Journeying Into Covenant: Passion (Lent 5)

Jeremiah 31: 31-34 & John 2: 13-22

Roger Lynn

March 29, 2020

5th Sunday in Lent

(no audio this week)
(CLICK HERE for the video for this sermon)

A covenantal relationship is one which is defined by mutuality, intimacy, and deep commitment. It is the kind of relationship which is found in strong, healthy marriages. And it is the kind of relationship which God strives to establish, maintain, and nurture with all people everywhere. During this season of Lent, we have considered this theme of covenant as a journey upon which we are called to embark. It is a journey wherein we encounter the living presence of God among us. And it is a journey which involves risk and trust. But along the way, if we open ourselves to the risks and the possibilities, we can begin to experience the excitement and the passion of a deeply personal relationship with God. Such an experience is not without its own challenges, for it can be life-changing in very powerful and dramatic ways. We may find ourselves traveling down paths which surprise and even frighten us. 

It is not lost on me that we are experiencing this Lenten journey in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, where so much of what we have taken for granted in life has suddenly and dramatically changed. Lent is about letting go of our tight grip on our lives so we can make room to discover God’s presence in new ways. These days of upheaval and change in which we find ourselves are forcing us to let go. We no longer have the option to hold on. What we do get to choose is how we will respond to this opportunity and what we will discover in the process. If we choose to open ourselves to the possibility of being in deep, intimate, covenantal relationship with God, then we are allowing for the possibility of experiencing new life. It is down this life-transforming path that we will discover the kind of abundant and meaningful life which God created us to live, and we will discover that we are never alone on the journey.

The Hebrew people had thought of themselves as people of God’s covenant for a long time. But often they saw that relationship in terms of external rules and expectations. And often they failed to experience the full reality of their connection with God. Then along came the prophet Jeremiah, who proclaimed the possibility of a different kind of relationship between God and the people – a relationship which was based on a deep and personal connection. “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. . .they shall all know me. . .” (Jeremiah 31:33&34) Jeremiah caught a glimpse of the new promised land, defined not by geographic borders or external laws, but by the overwhelming presence and activity of God in our lives.

Six hundred years later, Jesus comes on the scene, demonstrating what it means to live a life full of God, connected in the kinds of ways which Jeremiah described. He lived his life with integrity, guided by a deep, intimate, and covenantal relationship with the God whom he called Abba, which is the Aramaic equivalent of “Daddy.” It is, I believe, this empowering relationship which stands behind the events describes in the second chapter of John’s Gospel – the cleansing of the Temple. The clue, it seems to me, is found in the Old Testament reference which the disciples recall after witnessing Jesus clearing the Temple. “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (John 2:17 & Psalm 69:9) As I reflected on this passage, that verse jumped out at me. And a translation of sorts occurred to me. “Zeal” is not a word we use much in everyday conversation. But it can easily and reasonably be replaced with such words as “enthusiasm” or even “passion.” The reference to “your house” was originally intended to point to the Temple, which was understood to be the dwelling place of God. At its heart, then, “your house” can meaningfully be understood as representing God’s presence. And finally, “will consume me” is a way of talking about an experience of being completely filled to overflowing. So, we might read, “Passion for God’s presence fills my life.” That seems to be a good description of Jesus’ life, and not a bad model for us to emulate. 

But it is not a way of life to be taken lightly. Such passion is a powerful thing. Jesus entered the Temple in Jerusalem and was overwhelmed at the sight of how callous people had become to the presence of God. In the very location which had been set aside as the dwelling place of God, people were more consumed with their passion for money than they were with experiencing a relationship with God. And such a relationship was so vital for Jesus that he simply could not stand by and let such corruption go unchallenged. His own passion for God’s presence led him to stand up against the cultural status quo and the religious authorities of his day. It was not a safe thing to do, but such is the nature of a passionate life.

Jeremiah proclaimed it. Jesus lived it. God still desires it. We are called to open ourselves to experience a deeply committed, intimate, life-changing, covenantal relationship with the God of all creation. To take such a challenge seriously is to begin living a more passionate life filled with God. And when that begins to happen, there is no telling where we might end up. In these days when the old, familiar patterns of our life are coming unravelled, what new patterns might such passionate living inspire us to create? It might be as simple as experiencing a transformation in the relationships we share with our family and our friends. It might mean taking on some new challenge or responsibility within the life of the Church. It might mean seeking to address some injustice which we see in our community or out in the larger world. And it might mean taking our whole life in some powerfully new direction. Once we start down the path of passionate, covenantal relationship with God, we truly are embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. The one thing which is certain is that we will be journeying in the company of God. Let the adventure begin.