A Twilight Musing

What would you think if an insurance agent came to your home and offered you a policy that covers not only the mishaps that might come to you in the future, but all of the misfortunes and mistakes from which you have suffered in the past?  And what if, moreover, the expense and risk of this dream policy were to be borne, not by you, for whom it is written, but by the company that issues it?  You would say, of course, "What's the catch?  What do I have to do?"  Then the agent says, "You only have to agree to accept the policy as a gift, and never to say or pretend that you have received it because you deserve it; and also to commit yourself to telling others about it."

Jesus referred in His institution of the Lord's Supper to the "covenant" sealed by His blood.  This covenant is somewhat like the unbelievable insurance policy described above, in that, like all of God's covenants, it depends on what He has done, not on what we have done. We have no bragging rights when we accept it, only thanking rights.  But accepting the covenant sealed by Jesus' blood is a much more intimate arrangement than signing that fantasy insurance policy.  It is more like the marriage of Hosea to his undeserving wife, for God Himself has plucked us from the miry clay of sin and set our feet on the rock of His assurance that He will cover all past and future harms that may come to us.  

Of course, that places some responsibilities on us, not by way of payment, but by way of gratitude.  How can we live in the light of His salvation except by letting the brightness of His generosity shine in us, and by telling others of the wonders of God's covenant of grace?  As we take these symbols of Jesus' sacrifice and covenant, let us remember that He has made us his Body in the world, so that we can be the proclaimers of His Perfect Insurance Policy, written in blood.   

Dr. Elton Higgs was a faculty member in the English department of the University of Michigan-Dearborn from 1965-2001. Having retired from UM-D as Prof. of English in 2001, he now lives with his wife in Jackson, MI. He has published scholarly articles on Chaucer, Langland, the Pearl Poet, Shakespeare, and Milton. Recently, Dr. Higgs has self-published a collection of his poetry called Probing Eyes: Poems of a Lifetime, 1959-2019, as well as a book inspired by The Screwtape Letters, called The Ichabod Letters, available as an e-book from Moral Apologetics. (Ed.: Dr. Higgs was the most important mentor during undergrad for the creator of this website, and his influence was inestimable.