The Covenant-keeping God of Israel
December 7, 2014 | Anita Retzlaff

"Blessed be the LORD who gives rest to the people, who does not leave or abandon us so that we might walk in God's ways and keep the commandments which God gave to our ancestors." (adapted from 1 Kings 8:56-58) Words of blessing from King Solomon bind together the story of our journey through the Bible in 1 Kings this morning and 2 Advent which we observe today.  And I am not just making this up: some wild attempt at harmonizing the stories of the Old and the New Testaments.  Last Sunday we sang the advent hymn "Bless'd be the God of Israel" HWB #174 which ties together the ancient kings of Israel, the house of David and the birth of Jesus - events that span 1000 years. There is genius in the way in which the thread of history runs through our stories of faith connecting us over time so that the God of Solomon is the same God of Mary and Joseph and the One God watching over us at this moment in the year 2014, the second Sunday of advent, the 7th day of December on the frosty prairies of the northern hemisphere.

What is it that brings together those 1000 years of Israel’s story plus the 2000 years that have transpired since the birth of Jesus; 3000 years of stories documenting the relationship of God and God’s people: King David, Jesus and 21st century Christians? It’s a promise, a covenant, much like wedding vows that God makes with David; a deal made between the Creator of the Universe and an Israelite king who ruled over, relatively-speaking, a small and insignificant community.  Yet it is this promise that repeatedly drags Israel's people back to reality and to God, and the same promise that makes possible the advent of Jesus in 1st century Palestine. Do we know how this promise goes?  Solomon repeats it for his people in the text from 1 Kings that was just read: "There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me." (8:25) So says the God of Promise to the people who are always at risk of forgetfulness; of turning away from the God of the covenant and walking in darkness.
And there is another wonder-filled connection that pulls together the 1000 years of story from David and Solomon to the birth of Jesus.  It is a place: the town of Bethlehem.  It is at Bethlehem where Samuel anoints Saul as the very first King of Israel.  David, succeeding Saul as king, is born in Bethlehem.  If you remember the story of Ruth returning with Naomi to Bethlehem; it is here where Ruth meets Boaz and they have a son Obed who is the father of David. So kingship in Israel is solidly rooted in the stories of Bethlehem. And most of us young and old know the story of Joseph, who being of the house and lineage of David, returns to Bethlehem for the census and in this town another king is born.  Jesus, who continues and fulfills the covenant that God made with David, lives a kingship that truly connects all disciples to the ways of God.

I think these are lovely images of connection; a binding covenant and the storied town of Bethlehem.  In our worship today we too make the connection; the scripture text read from the story of the Kings, the pageant of the nativity and the German songs and other hymns of our more recent time.  In all these ways we confess that our God is One and that we serve God who lovingly gave Jesus to us as part of the ongoing covenant.  This is a 3000 year story of pure grace - let’s not forget that.  Within the story of covenant, we, God’s people, drifted and forgot and sinned.  The kings of Israel failed miserably as a whole, turning their back on God repeatedly, slipping into the ways of idolatry and interpersonal treachery in the blink of an eye.  Israel broke covenant with predictable regularity yet God continued and continues to place new manifestations of covenantal love in our path.  The birth of Jesus, our Lord is one such act of grace.  

“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart…” (8:23) We hear Solomon’s devotion to God as he dedicates the temple; a building project which his father David was not given because of the sin he committed. In spite of his failings David remains throughout the story of Israel the covenant-bearer bringing all of time into one long and unending story.

And so from the halls of power in the stories of the Kings to the cattle shed in Bethlehem the covenant-keeping God of Israel remains the center of our story. The birth of Jesus is an act of covenantal love and an act for peace.  It is through the lineage of David that disciples of Jesus are to change the world for good.  We sing of “peace on earth” and “heavenly peace” at Christmastime.  Peace is the theme word on our bulletin cover this morning.  Working for peace is hardly idyllic or restful however rest and shalom are the goal.

As we turn our attention to the manger this advent season let us remind each other of our part in the covenant that God keeps with us.  We are the bearers of peace on earth and good will to everyone - friends and enemies - in the name of the child of Bethlehem. God’s covenant with David is a promise to keep Israel connected and close through wise and faithful leadership. Israel’s responsibility is to walk in God’s way so that the connection remains strong.  They had trouble with that and did not hold up their part of the relationship. The covenant-keeping God of Israel however eventually responds with compassion and the gift of Jesus. Our response to God’s response remains the same as that of ages gone by.  We will walk before God in the way of love, living lives devoted to making peace in unlikely and unpopular places. This is our part in the Christmas story and it never gets old. O God of Israel in you we find the hope that spans all of history. Grace us with your love in this season and forever.  AMEN