December
As we near Covenant Sunday on December 7th, I have so enjoyed the excitement that has been building in our congregation. It seems everyone is thinking about their covenants and listening for guidance from family, friends and Spirit. Our church’s covenant process, itself a process of listening, speaking and committing, brings us together in each other.
I recently had the pleasure of sharing my covenant thoughts in Sunday worship. Here’s an excerpt:
First used in the year 1297, “covenant” has Latin roots meaning to agree, meet, or in the meaning of the root word “convene,” “to come together." That describes a covenant for me. To come together. To think about my place in the community. To think about my place in relationship to God. What gifts and talents can I bring to this community, this family … what can I give to my brothers and sisters as we come together in Christ? And not only what can I do, but what will I do? Before I make such a sacred promise, I have to ponder what … the Lord … requires … of me. What will I do to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with my God?
There are as many answers to those questions as there are people in this church. For me, my time is finite, my talents are finite, my money is finite. But God is infinite. And therefore, my relationship with you is infinite. I will not underestimate God and I will not underestimate you.
These words have been on my mind as I’ve been preparing to write. My covenant has taken different forms each year and I know others have varied theirs as well: a prayer, a poem, a story, a song, a picture … the possibilities are endless … but the main thing is to go through the process. Go through the process of talking about it, praying about it, and finally, doing it. Don’t miss out on the culmination of the process, the moment when it becomes real. I have spoken to people in the past who have “missed the deadline” to covenant and it has begun to gnaw at them. The process became an end in itself. They were waiting for something, some special time or inspiration, but ended up uncomfortable instead.
My advice: Sit down and do it. Take pen and paper, or computer, or paintbrush, and sit down and do it. If nothing comes, sit there and wait. Pray. Start. Start again. Finish. Even if it’s not perfect, put it in the envelope and take it to church on December 7th. You will feel a special power from having it done and the community will surround you with a sense of shared accomplishment.
We will convene. We will come together.
With optimism and hope,
Loring Fiske-Phillips
