Back to the Future: Covenant Community
Copyright: South Bay Community Church
Sermon Reflections: Back to the Future: Covenant Community
Date: 4 February 2024
Speaker: Pastor Tammy Long
Sermon Text: Hebrews 8:1-12
Sermon Reflections: Back to the Future: Covenant Community
Date: 4 February 2024
Speaker: Pastor Tammy Long
Sermon Text: Hebrews 8:1-12
Sermon Preamble
We are concluding our mini-series, “Back to the Future,” with the premise that sometimes we must go back to go forward. God’s basics are firm foundations that we must revisit wherever God is leading us into the future. (1) As we started 2024 looking forward, we looked back to the foundation that God’s Word requires us to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God according to Micah 6:8. Walking humbly with God is core because doing justice and showing loving kindness will follow since that is God’s nature and character. (2) Then we affirmed that walking with God is a relationship that requires consistent and honest communication known as prayer. As we entered into 21 days of prayer and fasting to nurture and strengthen our walk with God, prayer is required to grow closer to God. (3) Then going back to the future means a consistent commitment to service and missions, especially towards the least and the lost as Christ commanded and modeled for us. (4) We affirmed the solid foundation of soul friends. It is a fundamental and core truth that we need one another for support, accountability, and encouragement as we walk with God on this spiritual journey. (5) Last, the focus of covenant community is that God has called us to be a family before God and family to one another. God has placed us in a larger community as brothers and sisters serving one Lord as one body and the family of God. God has uniquely called and shaped the family of South Bay Community Church. We are an interdependent, interconnected community who are together connecting with God, growing together, and changing the world. Through worship, we assemble to hear the Word of God, serve God and one another, and fellowship. We affirm the truth of God’s vision for us that we are God’s family connected in a community by covenant.
As you read Nehemiah 8:1-12, try to enter into the story
As you read Nehemiah 8:1-12, try to enter into the story. Use your holy imagination to envision what is happening. In your mind’s eye, look around and listen to what is happening. Feel the mood and energy of the scripture as if you were there.
The setting and context of Nehemiah 8:1-12: The people of Israel had returned from exile in Babylon 20 years ago. During that 20 year time period, the returnees had rebuilt the temple, not as grand as Solomon’s temple, but still a place for God to dwell. Next the returnees repaired the city walls for protection. The King of Persia approved the project and provided resources. Nehemiah 8:1-12 takes place one week after the repaired walls were completed, so there is much to celebrate. The walls were completed rapidly within 52 days; the surrounding provinces were in awe of God because they recognized that only God could have completed the walls so rapidly (See Nehemiah 6:15-16). If you entered the story, you witnessed the community of believers in worship together.
As a community of believers, we must gather together
“1 All the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate. (Nehemiah 8:1a). Nehemiah 8:1 is happening on the first day of the seventh month, the day of the Feast of Trumpets celebrated on this day each year. The festival feasts are days of celebration. If you entered the story, you witnessed the community of believers in worship together. Some scholars point to Nehemiah 8:1 as the prototype for future services in the synagogue and the communal worship we still experience today. Verse 1 specifies that all the people assembled.
To be the community of believers and the people of God, we must gather together as a community. Depending on what degree people are willing to engage, you can be in community online in a virtual setting. In an online setting relationships can grow, caring can happen, and sharing, listening, supporting one another can be authentic.
Whether physically together or virtually together, as the people of God we must gather together. Some may experience a different affect or energy when we gather in person. But God can and does move in virtual settings. For South Bay Community Church one of our priority goals continues to enhance our online experience to find ways to truly nurture community as the family of God. God never intended for the children of God to be isolated entities. God exists in spiritual community as the Trinity, and God has created us to exist in spiritual community to be connected and engaged with one another.
The community of believers assembled for the purpose to connect with God, encourage and support one another
“1bThey asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given for Israel to obey. 2a So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly” (Nehemiah 8:1b-2a). They assembled to connect with God and hear God’s Word. They asked Ezra to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses (the first five books of our Bible, also known as the Pentateuch or Torah) that the Lord had given them to obey. God’s people had spiritual hunger, and they were seeking to encourage and support one another to hear and be doers of God’s Word.
The assembly of believers is intergenerational
“…Which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand” (Nehemiah 8:2b). The assembly included men, women, and those old enough to understand. South Bay Community Church has a priority on intergenerational inclusion. The family of God includes those seeking God at any age.
Out of respect for God’s Word, God’s people listened closely and stood to their feet
“3 He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law ….5 Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet” (Nehemiah 8:3, 5). God’s people must respect God’s Word.
Ezra led the people in worship
“6 Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. They then bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground” (Nehemiah 8:6). Ezra praised the Lord and the people worshipped. All the people chanted, “Amen!” as they lifted their hands and bowed down and worshipped with their faces to the ground. They worshipped God together as a community of believers!
God inhabits the praises of God’s people. Something unique happens when we worship God together.
As the people heard the Book of the Law, it was clearly explained so they could understand it
“7 The Levites . . . then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage” (Nehemiah 8:7-8). The people understood and were moved by what they heard.
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word is alive and powerful. It can go deep into every part of our being.
God drew them close and touched their hearts in a powerful way of weeping
“9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, ‘Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this!, for today is a sacred day before the Lord your God,’ for the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law” (Nehemiah 8:9). God touched their hearts so much that they were moved to tears of mourning. They were weeping from broken and contrite hearts because when they heard God’s Word they realized how far they were from God’s will and God’s ways. They were sorry.
The focus is not on weeping and mourning but on repentance in drawing back to God
When we come before God with the purpose of hearing from God, and open ourselves to truly listen and seek to understand what God is saying to us, God moves in us. In moving within us, God stirs, God unsettles, God convicts, God forgives, and God invites. Because of God’s great love for us, God inspires us to be better and to do better.
God moves in a gentle way that draws us close. God doesn’t beat us up or condemn us. God is not looking down on us with a scowl, like wagging God’s finger or arms folded shaking God’s head at us. Those are false narratives. When God moves, there is a release in our hearts and souls that mourns in sorrow because the love of God overwhelms us.
The focus is not on the weeping and mourning, but on God’s people turning back to God in repentance. “O God, the sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart” (Psalm 51:17). A repentant heart is the type of heart God is after.
Nehemiah, Ezra, and Levites reminded the people that this day is a holy day with forgiveness to be celebrated with joy
“10 And Nehemiah continued, ‘Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!’ 11 And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.” (Nehemiah 8:10-11). Nehemiah tells the people mourning and weeping that the joy of the Lord is your strength. The people understood God’s Word; they knew what God wanted and what to do; they responded with open and repentant hearts.
In their brokenness and in their repentance of turning back to God, they were forgiven. They drew near to God, and God drew near to them. The joy of the Lord’s love and forgiveness was indeed their strength to go forward and to celebrate.
The joy from God is contagious and is to be shared.
“So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them” (Nehemiah 8:12). The joy of the Lord is amplified all the more when we celebrate together.
Big Picture Summary
Ezra took Israel back so they could go forward as a community in covenant with God. They went back to God’s vision for them. They went back to the covenant their ancestors made with God and one another. They recommitted to be the community of the people of God. They were deeply moved by God’s Word, and, in essence, a spiritual revival broke out. They went back to their foundations, back to the future, to be the people of God that God intended for them.
Let us revisit the vision God has for us as God’s South Bay Community Church family. We will begin with our church covenant adopted nearly 40 years ago when the church was just getting started. Our covenant articulates what we believe from God’s Word. We are to be as people of God before God as God’s family in covenant community. Then we will go back to our membership covenant to remind us what we committed to when we became a member of South Bay Community Church. If you are not a member, you can still participate like guests and friends at a wedding to witness the recommitment vows we are making today.
Occasionally you will see the word Selah, which means to pause and reflect. We can become accustomed to reading and not hearing. But today is a day for us to hear and understand.
The Covenant Response
I am no longer my own, but Thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom Thou wilt; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for Thee; or laid aside for Thee, exalted for Thee or brought low for Thee; let me be full, let me be empty; I freely and heartily yield all things to Thy pleasure and disposal. [Selah]
On the basis of these affirmations, I covenant to participate faithfully in the worship, nurture, fellowship, and decision making occasions of the congregation, and to become involved in a small class or group in which I can experience mutual counsel, forgiveness, nurture, and support for those personal disciplines essential for growth in Christ. [Selah]
I covenant to hold in trust all the material, personal, and spiritual resources which God commits to me, and to accept the counsel of my brothers and sisters in lifestyle and giving, seeking to keep my use of material goods and services under the constraint of the cross. [Selah]
I covenant to seek to live by Christ’s example of forgiving, accepting, nonresistant, non-discriminating love as His way to minister reconciliation in a world torn by alienation and violence. [SELAH]
I covenant to help identify new issues as they confront the church in its prophetic witness and sharing the good news in deed and word in daily relationships. [Selah]
I covenant to review with my fellow believers the faithfulness of my Christian walk as a means of supporting spiritual integrity and usefulness, and to consider membership in a local fellowship so important that when I move from this community I will seek out a congregation in which to nurture my obedience to Christ. [Selah]
Together we confess our need of God’s forgiveness and daily strengthening. May the God whom we know through His revelation in Christ and the church be praised by our lives.
And now, O Glorious and Blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Thou art mine, and I am Thine. So be it. And the covenant, which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
Through communion, we make the covenant of God our own covenant.
We seal the Covenant we just made before God by taking communion together. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). Let us engage our heart to the Lord and remember the new covenant Jesus made possible through His death and resurrection. May the covenant that we have made on earth as the people of God, indeed be ratified in heaven.
South Bay Community Church Membership Covenant
Now that we have renewed our Covenant as a family before God, it is time to renew our membership covenant vows to one another. Membership at SBCC is not simply having your name on the roll. From the very start of this church, being a member at SBCC was meant to be a covenant commitment to this church body and a covenant commitment to one another. This means that you are part of the family, that you are connected and involved, that you are supported, loved and cared for, that your gifts are nurtured and celebrated as you use them, and that you contribute to the flourishing of this community. That is what it means to be a part of God’s family in a covenant relationship with God and one another.
Dearly beloved, we are gathered in this moment to stand and renew our vows not only to God, but to one another as the family of God, known as South Bay Community Church.
Let us now recite our membership covenant together.
Having received Christ as my Lord and Savior and having been baptized; and being in agreement with SBCC’s statements, strategy, and structure, I now feel led by the Holy Spirit to recommit to the SBCC church family. In doing so, I commit myself to God and to the other members, of SBCC, to do the following:
I will protect the unity of our church by acting in love toward other members, by refusing to gossip, by following our leaders.
I will share the responsibilities of our church by praying for its growth, by inviting the unchurched to attend, by warmly welcoming those to visit.
I will serve the ministry of our church by discovering my gifts and talents, by being equipped to serve by our leaders, by developing a servant’s heart.
I will support the testimony of our church by attending faithfully, by living a godly life, by giving regularly.
And again, may the Covenant that we have made on earth as the people of God, be ratified in heaven, and let all God’s people say, Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FAMILY GROUPS
Sermon Preamble
-Marriage is an example of a covenant relationship. What is different and unique about a covenant relationship?
As you read Nehemiah 8:1-12, try to enter into the story
-As you read Nehemiah 8:1-12, what are possible benefits to you from trying to enter into the story as if you were there? Why?
-When have your experienced God acting so rapidly that others know it could not be attributable to anyone except God?
As a community of believers, we must gather together
-Nehemiah 8:1 specifies that the people assembled together. In your experience, has God used virtual gatherings online to move people in a unified purpose? For you, what are the differences if any between in person gatherings and online gatherings? In what ways can each type of gathering be improved?
The community of believers assembled for the purpose to connect with God, encourage and support one another
-In assembling together as a community of believers, what activities help achieve the purpose of connecting with God, encouraging, and supporting one another?
The assembly of believers is intergenerational
-In what ways can you support the church priority of assembly that includes men, women, and children old enough to understand?
Out of respect for God’s Word, God’s people listened closely and stood to their feet
-In what ways can you show respect in hearing and understanding the Word of God?
Ezra led the people in worship
-What are some of the various ways that people worship God? What are some actions in worshipping God that you do not do currently, but God may invite you to try?
As the people heard the Book of the Law, it was clearly explained so they could understand it
-In what ways might the Word of God clearly explained stir us, unsettle us, convict us, and help us acknowledge our shortcomings, but also forgive us, and invite us into closer relationship with God and each other?
God drew them close and touched their hearts in a powerful way of weeping
-In Nehemiah 8:9, why did the people weep and mourn?
The focus is not on weeping and mourning but on repentance in drawing back to God
-What are the results of our repentance in drawing back to God?
Nehemiah, Ezra, and Levites reminded the people that this day is a holy day with forgiveness to be celebrated with joy
-Why do we celebrate the holy day of understanding the Word of God, acknowledging our shortcomings and sins, and then receiving forgiveness and invitation to draw closer to God in community?
The joy from God is contagious and is to be shared
What are the benefits from being assembled together in community in receiving the love and forgiveness of God to share and encourage each other?
Big picture summary and application to the Church Covenant and Membership Covenant
-As you read the Church Covenant of South Bay Community Church, what resonates with you as something you need to recommit to in your covenant relationship with God?
-As you read the Membership Covenant of South Bay Community Church, what resonates with you as something you need to recommit to in your covenant relationship as a member of the covenant community of South Bay Community Church?
We are concluding our mini-series, “Back to the Future,” with the premise that sometimes we must go back to go forward. God’s basics are firm foundations that we must revisit wherever God is leading us into the future. (1) As we started 2024 looking forward, we looked back to the foundation that God’s Word requires us to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God according to Micah 6:8. Walking humbly with God is core because doing justice and showing loving kindness will follow since that is God’s nature and character. (2) Then we affirmed that walking with God is a relationship that requires consistent and honest communication known as prayer. As we entered into 21 days of prayer and fasting to nurture and strengthen our walk with God, prayer is required to grow closer to God. (3) Then going back to the future means a consistent commitment to service and missions, especially towards the least and the lost as Christ commanded and modeled for us. (4) We affirmed the solid foundation of soul friends. It is a fundamental and core truth that we need one another for support, accountability, and encouragement as we walk with God on this spiritual journey. (5) Last, the focus of covenant community is that God has called us to be a family before God and family to one another. God has placed us in a larger community as brothers and sisters serving one Lord as one body and the family of God. God has uniquely called and shaped the family of South Bay Community Church. We are an interdependent, interconnected community who are together connecting with God, growing together, and changing the world. Through worship, we assemble to hear the Word of God, serve God and one another, and fellowship. We affirm the truth of God’s vision for us that we are God’s family connected in a community by covenant.
As you read Nehemiah 8:1-12, try to enter into the story
As you read Nehemiah 8:1-12, try to enter into the story. Use your holy imagination to envision what is happening. In your mind’s eye, look around and listen to what is happening. Feel the mood and energy of the scripture as if you were there.
The setting and context of Nehemiah 8:1-12: The people of Israel had returned from exile in Babylon 20 years ago. During that 20 year time period, the returnees had rebuilt the temple, not as grand as Solomon’s temple, but still a place for God to dwell. Next the returnees repaired the city walls for protection. The King of Persia approved the project and provided resources. Nehemiah 8:1-12 takes place one week after the repaired walls were completed, so there is much to celebrate. The walls were completed rapidly within 52 days; the surrounding provinces were in awe of God because they recognized that only God could have completed the walls so rapidly (See Nehemiah 6:15-16). If you entered the story, you witnessed the community of believers in worship together.
As a community of believers, we must gather together
“1 All the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate. (Nehemiah 8:1a). Nehemiah 8:1 is happening on the first day of the seventh month, the day of the Feast of Trumpets celebrated on this day each year. The festival feasts are days of celebration. If you entered the story, you witnessed the community of believers in worship together. Some scholars point to Nehemiah 8:1 as the prototype for future services in the synagogue and the communal worship we still experience today. Verse 1 specifies that all the people assembled.
To be the community of believers and the people of God, we must gather together as a community. Depending on what degree people are willing to engage, you can be in community online in a virtual setting. In an online setting relationships can grow, caring can happen, and sharing, listening, supporting one another can be authentic.
Whether physically together or virtually together, as the people of God we must gather together. Some may experience a different affect or energy when we gather in person. But God can and does move in virtual settings. For South Bay Community Church one of our priority goals continues to enhance our online experience to find ways to truly nurture community as the family of God. God never intended for the children of God to be isolated entities. God exists in spiritual community as the Trinity, and God has created us to exist in spiritual community to be connected and engaged with one another.
The community of believers assembled for the purpose to connect with God, encourage and support one another
“1bThey asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given for Israel to obey. 2a So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly” (Nehemiah 8:1b-2a). They assembled to connect with God and hear God’s Word. They asked Ezra to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses (the first five books of our Bible, also known as the Pentateuch or Torah) that the Lord had given them to obey. God’s people had spiritual hunger, and they were seeking to encourage and support one another to hear and be doers of God’s Word.
The assembly of believers is intergenerational
“…Which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand” (Nehemiah 8:2b). The assembly included men, women, and those old enough to understand. South Bay Community Church has a priority on intergenerational inclusion. The family of God includes those seeking God at any age.
Out of respect for God’s Word, God’s people listened closely and stood to their feet
“3 He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law ….5 Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet” (Nehemiah 8:3, 5). God’s people must respect God’s Word.
Ezra led the people in worship
“6 Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. They then bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground” (Nehemiah 8:6). Ezra praised the Lord and the people worshipped. All the people chanted, “Amen!” as they lifted their hands and bowed down and worshipped with their faces to the ground. They worshipped God together as a community of believers!
God inhabits the praises of God’s people. Something unique happens when we worship God together.
As the people heard the Book of the Law, it was clearly explained so they could understand it
“7 The Levites . . . then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage” (Nehemiah 8:7-8). The people understood and were moved by what they heard.
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word is alive and powerful. It can go deep into every part of our being.
God drew them close and touched their hearts in a powerful way of weeping
“9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, ‘Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this!, for today is a sacred day before the Lord your God,’ for the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law” (Nehemiah 8:9). God touched their hearts so much that they were moved to tears of mourning. They were weeping from broken and contrite hearts because when they heard God’s Word they realized how far they were from God’s will and God’s ways. They were sorry.
The focus is not on weeping and mourning but on repentance in drawing back to God
When we come before God with the purpose of hearing from God, and open ourselves to truly listen and seek to understand what God is saying to us, God moves in us. In moving within us, God stirs, God unsettles, God convicts, God forgives, and God invites. Because of God’s great love for us, God inspires us to be better and to do better.
God moves in a gentle way that draws us close. God doesn’t beat us up or condemn us. God is not looking down on us with a scowl, like wagging God’s finger or arms folded shaking God’s head at us. Those are false narratives. When God moves, there is a release in our hearts and souls that mourns in sorrow because the love of God overwhelms us.
The focus is not on the weeping and mourning, but on God’s people turning back to God in repentance. “O God, the sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart” (Psalm 51:17). A repentant heart is the type of heart God is after.
Nehemiah, Ezra, and Levites reminded the people that this day is a holy day with forgiveness to be celebrated with joy
“10 And Nehemiah continued, ‘Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!’ 11 And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.” (Nehemiah 8:10-11). Nehemiah tells the people mourning and weeping that the joy of the Lord is your strength. The people understood God’s Word; they knew what God wanted and what to do; they responded with open and repentant hearts.
In their brokenness and in their repentance of turning back to God, they were forgiven. They drew near to God, and God drew near to them. The joy of the Lord’s love and forgiveness was indeed their strength to go forward and to celebrate.
The joy from God is contagious and is to be shared.
“So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them” (Nehemiah 8:12). The joy of the Lord is amplified all the more when we celebrate together.
Big Picture Summary
Ezra took Israel back so they could go forward as a community in covenant with God. They went back to God’s vision for them. They went back to the covenant their ancestors made with God and one another. They recommitted to be the community of the people of God. They were deeply moved by God’s Word, and, in essence, a spiritual revival broke out. They went back to their foundations, back to the future, to be the people of God that God intended for them.
Let us revisit the vision God has for us as God’s South Bay Community Church family. We will begin with our church covenant adopted nearly 40 years ago when the church was just getting started. Our covenant articulates what we believe from God’s Word. We are to be as people of God before God as God’s family in covenant community. Then we will go back to our membership covenant to remind us what we committed to when we became a member of South Bay Community Church. If you are not a member, you can still participate like guests and friends at a wedding to witness the recommitment vows we are making today.
Occasionally you will see the word Selah, which means to pause and reflect. We can become accustomed to reading and not hearing. But today is a day for us to hear and understand.
The Covenant Response
I am no longer my own, but Thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom Thou wilt; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for Thee; or laid aside for Thee, exalted for Thee or brought low for Thee; let me be full, let me be empty; I freely and heartily yield all things to Thy pleasure and disposal. [Selah]
On the basis of these affirmations, I covenant to participate faithfully in the worship, nurture, fellowship, and decision making occasions of the congregation, and to become involved in a small class or group in which I can experience mutual counsel, forgiveness, nurture, and support for those personal disciplines essential for growth in Christ. [Selah]
I covenant to hold in trust all the material, personal, and spiritual resources which God commits to me, and to accept the counsel of my brothers and sisters in lifestyle and giving, seeking to keep my use of material goods and services under the constraint of the cross. [Selah]
I covenant to seek to live by Christ’s example of forgiving, accepting, nonresistant, non-discriminating love as His way to minister reconciliation in a world torn by alienation and violence. [SELAH]
I covenant to help identify new issues as they confront the church in its prophetic witness and sharing the good news in deed and word in daily relationships. [Selah]
I covenant to review with my fellow believers the faithfulness of my Christian walk as a means of supporting spiritual integrity and usefulness, and to consider membership in a local fellowship so important that when I move from this community I will seek out a congregation in which to nurture my obedience to Christ. [Selah]
Together we confess our need of God’s forgiveness and daily strengthening. May the God whom we know through His revelation in Christ and the church be praised by our lives.
And now, O Glorious and Blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Thou art mine, and I am Thine. So be it. And the covenant, which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
Through communion, we make the covenant of God our own covenant.
We seal the Covenant we just made before God by taking communion together. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). Let us engage our heart to the Lord and remember the new covenant Jesus made possible through His death and resurrection. May the covenant that we have made on earth as the people of God, indeed be ratified in heaven.
South Bay Community Church Membership Covenant
Now that we have renewed our Covenant as a family before God, it is time to renew our membership covenant vows to one another. Membership at SBCC is not simply having your name on the roll. From the very start of this church, being a member at SBCC was meant to be a covenant commitment to this church body and a covenant commitment to one another. This means that you are part of the family, that you are connected and involved, that you are supported, loved and cared for, that your gifts are nurtured and celebrated as you use them, and that you contribute to the flourishing of this community. That is what it means to be a part of God’s family in a covenant relationship with God and one another.
Dearly beloved, we are gathered in this moment to stand and renew our vows not only to God, but to one another as the family of God, known as South Bay Community Church.
Let us now recite our membership covenant together.
Having received Christ as my Lord and Savior and having been baptized; and being in agreement with SBCC’s statements, strategy, and structure, I now feel led by the Holy Spirit to recommit to the SBCC church family. In doing so, I commit myself to God and to the other members, of SBCC, to do the following:
I will protect the unity of our church by acting in love toward other members, by refusing to gossip, by following our leaders.
I will share the responsibilities of our church by praying for its growth, by inviting the unchurched to attend, by warmly welcoming those to visit.
I will serve the ministry of our church by discovering my gifts and talents, by being equipped to serve by our leaders, by developing a servant’s heart.
I will support the testimony of our church by attending faithfully, by living a godly life, by giving regularly.
And again, may the Covenant that we have made on earth as the people of God, be ratified in heaven, and let all God’s people say, Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FAMILY GROUPS
Sermon Preamble
-Marriage is an example of a covenant relationship. What is different and unique about a covenant relationship?
As you read Nehemiah 8:1-12, try to enter into the story
-As you read Nehemiah 8:1-12, what are possible benefits to you from trying to enter into the story as if you were there? Why?
-When have your experienced God acting so rapidly that others know it could not be attributable to anyone except God?
As a community of believers, we must gather together
-Nehemiah 8:1 specifies that the people assembled together. In your experience, has God used virtual gatherings online to move people in a unified purpose? For you, what are the differences if any between in person gatherings and online gatherings? In what ways can each type of gathering be improved?
The community of believers assembled for the purpose to connect with God, encourage and support one another
-In assembling together as a community of believers, what activities help achieve the purpose of connecting with God, encouraging, and supporting one another?
The assembly of believers is intergenerational
-In what ways can you support the church priority of assembly that includes men, women, and children old enough to understand?
Out of respect for God’s Word, God’s people listened closely and stood to their feet
-In what ways can you show respect in hearing and understanding the Word of God?
Ezra led the people in worship
-What are some of the various ways that people worship God? What are some actions in worshipping God that you do not do currently, but God may invite you to try?
As the people heard the Book of the Law, it was clearly explained so they could understand it
-In what ways might the Word of God clearly explained stir us, unsettle us, convict us, and help us acknowledge our shortcomings, but also forgive us, and invite us into closer relationship with God and each other?
God drew them close and touched their hearts in a powerful way of weeping
-In Nehemiah 8:9, why did the people weep and mourn?
The focus is not on weeping and mourning but on repentance in drawing back to God
-What are the results of our repentance in drawing back to God?
Nehemiah, Ezra, and Levites reminded the people that this day is a holy day with forgiveness to be celebrated with joy
-Why do we celebrate the holy day of understanding the Word of God, acknowledging our shortcomings and sins, and then receiving forgiveness and invitation to draw closer to God in community?
The joy from God is contagious and is to be shared
What are the benefits from being assembled together in community in receiving the love and forgiveness of God to share and encourage each other?
Big picture summary and application to the Church Covenant and Membership Covenant
-As you read the Church Covenant of South Bay Community Church, what resonates with you as something you need to recommit to in your covenant relationship with God?
-As you read the Membership Covenant of South Bay Community Church, what resonates with you as something you need to recommit to in your covenant relationship as a member of the covenant community of South Bay Community Church?
Posted in Back to the Future
Tagged with covenant, community, Nehemiah 8, Nehemiah 6:15-16, assemble, together, Intergenerational, Ezra, worship, Book of Law, understand, weep, repent, holy day, forgive, celebrate, joy
Tagged with covenant, community, Nehemiah 8, Nehemiah 6:15-16, assemble, together, Intergenerational, Ezra, worship, Book of Law, understand, weep, repent, holy day, forgive, celebrate, joy
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