An older column - written Jan 4

The Covenant is a Sign

Each January the Willow Meadows Baptist Church family is invited to take a look at the meaning of our relationships that we have with Christ and with one another. The church is a community like none other on earth, and one of the many ways in which we are unique is summed up in one word: Covenant.

It is a word that is passé for many because we live in a world where promises made don’t always equal promises kept. Covenant is a special kind of promise. Unlike a contract between two parties that is binding because of laws and judges, a covenant is a promise between two or more people and the binding force is that the promise if made to God. As Christians, we believe that covenants are special because with God’s help, the people of God are able to maintain covenantal relationships of trust, caring, and mutual understanding.

Baptists have long been known as non-creedal. That is to say, we don’t force anyone to believe exactly as we believe, and that individuals in a community like the local church are under the authority of Jesus Christ – not the pastor, not the deacons, not even each other. We hold this belief that each individual is competent to stand before God, interpret scripture, and live a life in relationship with Jesus. And this belief stretches to say that each believer has freedom before God. But that does not exempt us from making promises to one another to live a life of moral integrity, to diligently advance as disciples of Jesus, and to submit to our church family for guidance in living the Christian life.

The sermons in January will help us focus on this call to Christian community as we build toward the annual renewal of our church covenant. This series of sermons is called Signs and we’ll be exploring the signs of covenant that are alive and well in our congregation, and how those “signs” can help us lead inspired lives. You can read more below about where we’re going for the entire month of January!

There is a time change for 2008 at WMBC – Bible Study is at 9:30, worship is at 10:45. Tell a friend about the time change!

Merry Christmas (still),
Pastor Gary

Not a Sermon – Just a Thought is a weekly column written by me, Gary Long. I’m the pastor at Willow Meadows Baptist Church in Houston. I took a much needed break from this column in December – thanks for your emails asking “Where’s the column?” I felt much like Sally Fields at the Oscars: “You love me, you really, really love me.”

You can get this column sent right to you by emailing me at glong@wmbc.org. You can also get removed from my distribution list by doing the same thing.

Here’s where we’re heading in January:

January 6 – Epiphany – Ephesians 3.1-12
Signs of the Covenant – Shared Vision
Isaiah saw a vision of a kingdom to come in which justice and mercy would reign and the light of God would dwell among the people (Isaiah 60). Isaiah was prophetically shaping Israel to shared vision of the Christ to come, while Paul, in writing to the church at Ephesus, helps our church understand God’s vision that is shared among us. He wrote, “the mystery was made know to me by revelation…[and] in former generations was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed by his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 3). It is the power of God at work when individual believers come together to accomplish great tasks for God. Shared vision reminds us that we are not to live in isolation and that the whole of us is far greater than the sum of our parts.

January 13 – Acts 10.34-43 and Matthew 3.13-17
Signs of the Covenant – Baptism
Jesus was baptized by John at the Jordan and we are called ever after into the waters of baptism to follow God’s calling for our lives. Baptism is the shared sign of covenant between us that commences our work as Christians who would be the presence of Christ in the world. This is what Peter understood as he told the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection in Acts 10. This sermon is going to explore the idea that baptism – a covenantal sign – is our “home base” in the journey of faith.

January 20 – Psalm 40.1-11, John 1.29-42
Bob Lindsey will preach Signs of the Covenant – Following Christ.
The later part of John 1 records the account of two disciples of John the Baptist who ecaem the first disciples of Jessu by literally “following” him. What does it mean for us who choose to live in covenantal community to be “followers” of Christ? Is it primarily about the keeping of the rules and rituals, or is something ar more – the developing of a deep relationship with Jesus and deep relationships with each other?

January 27 – I Corinthians 1.10-18
Signs of the Covenant - Communion
The church at Corinth had some pretty big problems learning to get along. Paul wrote to them in a pleading tone, “I appeal to you…that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.” All churches have disagreements, all churches have arguments from time to time. How do we get achieve this unity of which Paul speaks? I think the answer is found around the table – the Lord’s table. Communion is a sign of the covenant, perhaps the ultimate sign. Join us as we renew our church covenant this day, and as we observe communion.