Message from Fr. James - August 16, 2026

God’s Family Covenant with David

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

God saves us through covenants. A covenant is a relationship that changes everything in life. It is not an exchange of goods or services, like a contract. It is an exchange of persons. Each person belongs to the other. God used covenants to save us throughout history because covenants are such powerful relationships.

Fr. Dave announced that our Giving Tuesday 2025 project would create an art gallery of God’s covenants. From Sacred Scripture, we chose to paint eight covenants between God and us. The story of our salvation is made in God’s covenants with Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, the twelve tribes of Israel, King David, and, finally, the new and eternal covenant with Jesus Christ. Each of these covenants changes everything about your life. The painting of the seventh covenant, with the house of David, is now hanging in the parish hall.

King David wanted to do something for God. He said to the prophet Nathan, “Here I am, dwelling in a house of cedar, while the Ark of God dwells in a tent” (1 Samuel 7:2). David’s heart always sang for God. In our painting, this is shown by David’s harp next to the prophet Nathan. David was a sinner like you and me – this is represented in the painting by the cracked vase – but his heart belonged to the Lord. David didn’t know how much God’s heart also belonged to him, but he was about to find out! The Lord promised a covenant to David that perfected his promises to Abraham: land, offspring, and blessing.

“I, the Lord, promise that I will establish a royal house for you. And when it is time for you to be with your ancestors, I will designate as your heir one of your sons to succeed you, and I shall establish his kingdom forever” (1 Sam 7:11- 12). God really loved David, and God is clever! David was talking about building a physical house, while God was talking about creating a dynasty - a living family tree of great kings. Who would be the “one”? Who would be the king of this eternal kingdom?

“I shall be a father to him, and he will be my son… I will never withdraw my steadfast love from him” (1 Sam 7:14- 15). From this moment forward, the twelve tribes of Israel expected a Savior from the house of David. This is Jesus, the son of God! St. Matthew and St. Luke made this clear in their Gospels. Jesus is the “heir” to all of God’s covenants with Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. This is represented by the three beams of light that fall on the child in the frame. All truth, beauty, and goodness belong to Jesus. And Jesus really loves you and me. He wants to give himself to you and to me.

Jesus is the son of God who through Mary became the son of David. He belongs to our human family. God gave himself to us. The three rays of light also represent our baptism in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which makes us become the priests, prophets, and kings of God’s eternal kingdom. These three vocations are represented by the three people in the frame. We are part of God’s living family tree. Like David, we are not perfect, but we belong to God, and God belongs to us. This is what saves us. God saves us. That is the meaning of the name Jesus.

In Christ,

Fr. James