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Thursday, May 25, 2023

THE MIRACLE OF COVENANT AMBASSADORS

THE MIRACLE OF COVENANT AMBASSADORS

 

 COVENANTS

Covenants, although not that frequently used in common conversation, are very common in legal, marital and theological / biblical contexts. The word “covenant” is of Latin origin, meaning ‘a coming together’. When parties come together to contract, agree on promises, stipulations, privileges and responsibilities, they enter into a covenant together. Both parties agree to certain conditions to maintain and enforce the contract. It is said that a covenant is much stronger, more sacred and binding than a promise or an oath. Certainly weightier and more solemn than a child’s ‘pinky finger promise’. For the purpose of this paper we will focus on the religious or spiritual use of the idea of covenants.

The word covenant is referenced 274 times in the Old Testament, 26 times in the New Testament, and 254 times in the other Standard Works of LDS scripture – a total of 364 occurrences. There are approximately 2,444 pages of scripture in the all of scripture. That means that the concept of covenants is addressed on average every 6 ¾ pages. With that frequency, making and keeping covenants must be of significant importance to God and His relationship with His children. Could it be that we have we missed the significance and importance of covenants in the teachings our of holy text?

I have a good friend, probably the greatest scriptural scholar I personally know. He also has a keen spiritual insight into Christianity, its history, doctrines and situational context. He’s unpretentious, humble and a man with no guile. He’s someone you could sit and listen to for hours and hours, and then leave wanting more. If you could imagine an old sage, wise, humble, scholarly, unassuming, patient, soft-spoken, dedicated with a deep reverence for God and all things spiritual – that’s him!

He talks frequently about covenants, especially from a scriptural perspective. He has identified the original covenant – the everlasting covenant God offers His children, the covenant that permeates through all through the scriptures. This covenant, we could refer to as the master covenant (it’s the foundation on which all other spiritual covenants are based) and is God’s all-encompassing covenantal proposal to His children (all of mortality). He lovingly declares: “I will be your God, and you will be My people.”

SCRIPTURAL EXAMPLES

Some clear examples of God’s original covenant with His children can be seen early in scripture. Not long after the creation, in Gen. 17 speaking to Abraham, God said –

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised” (emphasis added).

The Lord spoke of His covenant again with Moses in Exodus 6. God said –

“Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the Lord” (emphasis added).

A third example is found when the Lord is speaking with Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 18 –

“Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God” (emphasis added).

I would gently challenge you to embark on a spiritual journey of enlightenment by studying and pondering the other 350+ scriptural references about covenants. I can promise sweet rewards and an enhanced relationship with the Savior to all who accept the invitation.

 GOD’S COVENANT WITH HIS CHILDREN

This everlasting covenant between God and His people encompasses multiple promises from both parties. God covenants to partner with His children, not just to lead them, but to be with them, at their side. Not a distant ruler sitting on His throne on high and directing mortal with a wave of His hand. No, He will be by our side, allowing us to lean on Him for support, counsel with Him for strength, He will even carry us when we are weary or lost. When an all-powerful and benevolent God offers to ‘partner’ with us, who could reject that gift? His covenant (gift) to us is to –

  •          Love and have mercy for us
  •          Forgive us when we repent
  •          Never give up on us
  •          To sanctify us
  •          Send His Spirit (The Holy Ghost) to always be with us
  •          Offer us all the blessings promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
  •          Show us how to become joint heirs with Him in God’s kingdom
  •          Offer us access to all blessings reserved for the faithful (to inherit thrones, kingdoms,        powers, principalities, and dominions, even to our eventual exaltation and glory in all      things)
  •          And more…

As for the other half of the covenant, our half, we covenant with the Savior Jesus Christ to –

  •          Take His name upon us
  •          To always remember Him
  •          Keep His commandments (live lives of righteousness, repenting frequently and                renewing our covenants regularly)
  •          Live lives of service
  •          Be anxiously engaged in the ongoing work of gathering Israel and His work in                  redeeming God’s children (both the living – missionary work; and the dead – family          history, genealogy and temple work)
  •          And more…

 COVENANT AMBASSADORS

I’ve probably only scratched the surface of the details and intricacies of covenants and the New and Everlasting Covenant. But I wanted to spend some time with the idea of ‘covenant ambassadors’.

We may think that our covenant with God is a singular, one-time, one-on-one transaction with God as one party and us, individually as the other party. I guess that’s true in the ultimate sense, but the covenant isn’t a one-time, single occurrence. Because we are mortal and flawed, we need to actively repent and regularly renew our side of the covenant. Fortunately God has mercifully provided for this situation. He generously allows us to gather at the Sacrament table each week (partaking of the Sacrament renews all of our covenants) and to repeatedly enter into His temple to refresh our memory of temple covenants. Of course we should be renewing our covenants with integrity and sincerity – consistently trying to improve and learn from our shortcomings between renewals of the covenant. How blessed we are to have a Heavenly Father that is patient, merciful, quick to forgive, and provides us second, third, and hundredth chances. As for God’s side of the covenant, because He is perfect and is “the same yesterday, and to day, and forever and forever” (Heb. 13:8) we have no need to be concerned that He will ever break the Covenant.

Back to the thought about ‘covenant ambassadors’. An ambassador is an accredited official or diplomat that represents a head of state or other world leader. As the leaders’ representative, they are given specific assignments and activities. Fortunately the Lord has generously provided an abundance of ambassadors to assist in activities that help us renew our covenants. I affectionately refer to them as ‘covenant ambassadors’.

Who are these covenant ambassadors? They are many and their mission is primarily to serve and minister to us with loving care. For example, each week the Aaronic Priesthood assists in preparing, blessing and delivering renewal covenants via the emblems of the Sacrament – they are covenant ambassadors. Bishoprics and Melchizedek Priesthood oversee the Sacrament – also covenant ambassadors. Thousands of temple workers, men, women, and youth are covenant ambassadors assisting the daily work of covenant making and renewing in the Lord’s temples. Tens of thousands (well over 100,000) of full-time missionaries and local Ward missionaries serve throughout the world in teaching and introducing God’s children to His covenants and the associated blessings available. Their mission is to love, share and invite our friends to make their own covenants with God. Hundreds of thousands of church members are actively involved in genealogy research finding, recording, and taking names of their deceased ancestors to the temples of God. Their ancestors’ salvation is ensured through vicarious covenants if they accept the work done on their behalf. Together, these covenant ambassadors number in the millions. They facilitate the initiation and renewal of eternal covenants to God’s children! Covenant ambassadors are gathering Israel! Covenant ambassadors are uniting fathers and mothers with their children and turning the hearts of God’s children to their fathers and mothers! Covenant ambassadors assist in the Lord’s sacred ongoing work of redemption and salvation for all of us – all of God’s children!

And we can’t forget the heavenly hosts, angels that assist with covenants on the other side of the veil. Perhaps these are the most active and continuous covenant ambassadors of all!

In a moment of deep thought regarding covenant ambassadors, I wanted to calculate the number of covenant ambassadors involved in the effort to assist one individual in learning about, accepting and renewing covenants throughout that person’s life. After only a few moments, I found myself in awe as I tallied the throng! Literally dozens, maybe hundreds serve as covenant ambassadors in order for one child of God to fulfill his/her mortal side of the covenant! It’s humbling! Certainly gives expanded validation when the Savior prayed in Jn. 17:20-23 –

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me” (emphasis added).

 

 BEING A COVENANT AMBASSADOR

I have another friend, a sweet, elderly woman, somewhat frail and experiencing seasons of difficult health. She is mostly house-bound, just her and her beloved Shih Tzu-Lhasa Apso mix ‘Honeyboy’. She is spiritually centered and dedicated to the Lord. Every week for years, come rain or snow, sickness or health, she has faithfully found the strength and capacity to make homemade bread. These two sacred, delicious homemade loafs are delivered to the chapel each Sabbath as an offering to be used as one of the Sacrament emblems. Certainly, she is a faithful covenant ambassador as her efforts help facilitate covenants with hundreds of God’s children every week!

When thinking about her and her honorable efforts to be a covenant ambassador, it occurs to me that we all can find unique ways to help others learn about, make, keep and renew covenants with God. We can all serve in some capacity and become covenant ambassadors. This is a most honorable or worthy activity and how privileged we are to partner with God in His most important work – “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Making and keeping covenants is integral to God’s work and glory.

These followers of Christ partner with Him to be covenant ambassadors. How wonderful it is to have the Lord’s trust and participate in His sacred work of salvation and redemption. Thank you to all the miracle covenant ambassadors who so freely and generously serve all of God’s children. How blessed we are to have a God that is willing to covenant with His children by declaring –

“I will be your God and you will be My people.”

 _____________________________________________

Dedicated to Lynda and Mark and all of God’s Covenant Ambassadors

Wm Calvin Hughes | May 21, 2023 | Lake Elsinore, CA

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