I woke up a few days ago contemplating covenant, and why it
matters. With my check-ins with our Dwellers lately, there is a sense of
being “done” already, moving on to the next thing, and that seems to translate
into some things getting overlooked, ignored, etc. While I very much
understand this sentiment, the need to “get ahead” into the next thing (every
spare moment I’ve got, I’m rushing to catch up on email, which means I sometimes
forget to prioritize time with my family, suddenly with a new baby dynamic once again. When I’m meeting with a Dweller, I sometimes find myself distractedly thinking about Discern orientation,
or how to re-draft a Discover discussion based on some day’s event. So,
I’m just as deserving of any criticism!)
But, here’s what I recognize about Jesus: Jesus knew all
along that his mission on earth ultimately led to death on the cross, then
resurrection. With that looming, I can only imagine that a feeling of
“let’s get on with it already” would’ve been heavy in my thoughts if I were in
that situation, as preposterous an imagining as that is. But Jesus stayed present with the people he was with:
healing, teaching, loving until the last day. Loving within and beyond
the last supper, showing God’s grace and forgiveness even along the death
march.
There is value, great value, in staying committed, even if
things are inevitably changing. All the people Jesus healed probably went
on to get sick again, and of course, pass away. But staying committed
until the end, or the change, is what it’s all about. For a covenant is
easy to maintain when everyone feels invested, but it is of course more
challenging, and I’d argue, most important, to practice when people are feeling
less invested. God showed great faithfulness to his followers even when
they tired of following in the desert. God showed great faithfulness to
the world through Jesus, offering redemption instead of annihilation, and God
asks us to stay committed to one another in the same sort of love. Daily. No matter what tomorrow brings.
Now is the time to practice loving transition, loving goodbyes, and building a new kind of commitment. I will work on this with my new family structure, and I will encourage our Dwell team to do so with one another up until the last day together, and encourage you to look at your own commitments, too. Where has God placed you right now?
Matthew
