaves, were dying out, there had come up a generation of people who grew up or were born on the journey. For them wandering around became the way of life. While they had no experience of being slaves they had no desire to own land and grow their own vineyards. The destination/ goal did not matter. They were indifferent. It is in the midst of those and many other reasons for dilly-dallying that God says to Moses You have gone around this hill country long enough, now turn north Move towards your destination. Now friends it is the character of God to pull and push people to destinations that fulfill his plans. That character of God to call people to turn towards the goals that fulfill his plans was clearly revealed in and through the Jesus ministry. At the start of his ministry Jesus calls Peter and Andrew from their routine of fishing and he says come follow me; I will make you fishers of people. Turn Jesus disturbs Nicodemus, a man comfortable in the knowledge of the law, I tell you the truth no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again, turn and move towards the goal! He says to the rich young man who asks him what can I do to inherit the kingdom of God- he says- Go and sell everything you have and give the money to the poor and come and follows me. The God of the Israelites-revealed in Jesus Christ- does not stop calling people to turn/repent and move on with Him as He continues with His work of creating the new world. As the year starts God is stopping us in our life journeys to ask us- Are you going in the right direction? - Are you moving towards where you should be to fulfill my purposes? As individuals there are various mountains of life that we revolve around. We find ourselves stuck in the same situations of life, failing to progress. Unfulfilling and even abusive relationships, unfulfilling jobs, meaningless behaviours etc. We find ourselves revolving around everyday busyness and yet accomplishing nothing. What ever mountain is blocking your progress, God s call today and this year is- Go up that mountain through to your destination Do not allow anything or anyone to delay you to be where God wants you to be.

4 In the article entitled Rut, Rot and Revival A.W. Tozer asks the question- What is the worst enemy of the church of Jesus Christ today? He argues that the members of the Church are the worst enemies of the Church. When Christians believe that membership in a particular church is their destination the church of Jesus Christ is under threat. When routine-remaining in the same place- when everything is predictableprevailing conditions getting acceptable even when they are unacceptable you know that the church of Christ is under threat. It is easy for us to see church conditions and routines as goals of our faith journey. Our spiritual lives can get side tracked by church routines, practices and traditions and as we keep revolving around these, the goal gets lost and we remain in the rut. This is a great danger faced by those of us born in the church. The attitude of indifference! We get stuck in the things we know about the church, the conferences we attend, the big names we know- and remain stuck in those things. The purpose of the church and of our lives as disciples of Christ gets lost. You know you are stuck in a rut when your being in church DOES NOT CHANGE YOU INTO A BETTER PERSON and when your being in the church does not change anybody s life for the better. As a member of this City Mission, is the goal of being part of the Church of Jesus Christ still clear for you and are you moving towards it? Have you and I turned? Are we moving? Without turning we are facing the wrong direction. Membership in the Church of Jesus Christ has a goal/destination of growing into becoming more like Christ, what we call- Christian Perfection. It is a continuous process of moving towards becoming more like Christ. It has as its goal full participation in God s mission of saving the world and making the world a better place. While we all know this there are times when we go around mountains spiritually- allowing circumstances of life to stifle our movement toward that goal. At times we allow sin to keep us going around- revolving around pride, dishonesty, immorality, lack of forgiveness etc- and we stay in the same place spiritually. We are neither changing nor being changed. If that is where you are- hear God s call. It is time to make a move towards the goal of being more like Christ. Jesus came so that, all may have life, and have it to the full (John!0:10) This gift of full life is to be experienced and shared. We must not allow anything to deny us this gift. Let us hear this call from God as City Mission society. We have made it our goal to become one integrated Methodist society united for God s mission. Last year we had as our theme- Putting out to the deeper water- a theme that called us to a deepened spiritually. Having worked out the plan to help us recall our goal- this year the call for us is to make a move towards our goal of integration. Looking back will seek to delay us fear of the unknown will raise stumbling blocks on the way. Indifference of those who really don t care might discourage us. But we cannot afford to keep going around our

5 goal. It s time to make a move! At this covenant service- let it be our commitment that each one of us will do something or get involved in one event/mission/project this year as a way of coming closer to fellow Methodists in this place. How can we turn and move forward? 1. You begin by realizing the inadequacy of the present. The Israelites had to realize that living in camps was not adequate. In the land of their own they would have houses to live in. They had to obey God s command and trust that He was leading them to a better place. Do you allow the word of God to convict you of the inadequacy of your present spiritual life as a Christian? Paul talks about this in the passage we read Phil 3: He tells the Philippian Christians- There was a time when my Jewish law was adequate. Being a Hebrew of Hebrews. I was so zealous for the law that I killed for it. But when I met Christ I realized that I had stayed in one place for too long. I realized that the Law was not adequate- whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ Realizing the inadequacy of the present is the first step. May the Holy Spirit point t us these things that are holding us back in our journeys of faith. 2. You discover and believe in the destination. At meeting Christ Paul discovered a new identity with a new destination. He accepted Christ s priorities and changed his focus. He says in vs 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Through His death and resurrection Christ has destined us for full and eternal life. We get side tracked by the mundane things of church life and refuse to focus on our spiritual growth and on the mission of Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit help us discover and believe in the priorities that Christ is calling us to. 3. You persist towards the goal. Paul s words are- I press on towards the goal, forgetting what is behind, I strain to what is ahead. ( vs 12 )When determined to reach your promised land you understand that there are difficulties/challenges etc. But you do not give up. You keep moving- straining towards the goal. May the Holy Spirit empower us to keep going. Let us claim 2013 as our year to turn and move northward! The One calling us is faithful to move with us to our destination. When we fall on the way He picks us up and encourages us to move again. Persisting or pressing on suggests that it is not easy. Obstacles/mountains

6 keep coming up on the way, we loose friends, we become unpopular-but faith and obedience to the One who calls enables us to keep moving northward. This pressing on demands breaking off with our wills and doing the will of Jesus Christ! May the Holy Spirit help us to break off with our wills! Amen.