Week 2

Introduction

Eoin and Dad - No breaks no retreat

Deal between me and him, I wont hold back, he wont chicken out. An expectation from each other to do

God’s Love in Covenant

Hesed is Hebrew for Steadfast love - through the lens of covenant

Covenant is the agreement between two people to meet a certain set of expectations

Marriage

Maybe your military contract

an agreement between two parties for mutual benefit

In our scripture, Israel calls God to fulfill his part of the covenant made with his people

Going through a difficult time

acknowledge and repentant of their sin; unfaithfulness to God

They now call on God to fulfill his part

Hesed - Steadfast Love

“The behavior that one person has the right to expect of the other in light of promises that were made.” - Dan Boone, Joy of Every Longing Heart

Israel is expecting God to hold up His end of the covenant.

Covenant is God’s promise of everlasting love.

Psalm 85: 1-2, 8-13

Psalm 85:1–2 NRSV

1 Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. Selah

Psalm 85:8–13

Psalm 85:8–13 NRSV

8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. 9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. 10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. 11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. 12 The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. 13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.

Israel is trusting God to hold up the covenant

They trust God is faithful

Trust God’s love is expansive

Trust God will be faithful once again

Advent is a season of repentance, and we are able to search our hearts and repent and seek after God—not out of fear or anxiety but because we too can trust the steadfast love of God. We can trust that God will be faithful to us again.

Main points

God made a covenant with Abraham

The Cutting Covenant (Gen. 15)

Covenant of Circumcision (Gen. 17)

The Covenants revealed God’s steadfast love AND expectations of His people

Cut an animal sacrifice in half,

both parties would walk between; joining the halves, symbol - breaking the covenant separates the animal in half

God does this for abraham as a smoking fire pot and torch; takes on both parts of the covenant

Reiterates the covenant

established circumcision as the sign Abraham and his family would stay faithful to God

Psalm 85 is a lament that is focused on faithfulness.

The people remember and proclaim the faithfulness of God (1-3).

They cry out to God to be faithful even though they were not (4-7).

God reminds them He promises peace to those who are faithful (8-9).

10-13 connects the final themes

Faithfulness and love are connected.

Righteousness and peace combine.

Faithfulness and righteousness are abundant.

They remember God was favorable to Jacob, Israel’s line

They use YHWH, to remind themselves of God’s promise to Abraham

They recall God had forgiven them in the past

Will God be angry with isreal forever? Can the people be restored?

God is always faithful his people are not

God reminds us in verses 8-9 that he brings peace to those he is shaping and growing

Those who submit to him

those who participate in his covenant

Faithfulness and love are connected.

Covenant language - reciprocal connection, giving and receiving

we can love because God is faithful, and we are faithful because God loves us

Righteousness and peace combine.

Righteousness is not being right. It is letting God make us right.

Peace is instilled in us as God takes root in our lives, and helps to make us faithful

Faithfulness and righteousness are abundant.

The psalmist uses imagery of harvest.

removing the bad, retaining the good.

Faithfulness and righteousness are produced and harvested in relationship with the Lord

God’s steadfast love is present for us as well.

We remember God’s love and faithfulness in the past.

We lament the broken covenants we see in our world.

We repent of our unfaithfulness, while experiencing God’s love.

When we do these things, We celebrate God’s steadfast love for us now.

We do this through stories

stories from scripture

stories of church history

Testimony of our fellow believers, and ourselves.

We lament the brokenness in the world around us

Gen 1 - We are created in the image of God. We have worth/value/purpose

not treating others with respect and value breaks covenant

abuse, belittling, degrading, devaluing,

We have systems and structures in the world, individual and corporate that break covenant.

Advent is a good time to work through these issues

in what ways do we remember we are loved?

how do we find value in ourselves and those around us?

As we remember God’s love and lament our brokenness, we repent

What are those things in our world that keep us from God/have our desires or focus

what are the systems and structures in society that perpetuate the devaluing of God’s creation?

do we ignore those systems? do we participate? do we take stands against them?

Are we willing to give those things to God, self and corporate, and let him work in and through us to accomplish the things only God can accomplish

When we remember stories, lament broken covenants, and repent of ourselves and creation to God, God’s people experience and celebrate God’s steadfast love

Christmas is a time where we celebrate God being faithful to his promise, that he meets us where we are, that he came to us to walk with us in our brokenness

We do it all year round - through praise worship, prayer, and fellowship.

Celebrating God helps to remember His faithfulness in our lives and history, share His love with those needing to experience him, and as a signpost for the future when we will need to rely on him for strength again.

Conclusion

We are loved! This truth is at the heart of the Christmas story. God’s love is abiding and faithful. We can

trust that God’s love is expansive and present for us, even if others have failed around us and even if we

ourselves have failed. We can trust that God loves us, and we can remember where God has been faithful

in the past, and we can celebrate where God reveals God’s steadfast love to us now.