Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
(Heb. 12:1-3, NIV)
Greg: I hate long-distance running. Actually I just hate running. One of my least favorite running exercises was running while pulling sleds in high school athletics. We had 60-pound, 80-pound, and 120-pound sleds, which we attached to ourselves with a harness and ran 30 yards, turned around, and ran 30 yards back. Apart from the normal sleds, there was also a log, weighing in excess of 150 pounds, which one might pull. Unfortunately youthful pride and excessive vigor often lead to foolish choices (can I hear an amen from the house parents!), and someone always ends up trying to pull the log. Sometimes it can create quite a stir, so that all the other guys are watching and cheering on the guy pulling the log.
Often, after pulling the sleds, we would run some wind sprints without the sleds. The difference was dramatic! I felt so light and fast. Unstrapping the harness made all the difference in the world.
The author of Hebrews paints us a similar picture. Surrounding by a packed stadium of witnesses, we are to cast off our harnesses and run with perseverance. How do we do that, though? How do we throw off the sin that entangles us? We fix our eyes on Jesus. Throughout the week we have been talking about what we can see and what we cannot see. Here we are told what to focus our vision on.
Tiffany: I think we have a similar situation here. In our community there are so many brothers and sisters around us, supporting us like a stadium-full of fans. Along with that support, though, comes the weight that we are called to lay off. The enemy works against us, increasing fear and doubt even as we struggle to run the race set before us.
Sometimes we feel like our feet are stuck in the mud, and that is why these passages about endurance speak to us. They tell us how to go on when we can't go on. When Jesus was on the cross he called out to his Father, and we must do the same when we are at the end of our ropes. Though it is hardest to depend on God when we have heavy burdens, it is really when we have those burdens that we most need to depend on God.
Greg: Definitely. The reason we can throw off our burden and run is that we see Jesus, the founder and forerunner of our faith, who hung on as he was nailed to the cross. Like the heroes of the faith, Jesus looked ahead (and above), fixing his eyes on the joy set before him. Things didn't really turn out that great for Jesus, but he put up with the shame of the cross because he was a pilgrim and an exile here.
The founder of faith, Jesus, held on and endured, even when death stared him right in the eye. That endurance, as we have seen before in Hebrews, led him to the right hand of God. The author urges us to consider this Christ, who endured death and opposition. Christ is our example in endurance, the goal on which we must fix our eyes. As we sojourn here, we know that we are headed for the heavenly city when we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Tiffany: I agree that we have to focus on Jesus. So much of our thought about endurance has to do with pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps. When we try to endure on our own power, though, we aren't running a race. We're just running on a treadmill. We may be getting faster, but we're not going anywhere. At the heart of the matter is this - enduring tough times makes us better, not because we make ourselves stronger but because we learn to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
A toddler doesn't stroll around leisurely, taking in the scenery. A toddler looks straight ahead, focusing completely and totally on where he or she has to step in order to walk. This is the kind of endurance we need. Toddlers are not cross-country champions, but they do know how to channel all their energy in one direction. The point of endurance is not necessarily simply to bear up and take it. Endurance is about locking on to Christ, our forerunner.
Greg: The author presents Jesus as an example, primarily so that the audience will not give up. The readers are very close to "grow(ing) weary and los(ing) heart," but the word of exhortation urges them to hang on and bend their vision toward Jesus, who also hung on when he was tired and burned out.
Grace and peace,
Greg and Tiffany
Showing posts with label witness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label witness. Show all posts
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The enlightening light ...
Today, a scripture and prayer to celebrate our Creator:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1 – NRSV
Your world-forming speech
Walter Brueggemann
Light from light
Creation from chaos
Life from death
Joy from sorrow
Hope from despair
Peace from hate
All your gifts, all your love, all your power.
All from your word, fresh from your word,
all gifts of your speech.
We give thanks for your world-forming speech.
Thanks as well for our speech back to you,
the speech of mothers and fathers
who dared to speak
in faith and unfaith
in trust and distrust
in grateful memory and in high hurt.
We cherish this speech as we cherish yours.
Listen this day for the groans and yearnings of your world,
listen to our own songs of joy and our drudges of death,
and in the midst of our stammering
speak your clear word of life
in the name of your word come flesh.
Amen
Blessings,
Ron
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1 – NRSV
Your world-forming speech
Walter Brueggemann
Light from light
Creation from chaos
Life from death
Joy from sorrow
Hope from despair
Peace from hate
All your gifts, all your love, all your power.
All from your word, fresh from your word,
all gifts of your speech.
We give thanks for your world-forming speech.
Thanks as well for our speech back to you,
the speech of mothers and fathers
who dared to speak
in faith and unfaith
in trust and distrust
in grateful memory and in high hurt.
We cherish this speech as we cherish yours.
Listen this day for the groans and yearnings of your world,
listen to our own songs of joy and our drudges of death,
and in the midst of our stammering
speak your clear word of life
in the name of your word come flesh.
Amen
Blessings,
Ron
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Settling our differences
First of all, several quick notes:
Because readership on Saturday is lighter, Saturday's devotional will simply be a passage of scripture. Meditation on that scripture during the events of the weekend can be powerful for those who will do so.
I've finished with my experiment in html email. It will make a great tool for the Home to communicate with its friends in the weeks to come. For a number of reasons I plan to return this devotional to regular email on Monday, unless the public outcry is against it. If you disagree, you can email me at wbhdir@aol.com.
In case you missed a devo, or misfiled one, an archive of the devotionals has been set up on a blog. The blog's web address is: http://www.wbhdevos.blogspot.com/
Matthew 18:12-35
"Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn't he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers.
"If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him — work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love.
"Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."
At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?"
Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
"The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.
"The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.
"The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, 'Pay up. Now!'
"The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' But he wouldn't do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
"The king summoned the man and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?' The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy."
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Show grace, make peace,
Ron
Because readership on Saturday is lighter, Saturday's devotional will simply be a passage of scripture. Meditation on that scripture during the events of the weekend can be powerful for those who will do so.
I've finished with my experiment in html email. It will make a great tool for the Home to communicate with its friends in the weeks to come. For a number of reasons I plan to return this devotional to regular email on Monday, unless the public outcry is against it. If you disagree, you can email me at wbhdir@aol.com.
In case you missed a devo, or misfiled one, an archive of the devotionals has been set up on a blog. The blog's web address is: http://www.wbhdevos.blogspot.com/
Matthew 18:12-35
"Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn't he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers.
"If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him — work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love.
"Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."
At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?"
Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
"The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.
"The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.
"The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, 'Pay up. Now!'
"The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' But he wouldn't do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
"The king summoned the man and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?' The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy."
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Show grace, make peace,
Ron
Thursday, July 24, 2008
A pile of stones
Everywhere you turn in the book of Joshua, there are rocks. Sometimes they are single stones, sometimes they are stacked with a particular number, sometimes they are just a massive pile of rocks.
Twelve stones are brought from the bed of the Jordan to serve as a memorial of the crossing of the twelve tribes (Josh 4). Knives are made from stone to make the people holy and one (Josh 5.2-8). This caused the reproach of Egypt to be rolled away like a stone (Josh 5.9). Jericho (Josh 6) fell into a heap of stones [except the stones of Rahab's house remained standing, the original witness protection plan]. When Achan erred, he was stoned and buried under a pile of stones (Josh 7) so that his error would not quickly be forgotten. When Ai fell (Josh 8), not only was it left as a heap of burnt rocks, its king was buried under a pile of rocks (Josh 8.29). Then, on top of Mount Ebal, an altar of uncut stones is built to worship God, and Joshua copies the Book of the Law onto stones (Josh 8.30-35). When the five kings of the Amorites come against Israel, God makes even water into rocks, and more Amorites die from hailstones than from the sword (Josh 10.5-11). When those kings hide in a cave, they are trapped inside with rocks, and after their deaths, that same cave is made into a tomb sealed with those rocks (Josh 10.16-27). A stone memorializing Bohan, son of Reuben, is made into a boundary marker (Josh 15.6; 18.17) and a silent reminder of a promise fulfilled.
Surely this has the least curious of us asking, "Why all of these rocks?" It might just be that the promised land has lots of rocks, and although that is true, it does not explain why the writer of this story bothered to tell us about them. Why all of these rocks?
The answer comes at the end of the book and the end of the life of Joshua. Joshua sets up a large stone near an oak near the holy place of the Lord (Josh 24.26). He then says, "See . . . this stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God." You have all heard the expressions: "If these walls could talk . . ." or "If these rocks could speak . . . ." For the people of God, all of nature stands as a witness to the acts of God through his people, and their own acts of wilfulness.
Not far from Hollis stands a rock, a stone not likely to be moved by the hands of men. It stands as a witness to the lives of a father and his son and their God, and their relationship with one another: Ron, Ben, YHWH. Its testimony would help you understand how close these three have become because of the events that happened in its presence some time ago. Triumph. Disaster. Pain. Hope. Fear. Courage. Power. Exhaustion. Salvation. And every time that this father and son return with their God, that stone's testimony is heard again in all three hearts.
What testimony will the rocks and trees in Harmon County give about our time there? God only knows now, but if we are truly passionate about our children and our God, now is the time for us to think and plan and prepare for those moments so that we can have some assurance that God will be glorified by that testimony.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb 12.1,2
Twelve stones are brought from the bed of the Jordan to serve as a memorial of the crossing of the twelve tribes (Josh 4). Knives are made from stone to make the people holy and one (Josh 5.2-8). This caused the reproach of Egypt to be rolled away like a stone (Josh 5.9). Jericho (Josh 6) fell into a heap of stones [except the stones of Rahab's house remained standing, the original witness protection plan]. When Achan erred, he was stoned and buried under a pile of stones (Josh 7) so that his error would not quickly be forgotten. When Ai fell (Josh 8), not only was it left as a heap of burnt rocks, its king was buried under a pile of rocks (Josh 8.29). Then, on top of Mount Ebal, an altar of uncut stones is built to worship God, and Joshua copies the Book of the Law onto stones (Josh 8.30-35). When the five kings of the Amorites come against Israel, God makes even water into rocks, and more Amorites die from hailstones than from the sword (Josh 10.5-11). When those kings hide in a cave, they are trapped inside with rocks, and after their deaths, that same cave is made into a tomb sealed with those rocks (Josh 10.16-27). A stone memorializing Bohan, son of Reuben, is made into a boundary marker (Josh 15.6; 18.17) and a silent reminder of a promise fulfilled.
Surely this has the least curious of us asking, "Why all of these rocks?" It might just be that the promised land has lots of rocks, and although that is true, it does not explain why the writer of this story bothered to tell us about them. Why all of these rocks?
The answer comes at the end of the book and the end of the life of Joshua. Joshua sets up a large stone near an oak near the holy place of the Lord (Josh 24.26). He then says, "See . . . this stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God." You have all heard the expressions: "If these walls could talk . . ." or "If these rocks could speak . . . ." For the people of God, all of nature stands as a witness to the acts of God through his people, and their own acts of wilfulness.
Not far from Hollis stands a rock, a stone not likely to be moved by the hands of men. It stands as a witness to the lives of a father and his son and their God, and their relationship with one another: Ron, Ben, YHWH. Its testimony would help you understand how close these three have become because of the events that happened in its presence some time ago. Triumph. Disaster. Pain. Hope. Fear. Courage. Power. Exhaustion. Salvation. And every time that this father and son return with their God, that stone's testimony is heard again in all three hearts.
What testimony will the rocks and trees in Harmon County give about our time there? God only knows now, but if we are truly passionate about our children and our God, now is the time for us to think and plan and prepare for those moments so that we can have some assurance that God will be glorified by that testimony.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb 12.1,2
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