Sermon: Baptismal Covenant The Baptism of Our Lord – Epiphany I

What is a contract? And what is a covenant?

How do we manage our relationships: as contracts, or as covenants?

Today, on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, Jesus invites us to renew and reaffirm our Baptismal Covenant—the promises that bind us to God and to one another.

Before we renew those vows, let us reflect on what a covenant truly is, and why it matters so deeply to our faith and to our lives.

Covenant Is Everywhere

First, notice how central covenant is—not only in religion, but in every dimension of life.

The word covenant appears nearly 300 times in the Bible. In fact, the entire story of Scripture is the story of covenants:

God’s covenant with Abraham,

with Israel through Moses,

with David,

and finally, through Jesus Christ, with us.

Every Sunday, when we celebrate the Eucharist, we hear Jesus speak of the “new covenant in my blood.”

Baptism is a covenant.

Holy Communion is a covenant.

Marriage is a covenant.

This covenant was sealed with blood—Christ’s blood on the cross at Calvary—for the forgiveness of sins. And we entered into it freely when we were baptized. Some may say, “But I was so small!” Yet the Church affirms that God’s covenant claim on us comes before our understanding—and waits patiently for our response.

Even the Bible itself is divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. The word testament comes from the Latin testamentum, used to translate the Hebrew word for covenant. The old covenant and the new covenant—fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Another Latin word for covenant is foedus, from which we get the word federal.

When we describe our nation as a federal system, we mean two things:

First, that the United States was formed by a covenant among the original colonies;

and second, that our government operates as a covenant among three branches—executive, legislative, and judicial—each distinct, yet bound together.

Covenant, then, reaches far beyond church walls.

Our laws, our civil rights, our jobs, our schools, our schedules, our traditions, our families, our language, our customs—all of these exist because of a vast web of covenants that make life not only possible, and meaningful and beautiful.

Even creation itself rests on covenant. In the story of Noah, God makes a cosmic covenant with all living creatures—a promise of order, stability, and faithfulness.

So here is my first point:

Covenant is all-embracing. Covenant is cosmic.

Covenant Is Not a Contract

Now, what do we mean by covenant?

To understand it, we must distinguish covenant from contract.

A contract is mechanical and conditional.

We spell out the terms: If you do this, I will do that.

If one party fails, the relationship is canceled.

Many of our daily interactions operate this way—and contracts have their place.

And imagine treating love that way.

“If you behave, I’ll love you.”

“If you give me something, I’ll give you something.”

“If you meet my expectations, I’ll stay.”

Imagine raising children like that.

Yet we often do exactly this—and call it love.

A covenant, by contrast, is not conditional.

It is a personal, unbreakable commitment of the whole self.

In a covenant, we do not commit just our behavior—we commit who we are.

The relationship does not depend on performance, but on belonging.

A parent understands this instinctively.

No matter what a child does—no matter how far they fall—we do not stop loving them.

We visit them in hospitals, in prisons, at gravesides, at kitchen tables.

We do not say, “If you do this, then I will love you.”

We love—period.

A mother once said to her children before Christmas, “Please don’t worry about gifts. All I want is your presence. I want us to be together.” That is covenant.

So here is our second point: A covenant is not a contract. It is unconditional, unbreakable, and rooted in love.

God Never Cancels the Covenant

This is where we often go wrong.

We are very good at contracts.

We are much less faithful to covenants.

That was Israel’s struggle with God.

Again and again, Israel tried to cancel the relationship and sign on with other gods.

And God replied, “I don’t think so. What we have is a covenant. I may discipline you, but I will never abandon you.”

It is our struggle too.

We try to cancel our covenant with God—and with one another.

And what does God do? God keeps showing up. God keeps saying, “I will never let you go.”

As Scripture says: “Can a mother forget her child? Even if she could, I will not forget you.”

That is covenant.

Covenant is demanding.  Covenant is beautiful.  Covenant is radical.

Because covenant is cosmic and unbreakable.

Whether we like it or not, whether we recognize it or not, we belong—to God, to one another, and to all creation—forever.

The Jewish philosopher Martin Buber wrote, “All life is meeting.”

All life is relationship. All life is covenant.

Living the Baptismal Covenant

So here is some homework—for you and for me. This week, pay attention to your relationships—with people, with creation, with God.

Notice where you treat relationships as contracts.

Notice where you live them as covenants.

Ask yourself:

Why do I protect myself with conditions here?

Why do I withhold commitment there?

Where is God inviting me into deeper faithfulness?

Because all life is meeting. All life is covenant.

And that is why, at Jesus’ baptism, the heavens opened and God said,

“You are my beloved Son. With you I am well pleased.”

In baptism, that same voice speaks to us:

“You are my beloved child.”

“You belong.”

“You are held in an everlasting covenant of love.”

So today, as we renew our Baptismal Covenant, remember:

This covenant is not about me.

It is about us. Bound together in Christ—whether we like it or not.

And thanks be to God for Covenant. Amen. Alleluia. Glory to you Jesus.