God doesn’t change and God keeps promises. Hold on to the truth! This gives hope — hope which anchors our lives. The way God dealt with Jesus gives us this hope. As God dealt with Jesus, God will deal with us, His children.
As we stood at the graveside — alone for just a few moments — the widow turned to me to thank me for leading her husband’s service. “It was beautiful, a real celebration. Thank you for proclaiming the Gospel the way you did.” She smiled and almost winked at me as she blinked
back tears; “It had better be true!”
The older I get, the more I am convinced that the most precious commodity in our world remains hope. Just as the original audience of Hebrews longed for, and at times lacked hope, we desire such an anchor as well. This drives us to work for financial security, for good health, for political and social reform, and for material possessions, all in search of an anchor, a sense of hope for the future and for our lives. The Preacher points us to the source of true hope — the true anchor for our lives — Jesus Christ.
Can we trust God? Can we walk into the future with confidence? The Preacher says unequivocally, “Yes!” No new life is possible without such hope. No resurrection of our circumstances can happen without such hope. This is the precious commodity the Church has to offer the world. This Lenten Season, may we prepare ourselves to announce and to live in hope. Let us re-anchor our families, our church and our soul in the sure hope of the passion of our Savior. In the words of the old hymn:
My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand; All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand. (“My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less,” Hymn #379,
The Presbyterian Hymnal, 1990.)
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing
so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13)
Hebrews 10:23-24 (Paraphrase)
Hold fast to our hope; don’t waver; believe God’s promise we see fulfilled in Jesus. Let us prod one another to love and good works, remaining in contact with the fellowship; not tiring of discipleship.
It has been years since I felt the weight of parenting small children and infants. At one point, I parented three children under the age of 5. Like many others, I spent more than 8 years with at least one child in diapers! I have fond memories of those days, but I also remember the heaviness of the responsibility. I have particular memories of the years my husband spent working on his Doctor of Ministry degree and the weeks he spent away in study and writing. The cry from a child in the middle of the night; the temper tantrum at dinnertime; the unexpected fever as I prepared everyone for a day of work and school and child-care — each made more trying because I knew there was no back-up! If I grew weary of the work, it didn’t matter. If I had a rough day or a sad experience at the church, it didn’t matter. The children’s needs had to be met, and my love for them helped me hang in there. Friends — mostly other mothers of small children — helped as well! Their example and encouragement were lights of hope and joy. To this day I give thanks for those friendships and for the way they buoyed my spirit and made me a better mother.
The Preacher reminds us that some who follow Christ grow weary of the weight of the task set before them. Whole churches grow weary and withdraw from the mission God has placed before them. When faced with concerns and issues or with work to be done, some believers simply slipped away, tired of the demands of discipleship, and weary of the work necessary to fulfill Christ’s call. The Preacher counsels an unwavering hope and work ethic. Just as a loving parent transcends weariness to meet their children’s needs, the Christian doesn’t tire of the demands of discipleship because of the love we know in our Savior Jesus. And just as young families need our encouragement and support, disciples of Jesus Christ are not meant to be lone rangers. We need one another to poke and prod and love us into usefulness in the Body of Christ.
New life begins when following Christ is no longer a duty, no longer work to be done, and no longer about us. Resurrection happens when we recognize and celebrate Christ in our midst, and when we feel that power irresistibly prodding us to love and good works.
“The plans of the mind belong to mortals, but the answer is from the Lord. All one’s ways may be pure in one’s own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established.”
(Proverbs 16:1-3)
Hebrews 11:1
Faith is assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen.
Years ago, I had occasion to counsel a young man who came to the church for Adult Baptism. We went through his understanding of Jesus Christ and of Scripture, as well as his understanding of church membership. The interview went pretty much as I expected, until at
the end, when he asked me, “Stacy, before I do this I just want to know — I mean, you’re a smart person — what evidence do you have that Jesus’ resurrection power is still available to us in the world today?” I blinked a few times, and then had to say, “Chuck, I have no hard evidence at all. What I have is faith.” I went on to explain that by definition, faith is the
assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things we can’t prove or see. I will never forget his response, because in all honesty he looked at me and said, “Boy, this is harder than I expected.”
I believe that is exactly what the Preacher is trying to get across in Hebrews 11. There is nothing easy about faith. There is nothing easy about following Christ. Anyone who teaches such a thing does the Gospel a disservice. Anyone who enters into faith and into Christian
service believing it simple or trouble-free will have little staying power.
On the other hand, the Preacher spends the rest of Chapter 11 showing the strength of real faith. He lists a who’s who of the instruments of God — both of the early church and the Hebrew Scriptures. These people, by faith, relied upon God, instead of themselves. In doing so, God accomplished mighty things through them.
Living faithful to God has not changed. As we watch for God’s resurrection in our lives and in our church, we must learn to appreciate the complex art of walking by faith.
“We walk by faith, not by sight.”
(2 Corinthians 5:7)
