Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
COVENANT: GOD'S PLAN FOR A NEW WORLD ORDER
Genesis 9:9-17
"I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life" (Genesis 9: 15)
 
We live in an age where we engage in various short and long-term commitments. The vows that we make lack permanence and the guarantee that we give lasts only for a very short period, which disrupts relations and destroys life. In Bible we see 'Covenant' as a recurring theme. In today's passage God is making Covenant, which is eternal and life affirming.
God's Covenant: A Guarantee of Sustenance
The Noahic Covenant has a promissory character and inclusiveness for all generations (v.15). This is not only a promise which God gave to Noah or to his children; rather it is a purpose confirmed in the heart of God and is cosmic in nature. The Noahic Covenant is given in the aftermath of flood. The creator God reverses the disaster and re-affirms life anew. Therefore Covenant is a guarantee of sustenance and hope for new possibilities. God's promissory relationship with the world generates hope in us. God has an eternal plan for us, which is not for the destruction but for the life and its fullness. The promise of God always gives new direction and new world order.
Remembering the Covenant: A call to take Responsibility
Remembrance is not mere mental activity. It involves action with specific reference to a prior commitment (Ex. 2: 24; 6: 5; Lev. 26: 42). As partakers of God's Covenant, we need to follow the divine lead. Here the call is for a new web of relationship. We too have a responsibility to the recipients of the promise, including the nonhuman, to tend the earth and all its inhabitants. Hosea 2:18 says a future in which all the recipients of this covenant will no longer be estranged and can experience God's salvation together. When we reflect upon the Covenant of God, Let us re-dedicate ourselves to fulfill our responsibility.
Prayer:
God of Covenant, thank you for setting a new world order through your promissory and inclusive covenant. Help us to take our divine responsibility in fulfilling the covenant relationship in the contemporary world. Amen
 
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God's plan and purpose works to transform the world around us.
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind who are evil by nature, give good gifts t
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tell a child as to why they’ve been a
Read more