Contract to Covenant

Once upon a time, the church was the center of a community. People met there, they worshipped and fellowshipped there, creating bonds. People were married at the church and when thier babies were born, the babies were baptized there. At the end of life, funerals were held at the church and people were buried at the church cemetary. All the records were simple. The Pastor and the people wrote the name of the event and the date of the event in thier Bibles. Every sacred event was between the Pastor, the people, and God--because these were God given rights of passage. This was the way life was recorded for generations--until the government got involved and found a way to take charge of records and attach financial gain to them. This is where covenant was changed to contract. A contract, by definition, is an agreement between two or more parites that creates mutual obligations that are enforceable by law. In regards to marriage, that sounds super romantic, doesn't it. In contrast, a covenant is defined as a promise, agreement, or contract between two or more oarties, often accompanied by oaths, signs, and ceremonies. It is a relationship bwtween two partners who make binding promises to otherand work together to reach a common goal. Covenants define obligations and commitments but they are different from a contract because they are relational and personal. Biblically, a covenant marriage is a solemn and binding relationship between a man and a woman that is meant to last a lifetime. The purpose of a covenant marriage is to reflect the love and relationship between Christ and His church, and it is meant to be a unique display of God's covenant grace because, unlike all other human relaitonships, the husband and wife are bound by covenant into the closest possible relationship for a lfetime.

When John and I first were married, we were not Christ followers, and though we included Biblical verses and mentioned God in our ceremony, we definitely entered into a contract. Over the years, after trial and triumph with resulting growth, and yes, becoming Christ followers, we decided that we would rather be in covenant than in contract. It took us quite some time to reach the point of ability to make the switch, but we finally got all of our pieces together and recently made the switch. In a lake side gazebo, witnessed by the children and Bethany, John and I made a covenant vow. We didn't just mention God, we made God the cornerstone of our lives together.

It was simple, sweet, special, and significant. We topped off the night with a celebratory dinner and a delicious apple butter cake.

We made a marked moment. Praise God! ;-)