St. John s United Church Sunday Service November 3, 2013 Scripture: Hebrews 11:1 12:3 Readers: Allan Collier, Beth Bennett and Nick Massey Reflection: Rev. Beverley Tracey SCRIPTURE READING: Hebrews 11 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 Indeed, by faith * our ancestors received approval. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. * 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable * sacrifice than Cain s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith * he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and he was not found, because God had taken him. For it was attested before he was taken away that he had pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith. 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old and Sarah herself was barren because he considered him faithful who had promised. * 12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. 13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were
strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, 18 of whom he had been told, It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named after you. 19 He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked blessings for the future on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial. * 23 By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king s edict. * 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh s daughter, 25 choosing rather to share illtreatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered abuse suffered for the Christ * to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king s anger; for he persevered as though * he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. * 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, * because she had received the spies in peace. 32 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 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war,
put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 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 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better so that they would not, without us, be made perfect. Hebrews 12 1 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, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of * the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, * so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. REFLECTION: At Monday s Bible study we took turns reading sections of what you ve just heard read from the book of Hebrews, including the lines Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured; others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. Others 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. After hearing these lines Jane Wynne couldn t help but blurt out, it sounds like a trailer for a horror movie! And it sure wouldn t be the kind of movie she would be lining up to see. In some ways the whole of Hebrews 11 is a pretty grim picture
this long litany of men and women who lived and died trusting in God's promises, promises they did not live to see fulfilled. And yet somehow these are the ones who accompany us; these are some of that great cloud of witnesses that surround us on this All Saint s Sunday. And it s not a horror show at all in fact it s exquisitely beautiful. I caught a glimpse of this in a way that I had never before when I visited the church of St. Gregory of Nyssa in San Francisco As you enter the church your eyes are drawn up up to this great icon that completely encircles the sanctuary. Some ninety larger than life saints are dancing in a circle, following the lead of a twelve foot dancing Christ. Traditional saints are there like St. Paul and St. Frances, and there are unorthodox and non-christian people there too people like Malcolm X and Anne Frank, people like Ella Fitzgerald and Charles Darwin, There are musicians, artists, mathematicians, martyrs, scholars, mystics, lovers, prophets, poets and sinnersfrom all times and from many faiths and backgrounds in that circle. During their celebration of communion the congregation dances around the alter, the saints dance above, and as they sing and dance to Jesus lead they proclaim a vision of God s life shining in and through all humankind. I d like to pause for a moment to give you a glimpse into that circle of saints so that you might see how beautiful it is to belong to this great procession of God s people, both seen and unseen, who accompany, surround, and sustain us as we seek to live and die as people of the gospel. (powerpoint) We belong to this great procession of God s people; and the writer to the Hebrews lists Abraham as one of these saints. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out not knowing where he was going. Abram heard, Go from your country and your kindred and your father s house to the land I will show you., and believing he had heard the very voice of God, Abram set off into new territory. Abram left in faith, not knowing where he was going, or even why he was going, except that God had commanded him. It s a strange story for us to spend time with some 4000 years later,
but I believe it is a timely story as well, for God s call upon Abraham and his family, is a call that s repeated to us, and in particular to us as the church in this time and place. Abraham heard God s call and started out in faith, not know where he was going, or even why he was going, except that God had commanded him. I think that s a very familiar place to us, for we are a people whom God has called to journey with Jesus towards the reign of God, towards that vision of a new humanity Jesus embodied, a new humanity living in harmony with one another and with our God, and living in harmony with the earth. And the truth is we don t know what the journey holds for us; we don t know what that vision asks of us in concrete terms, we don t know if we will live long enough to enjoy that kind of harmony. But what we do know is God has given us an amazing story; this Christian tradition we have been entrusted with is a rich and powerful source of life. And we have heard the call to journey with Jesus toward the reign of God that he embodied; we have heard a call to be faithfully at work embodying the reign of God here and now. Having been given such a calling, it is now for us o once more set out in faith, trusting in the One whose name is Mercy and Wisdom and Hope. Such a calling in this time is no easy task, for it is a call to move beyond three deeply human and powerful fears. This calling asks us to move beyond our fear of the unknown. When Abraham left Haran for Canaan, he left all that was familiar his friends and family, the familiar landscape that sustained his herds, the everyday rhythms of his life, the culture and customs he had known since his youth. Abraham journey from what he had to what he did not have, from the known to the unknown, from everything that was familiar to all things strange. In order to do this Abraham had to give up control, he had to made his peace with not knowing. He had to choose to trust God s promise to bless him in a new and strange place. So it is for us in our personal lives, in the life of our congregation,
in the life of our world The future is uncertain; we can t control much of what will unfold; who we will become, what will be asked of us, what our children s lives will look like, how our planet will survive. It is for us to set out in faith, trusting in God s promise to bless us in new and perhaps even strange ways. Abrahams journey into the unknown required a second choice on his part he had to overcome his fear of the stranger. Abraham had to leave behind his small-minded ways, his tendency to exclude the strange and the stranger. If Abraham could manage to make his home among strangers, to make his peace with strange ways, to show hospitality to strangers who arrived at his tent door, then in and through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. Like Abraham before us, we to are called to move beyond our fear of the strange, and the stranger. If the church is to survive and thrive we must find ways to embrace the stranger the ones who are not at this gathering this morning. God called Abraham and God calls us to an embrace of everyone so that all the peoples of earth might be blessed. I wonder how we might go about that here at St. John s? How do we widen our embrace to include more of our neigbours? How do we pass on the richness of this life giving faith to the next generation? How do we welcome the stranger? Abraham s journey required a third move he had to move beyond his powerlessness to do anything in the face of the impossible. God had promised him a son, in fact God had promised heirs as numerous as the stars of the night sky. It was through these offspring that God would make them a blessing for all the peoples of the earth. But Abraham and Sarah were old barren Sarah and impotent Abraham were as good as dead. They scoffed at the idea of a child, for they knew they were well beyond child-bearing years.
In response to their bitter laughter God asked them, Is anything too hard for the Lord? It was a question that brought Abraham to a place of decision, and Abraham made a subversive choice; he believed that God could do the impossible. He moved beyond his fear to faith that God could, quite literally, make something out of nothing. After a few false starts that included chronic lying about his wife and bearing children by his slave woman, a son was born to Abraham and Sarah. God did the impossible. I suspect that the impossible holds a lot of power over us as wellthere s impossible choices, impossible amounts of work, impossible powers bent on destroying the planet, impossible long standing hatreds dividing the human community. The amazing news that comes to us afresh this morning is that in the face of all that is impossible, and in the face of not a few false starts, God is at work in the face of impossibility. We, along with Abraham, are sustained by the One who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. No wonder the writer to the Hebrews concludes this long list of faithful men and women with a reference to Jesus for at the heart of the gospel is this compelling story of Jesus, one among us who shows us Love s face, one among us who embodies the reign of God, one among us who leads us into life - for ourselves, for others, for the earth God so loves. One among us who strengthens us when times are hard; one among us who deepens our trust in God s power for life. It is this One, the one gave everything, even his life, for the sake of life for others; it is this One, whom God raised from death to life; it is this One who always and everywhere who leads us into freedom; it is this One who accompanies us that might not grow weary or lose heart. it is this One who surrounds and sustains us on this All Saint s Sunday; Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2)