"Give ear to our prayers, O Lord, and direct the way of your servants in safety under your protection, that, amid all the changes of our earthly pilgrimage, we may be guarded by your mighty aid; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
Psalm 78:1-6, Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 5-9, and Matthew 5:17-19
In our Tuesday morning Bible study for young adults we've been reading the letter to the Romans. The letter is, in many ways, one of the first works of theology that the Church has. In that letter Paul wrestles with the meaning of Jesus's death and resurrection, and he wrestles with the question of what all of that means to the covenant that was made between God and the people of Israel. His thoughts are incredibly interesting, and one can feel the struggle in his heart and mind as he works to make sense of it all.
One of my favorite arguments that he makes in the letter is the necessity of God's covenant with Israel for the actions of Christ. He states that because of the covenant that God has with Israel, God's Incarnation was possible. For that reason the Law remains valid even in a time of a new covenant. The gospel for today reminds of me this, and I'm always struck by the words from Jesus as he says in reference to the Law, "I have come not to abolish but to fulfill."
The covenant that God established with the people of Israel was intended to make them into a great people; if they would fulfill their end, God would fulfill his. Christ came to show us the fulness of that Law and what it means to be one of God's people: to love and serve each other as we love and serve God.
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