I will establish my Covenant between myself and you, and your descendants after you, generation after generation, a Covenant in perpetuity, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land you are living in, the whole land of Canaan, to own in perpetuity, and I will be your God. ‘You on your part shall maintain my Covenant, yourself and your descendants after you, generation after generation.’

We can sometimes have the impression that Christianity is all about God commanding, and us doing – that, in fact, there is very little we get out of it. This text from the book of Genesis flips this over completely. Christianity is first of all God seeking to do us good – infinite good. A covenant with God is never him exacting terms before giving something small in return: it is always first of all God seeking us out and offering us the cosmos – offering us all the desires of our heart, and above all himself – as he does on the cross. All he asks is our love, the gift of ourself in return – in order that he can give us what he so deeply desires that we have: our own fulfilment.