"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”
What word there really jumps out at you?
Worth memorizing this passage (on the cover of our bulletin)…
I’m saying -- we are singing and confessing -- all the time here that we are “free in Christ”. That sound familiar? Remember all that stuff in Galatians we had in July about being free in Christ? Now in the book of Hebrews, we are reminded that this freedom in Christ comes through the community of the faithful, the cloud of witnesses -- those who bear witness to the love, joy and freedom that God has given us.
So today, August 14, 2016, as we move into a new week, an exciting season, a new school year, a building project, perhaps a new job or a new home...who’s in your cloud? Who’s in the cloud of witnesses cheering you on, running along side you?
Are most of the people that come to mind for you alive, or have they died? I the answer’s both. Both make up your cloud. Any children in your cloud of witnesses? I’ve been reflecting on this question all week, and my kids are definitely in mine -- with their keen insights and observations, and their faithfulness and clarity, with their ease of proximity to God. They’re not just cute and entertaining all the time, they bear witness to the God who’s name is Love! They are prophetic and profound.
I hope you take some time to recognize who’s “in your cloud” this week. Both living and resting in the eternal company of the saints in light. We don’t give as much CENTRAL emphasis on the ancestors. Asian culture and religion, Native American spirituality -- these could teach us a thing or two about honoring and recognizing the influence and the pervasiveness of the ancestors in the faith. They’re all around us. And they’ve gone before us.
That’s what the book of Hebrews does: “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land...By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days..By faith Rahab...did not perish with those who were disobedient...And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness...Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented...They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.”
Do you consider David and Samuel, Ruth and Naomi, Paul and Lydia all part of your cloud? You should. They are there cheering you on. That’s what we’re reminded of today.
There’s this picture I came across this week of a man in a marathon -- “running the race”. Except he was in a wheel chair. He was surrounded by others running, but he’s wheeling. And he had this shirt on that said, “Keep Calm and Keep Running.” I’ve been so struck by this image...
Maybe sometimes you don’t feel like you’re fully “running”, like a man wheeling his way through 26 miles. But he’s a full participant in that race. And so are you. And like him, you’re not alone. Christ is with you, yes. But so is this cloud of witness. Some cheering you on -- like those who have gone before you. And some running right along side you. Your situation might be unique -- like the marathon man in the wheel chair. Your obstacles might be different than others -- like the marathon man in the wheel chair. But you are not alone. Christ is with you, heaven’s booster club is reigning down chants and cheers for you, AND your sisters and brothers are right along side you. Keep calm and keep running the race set before you.
Thanks be to God for giving us one another, for giving us such a rich ancestry of faithful witnesses, and for giving us that One Jesus Christ, who lives and runs and fills us to the brim with grace and peace...this day and into eternity! AMEN.
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