Isn't It Time for a New Covenant?

As a member of the community of Saint Miriam, and having been brought by Divine Grace to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and to give up ourselves to God, and having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, I do now, relying on God’s gracious aid, solemnly and joyfully renew this covenant with each other, always working and praying for the unity of the Spirit, and the bond of peace.

I, therefore, make this covenant with Our Creator and to the members of my community. I commit myself to its principles and to you. I am always mindful that each person is unique and different, but loved by God none-the-less. And, I can do nothing less. I honor and accept you, in all your brokenness and need, in all your joy and loveliness, and I recognize your gifts and abilities that make us a community of faith and love. We are not whole without the other. I will support everyone in their strengths and in their weakness. I will knowingly build you up, and when I fail, seek your forgiveness. I will be honest with you and others. Always. I know that together we will service the world of God in faith.

I’m tired of wavering on this decision and I have made my choice to live my life differently! Today, I am stepping over the line and my decision is final. I’m going all the way for God. I will live a life worthy of my creation. I have found a place of light and love! I will care for her now.

I will live the rest of my life serving God and God’s people acknowledging that this is God’s planet for God’s glory! I will use my life to celebrate God’s presence and fully demonstrate God’s love to everyone I meet.

I am a Spirit-filled, Spirit-created person, and I will mot manipulate or be manipulated. I will not frustrate others or be frustrated. I will not gossip or honor gossip toward me. I will motivate, encourage, pray, love, and I will never again compromise the value of my life or those around me.

I recognize that I am a trophy. I am valued, loved, and am a product of God’s grace and vast love. I am, and will be forever, grateful and gracious to everyone and for everything I have in my life. I promise to be generous with everything that God entrusts to my care.

May the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with me and all of us.

Sign our covenant today to begin spiritual healing.

a. We will work and pray for unity and the bond of peace among all people, regardless of denomination or any personal attributes of any kind. We will pray that God’s peace would show itself in the body as a whole. Whether we are gathering for a Sunday morning service, thinking through matters of church business or interacting with co-workers, acquaintances, and friends, we are to pray that the Holy Spirit would move us together in the same direction. Unity is a fragile thing and it has no limits but it can be broken so easily without care.

b. We will exercise an affectionate care and watchfulness over each other. We will also care for one another, recognizing our own brokenness. Are we bearing each other’s burdens? Are we looking out for each other? Are we challenging each other to always strive to be the voice of Christ? Are we pleading one another to a holy walk? Are we doing these things for people who are outside our demographic group and even our comfort level? We recognize that it is insufficient if we are only caring for those who share our demographic profile, but at Saint Miriam, we are called to more. This idea is contrary to most church-culture thinking, but it’s biblical & Gospel-centered. It's Jesus here and now. This is what it means to be a part of a real church community.

c. We will make an effort to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Christians don’t simply meet so they can be more blessed; we meet so that the Church can glorify God, and so that we can become fed and take that feeding to those on the outside. The work of the church begins at the dismissal! As we learn about Scripture together, praise God together, pray together, and serve others together, we are truly the hands and feet of Jesus. We’re not here merely to have our own needs met. Nor are we a stationary evangelical rally where we hear the word of someone else. Attending Catholic Mass regularly is vital because it is the first step toward being a visible presence to others.

d. We will try to never neglect to pray for ourselves and others. In our own devotionals, we are to pray that God would grow us in Christ. We are to pray that God would strengthen us to do God’s work. We are to pray for God’s direction in all matters. We are also to pray for others, that God’s Spirit would be at work in them.

e. We will bring up those who at any time are under our care. Maybe it’s those children we have a special commitment to; maybe it is that brother or sister you are praying with each week. Maybe we are overwhelmed and need help. We covenant together to be a part of one another’s lives. Discipleship and spiritual mentoring should be a daily goal. When in need, we ask for help from our community for ourselves and for those we care for (and even those we don’t ask).

f. We will seek the salvation of family and friends. You are the only one who knows all your friends and family. The life we live during the week is to include sharing the Gospel with family and friends. The proclamation of the Gospel is so important that we covenant together in order to encourage each of us to share our faith and our joy.

g. We will rejoice at each other's happiness. Sometimes seeing our friends fail makes us feel better. There’s something wrong with that, isn’t there? In a world of envy, jealousy, gossip, mean-spiritedness, and greed, we are called to see other’s happiness and praise God for it. This may be one of the most difficult promises in our covenant to keep. We truly are a selfish and proud people and are in need of God’s grace. We will not harm others with our gossip or hatred. may be one of the most difficult promises in our covenant to keep. We truly are a selfish and proud people and are in need of God’s grace.

h. We will each bear one another’s burdens and sorrows. God did not design us to go through difficulty alone. God ministers to us through others and uses us to do so to all people. One of the best ways we can be an example to the world is through being faithful to our brothers and sisters in Christ and to one another.

i. We will try to live carefully in the world. One of the reasons we covenant together is because we realize that we need help with our own Christian walk with God. The world is in need of the good, the holy, and the profound. We need to walk carefully and enjoy all God’s creation; being mindful that we are stewards of it, not owners. We will use a Green Policy where we can to be good stewards of our God’s creation.

j. We will support the ministry of the community as we are able. Through prayer, commitment to biblical teaching, finances, and other means, each individual member has an important role in supporting the church body. That is why at Saint Miriam we do not take a collection during Mass. You made the covenant; it’s up to you to tend to its demands.

k. We will always remember to live in love. Jesus said it best, “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” We couldn’t say it any better. Now go live it out in the world!

l. We will act responsibly and truthfully. In all matters, we will speak the truth and trust God to help us act with the responsibility of being made in God’s image. We will confront those who we disagree with in love and respect and will not go behind one another's back. We will hold confidences in committee work and where we are bound my sacramental seals.

We will strive to live in truth and love, even when it is difficult. We will not triangulate or cause dissension. We will not gossip. We will respect our church pastors and leadership team. We will air our grievances and nor allow them to fester. The light of truth is the only truth that matters.

Now sign it! | << Back to Top | Back to Home Page >>