9.14.25 TRUSTING THE COVENANT: Renewed Through Repentance

Rev. Dr. Dedric Cowser • September 8, 2025

Jeremiah 31:18-20, 31-34, Ezekiel 34:1-5, 10b-18

Dear Trinity Family & Friends,

 

There are some moments in life when moving forward means letting go. This week in our Trusting the Covenant series, we encounter one of the hardest spiritual truths of all: sometimes, something has to die before something new can be born.

 

Our sermon is entitled “Let It Die,” and we’re exploring two powerful passages—Ezra 3:10–13 and 2 Chronicles 15:8–19. In Ezra, we witness a bittersweet moment: the foundation of the new temple is being laid, and there is both shouting and weeping. The past glory is gone, and some are grieving its loss. Yet others rejoice because God is doing something new. In 2 Chronicles, we read about King Asa, who chooses to remove idols, repair the altar, and renew the covenant. It’s a story of reformation—but that reformation didn’t come without sacrifice.

 

Letting go is painful. Whether it’s a dream, a routine, a relationship, or a way of thinking, there’s grief involved. But covenant trust means believing that God isn’t just in the building up—God is also in the tearing down. God is in the pruning, the releasing, the death that makes room for new life.

 

As we prepare for worship this Sunday, I encourage you to ask: What am I holding onto that might be getting in the way of what God wants to do next?


Episode 22 Restoration

Day 1: 1 Chronicles 10:1-11:9; 28-29 

Day 2: 2 Chronicles 33-36 

Day 3: Ezra 1; 2:68-6:22 

Day 4: Ezra 7-10 

Day 5: Nehemiah 1-2; 4; 7:73b-8:18 

Day 6: Covenant Meditation on 2 Chronicles 15:12-15 

Day 7: Group Meeting Experience with 1 Chronicles 29:10-19


Small Group Discussion Questions:

  1. In Ezra 3, why do you think some people wept while others rejoiced? How do you relate to each reaction?
  2. What does “letting it die” look like in your own life right now? What might God be inviting you to release?
  3. King Asa tore down idols and renewed the altar. What are the modern-day “idols” we may need to remove to return to God more fully?
  4. What gives you hope when something in your life comes to an end? How can community help in the process of release and renewal?

 

There is grief in letting go—but there is also grace. This Sunday, we’ll hold space for both as we trust that even in endings, God is at work.

 

Blessings,

Pastor Dedric


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