All Those Who Are Far Away

I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant. Ezekiel 16:60

The promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him. Acts 2:39

REFLECTION:

I have signed a lot of contracts over the years. From cell phones to a mortgage, from my marriage license to the most mundane permission slip for a kids' activity, I have put my signature on a lot of things, saying "Yes, I will hold up my end of the bargain."

Most of the time, I have. But I'm not perfect. We recently broke a contract with Sprint (and paid dearly for it) because we found both the quality of the coverage and the quality of their customer service to be sub-par. So we didn't keep our end of that bargain (and frankly, neither did they, as we found the quality so low). So typically my signature is reliable, but not always.

God's promises are categorically different. The words spoken through Ezekiel tear through the pages and through the ages and still come to us today; I will establish with you an everlasting covenant. This is a contract God won't break. We do all the time, but God's grace still flows in our lives; God's love still shows up in the most unexpected people and the most unexpected ways. God keeps promises.

The second reading above, from the book of Acts, is on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit blows across the crowd, erasing difference as a barrier to relationship, as each person can hear the others speaking in their own native language. It's the reversal of the Old Testament story of the "Tower of Babel" (Genesis 11:1-9). In this cosmopolitan mix of people from all over the ancient world, they can understand each other.

In the middle of it all, Peter gets up and proclaims that Christ was sent for all. It is a stunning scene; yes, this Spirit blowing is a sign of the Truth of Christ...that all people are adopted as children of God, co-heirs with the Jewish people. Some of them say to the Apostles, "what should we do?" Peter's advice is clear. Repent (remember, that means simply "turn around your ways"), and be baptized. Then he utters the words above. This promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away.

That promise is what gets me up every morning. That promise is what motivates me as a pastor, and as a person. I know a lot of people who feel "far away" from God. It's often (not always) easy for me to claim that this promise is for me. Likewise, of course it is for my children. But it is for those far away as well? Yes. All those far away.

Those who FEEL far away because of past hurts. It's for them.

Those who are far away because they are hiding in their shells after past trauma. It's for them.

Those who don't want anything to do with "church" but still have big questions. It's for them.

Those who are in the pews every Sunday but feel disconnected from God. It's for them.

THIS is what a church is to be about. Communicating in the native language of others, the promise that is for them. Whether they are physically far away, or emotionally far away, our work is to translate the promise into their words so they can hear it and claim it as well. And we simply can't do that without the Spirit's help, just like on Pentecost.

PRAYER:

Wonderful and gracious God, giver of life and all good things, teach us to value your covenant with us. Allow us to praise your name in all times and places, in ways others can understand. Use us to draw those who are far away to you. Amen.*

*Prayer adapted from Moravian Daily Texts