Sue Lepp | The Irreverent Reverend

Dedication Service for Emmanuel

Psalm 122 Ephesians 2:19-22 John 2:13-22

Welcome to the Temple of Sidlow Bridge for our Dedication Service this morning. As Emmanuel is not named after a saint with a specific date attached, we are able to celebrate the church with a Dedication Festival. My hope is that we will again show our thanks for all that God has done and continues to do for His little temple here. We also must show our love and gratitude for the wonderful humans who do so much to keep this place going.

What springs to mind when you hear the word temple? Stone? Hindu or Buddhist temples in India or Thailand? Jerusalem? A massive building? Something cold and imposing?

All three of our readings for today feature the temple in Jerusalem.

The Temple was the beating heart of Judaism. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to visit Jerusalem can appreciate the size and scale of it as the centrepoint of the city. The Temple was the home of worship, music, the focal point of politics and Jewish society, a place of national celebration and mourning. Westminster Abbey or St Paul’s Cathedral are somewhat a parallel in terms of significance to the people. The Temple was the place where YHWH, God had promised to live in the midst of his people.

It is useful to remember that Jerusalem has had two temples. The First Temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians around 587/586 BCE as the Jews were sent into exile by King Nebuchadnezzar. This was a devastating event for the Jews that reverberated for centuries. The house of the Lord referred to in Psalm 122 was likely connected to the First Temple.

The rebuilding of the Second Temple began about 50 years after the first destruction. It then stalled out for about 20 years. Two to three generations had passed, the exile was over and they could return home to Jerusalem. The Old Testament prophet Haggai was the great encouragement to get the Jews to go home again.

Haggai is a tiny two chapter book towards the end of the Old Testament. Not much is known about Haggai: his name means ‘festal’ which is fitting for the prophet who called the Jewish people to rebuild the temple of God and to bring back worship in Jerusalem.

In Haggai’s second sermon, he is reminding the Jews of the exodus when God called the Hebrews out of Egypt. Jesus and the disciples arrived in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover. Passover is a time to remember what God had done in the past when he saved the Jewish people from Pharaoh in Egypt. It was also a celebration of liberation, freedom and rescue from slavery.

Haggai was a champion for the homeless as he called the Jewish community to action in the rebuilding of the Temple. He was also calling the Jewish people to wake up to their responsibilities, obligations, privileges and promises of their heritage. And they do.

Jesus appears in the temple a few hundred years later. Sweet baby Jesus carried into the temple by his young parents for the expected rituals required by their Jewish faith. This ordinary event transitioned to a divinely appointed meeting with Simeon and Anna. Jesus is revealed as the light of the world and an ominous warning was given to Mary. Grown-up Jesus returns to the same Temple and causes some havoc.

Over time it became more of a market-place and one of corruption; and it is now under God’s judgement. Those who were selling the animals for sacrifice and the money-changers did need to be there. Jewish law required the right sacrifices to be offered. Unfortunately dodgy practices had infiltrated and corrupted the Temple. People were being cheated out of money by their own people. This is what Jesus was raging against.

We see Jesus on the side of those being cheated, devalued and treated badly. Jesus certainly had zeal; both for the Temple as his Father’s house and for the oppressed people. The Temple had been made into something it was never supposed to be. Jesus is correcting a serious wrong by showing that He will restore things to the way they should be.

Jesus did this by reminding the Jews of the Ten Commandment as they were breaking at least two of them: the making of idols (money) and stealing. Jesus was referring to himself in the remark about the destroyed Temple rising up in three days. Jesus is the true temple, the word made flesh and cannot be corrupted. Haggai proclaimed that the true glory of the Second Temple will not be the gold and silver of the nations but of God himself.

Jesus appeared in the Temple as a six week old baby and was shown to be the light of the world. He returned at that Feast of Passover pointing to himself, the temple of his body. Jesus is the one we are to watch and wait for. It is not always easy waiting. There is always work in the wait…

Lessons for Emmanuel

The whole structure is held together in him. Our temple is not a building but God. Churches/temples are places where people come together to worship God, meet each other, hold special events. And we should be able to do that anywhere. We are the dwelling places for God.

For the sake of the house of Lord, I will seek to do you good. Psalm 122 one of the ‘songs of ascent’; these were the travelling songs of the Jewish people as they travelled to the temple in Jerusalem for the yearly festivals. What good can we be doing for our neighbours?

Temples can be destroyed, and can be brought down. We need to resist the temptation to make this place a temple, a reservoir of memories of the past, how it used to be. We need to lean into what God is calling this church to be.

Temples can also be rebuilt. Jesus was raised from the dead, He is the resurrection and the life. We need to be built on his foundation.

Watch for the signs. Who here does not like a sign? We will reflect on the significance of signs for a few minutes. There are the obvious signs that feature in everyday life; fire exits, stop signs, traffic signals, push/pull, open/closed enter/exit, etc. These signs provide practical information and direction, keep us safe, and bring order to the world around us.

Then there are the signs from God. Many prayers have begun with, ‘God if you are real…give me a sign.’ These tend to be prayed in times of desperation and fear, when all control is lost and people come to the end of themselves. God in his infinite goodness answers these prayers. Often not as expected as the external conditions might not change and/or even get worse. The answer can be an internal sign or feeling of overwhelming peace and love, a change of perspective or defusing of intense emotion that can allow for clearer thinking.

We need to be people who can read the signs of the times correctly and it takes work.

My prayer for the next year is that this little Temple, on this side of the A217, is for clarity of purpose, that we put Jesus as the centre and foundation of all that we do, that we seek to do good for the parish of Sidlow Bridge. The secret is in our name, Emmanuel. God with us.

Thank you to each of you who work so hard to keep this temple going. Peace be with you.

Holy Cross Day

Numbers 21:4-9
John 3:13-17

Today we are remembering Holy Cross Day. This is a new one for me.

Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, discovered what many believed to be the empty tomb and true cross of Christ during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. According to tradition, the discovery was made on September 14th, 330, and then, after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built on the site, it was dedicated on September 13th or 14th, 335. From as early as the seventh century, the Church commemorated September 14th each year with a Feast of the Holy Cross.

In the high Middle Ages, after the Norman conquest, the cross became a central feature of English church architecture. Both Cathedrals and parish churches were frequently laid out with a floor plan in the shape of a cross. Many churches also featured an elevated cross or crucifix at the entrance to the chancel called the Rood Screen.

At the English Reformation, Thomas Cranmer pruned the commemoration of the cross. On the one hand, he removed the Feast of the Holy Cross from the church’s official calendar, probably because it had become associated with doubtful relics and the sale of indulgences. On the other hand, Cranmer’s communion service emphasised the significance of the cross as the site of our Lord’s once-for-all sacrifice:

Almighty God our heavenly father, which of thy tender mercy didst give thine only son Jesus Christ, to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption, who made there (by his one oblation of himself once offered) a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world…

The Feast of the Holy Cross returned to Anglicanism in the 19th and 20th centuries through the Oxford and Liturgical Movements. And here we are today.

What does the cross mean to you?

Some of you will have one around your neck. You can see them in the tattoos of younger people; they tend to make an interesting conversation starter! Is the cross a sign and symbol of love, grace, faith or comfort? Originally it was a instrument of torture and brutality used by the Romans to kill. Jesus overturned that by dying on the cross and rising again.

John 3:16 which may be familiar to many of you, is Jesus speaking to Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee and leader of the Jews who came to see Jesus at night.

Like most religious people, Nicodemus believes, to some extent, that God is love. But he believes that God’s love is measured and sensible, and follows a set of rules. I think that many Christians today still follow this thinking.

They have reasoned that God’s love is reserved for really ‘good’ people, those who are nice or do good things or turn up to church on Sundays. This is true and untrue as God’s love is for everyone despite our perceived and actual goodness and badness.

Nicodemus is confused about Jesus and where he fits; Jesus is not playing by the conventional Jewish rules that Nicodemus and his fellow Pharisees are expecting. This could be why Nicodemus pays him a visit – to get Jesus to fill in the proper forms, tick the right boxes.

Jesus then makes the crucial link between his own forthcoming death and the full benefits of the gospel. This comes through the deliverance of believers from death through the gift of eternal life which will become possible through his death.

This eternal life is a new quality of life, made only possible through the love of God, which is shown in the astonishing fact that he loves the world so much that his only Son should die for it.

John 3:16 – This very familiar verse. It is the first one I remember learning as a child. When I think of verses – it often comes to mind first as it is so ingrained. But do I really know what it means – the massive significance that gets lost or overlooked with over-familiarisation.

John 3:16 sets out what it means to be a Christian; it sums up the essence of what Christianity is.

What is that?

An invitation to join God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit in the unfathomable richness of God’s love. To join in their being and doing. This is the invitation that Jesus extended to Nicodemus that night and continues to extend to us today.

This all came through the cross. Salvation comes from the cross. This is where we need to look.

The story of Moses in the wilderness happened around approximately 1400 BC. Moses and the Israelites are in the desert and life is hard. The food is bad, they are bored with the manna and quail. Water appears to have run out. As punishment, God sent them serpents to bite them. The Israelites ask for forgiveness for speaking out against God and Moses. God then instructs Moses to make a serpent out of bronze. To look at the bronze snake and live.

As an aside, the symbol of the serpent/snake on a pole on the side of ambulances comes from this story. It is tied to Asclepius, the ancient Greek god of medicine and the benevolent, healing properties of snakes, with the shedding of a snake’s skin also representing renewal. You’ll see it on ambulances, equipment, and other emergency services materials to signify medical care. Look for the serpent and live.

Jesus reminds Nicodemus of this story; except this time Jesus is going to be the one lifted up. We are to look to him to be saved, to live. And not just live for a few more years but to live into eternity.

The final appearance of Nicodemus is after the crucifixion. Joseph of Arimathea has asked Pilate for Jesus’ body. Nicodemus is the one who brings them myrrh and aloes for the preparation of the body. Joseph and Nicodemus take Jesus’ body from the cross, wrap it with the spices in linen cloth according to burial custom and they lay him in the tomb. Nicodemus saw the cross close up; he would have touched it, felt the roughness of it, maybe got blood on his hands or robes. Maybe even pulled the spikes out of it through Jesus’ wrists and ankles. The cross would not have been a comfort at that moment.

Nicodemus would have had to reconcile the saving power of the cross with his experience of removing Jesus’ body from it. He would need to find a way to believe that Jesus being lifted up meant eternal life. That the invitation into a relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit was real and needed accepting.

As we look at the cross again today – we look for love, grace, help, healing and salvation. This is the greatest gift we have ever received. Look to the cross and live.

Trinity 11: Watch Where You Sit!

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Peasant Wedding (1567)

31/8/25

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Luke 14:1,7-14

Today is the second anniversary of my move to Charlwood. I cannot quite believe it either! What an honour to be sat in this distinguished place. Thank you for your love, service and prayers over this time. You certainly have mine.

We are continuing with Hebrews and Luke this morning.

Hebrews is something of an oddity in the New Testament. The author has never been confirmed and the audience is unknown. Who were the Hebrews? A new church, a group of people in a city somewhere? Is this a letter or a series of sermons? The letter was likely written between 50-90 AD by someone who knew their audience and circumstances. This was likely a new-ish Christian community who had broken away from Judaism and were trying to establish themselves as a new community.

There are some struggles in the community: they have been persecuted and some members have been imprisoned. They were generous to fellow Christians in need (10:32-34). However, there is something wrong in this community. The writer is telling the Hebrews to imitate its former leaders and get along with the current ones (13:7,17). This suggests they were inclined to go their own way. They were following ‘strange’ teachings (13:9) and had stopped meeting together (10:25).

Worst of all was that they had stopped growing as Christians (5:11-12). The writer accused them of lazy discipleship (6:12). He begs them to persevere (10:36), to hold on to hope (10:23) and to not drift away (2:1) or shrink back (10:37-39) in their faith. The writer provides a list of the ‘heroes of the faith’ for inspiration. The people of the Old Testament who did amazing things for God despite their shortcomings and imperfections. Good news for us then!

In the final chapters, after the writer has warned the Hebrews about the dangers of deafness towards God, he points them to Jesus as the ultimate example of faith in the face of hostility.

Finally, the Hebrews are given a list of ethical instructions on a variety of issues. Let mutual love continue, do not neglect hospitality to strangers, kindness for prisoners, honour marriage, do not love money, be content with what you have.

Most importantly, say with confidence that the Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What a world it would and could be if this was taken seriously. What would our lives look like if we took this seriously for ourselves? The Lord is our helper. Sometimes the lessons are hard and the learning takes a long time. We need frequent reminders sometimes.

Jesus’ parable of the guests at a wedding banquet is just such a reminder about where we should place ourselves.

Think for a moment about your favourite place to sit? Are you sitting in ‘your pew’ this morning? Or maybe a time when you were in a seat of honour? Bumped up to first class? What did you do to get yourself there? Adults can sometimes confuse place in society, church with an identity of self-importance and entitlement.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to jump into Fire One for an emergency call at Gatwick during a fire service visit. This is the command vehicle driven by Incident Commander who makes the decisions about what will happen – if anything does happen.

I was delighted, a little bit excited and terrified all at the same time. We listened to various radio calls between the flight deck and control tower. We made our own speculations and as we watched the plane land safely. Thankfully!

Then drove very fast down the taxiway on blue lights. I reflected after that not everyone gets invited into that seat. If the chaplain was in any way an operational risk or distraction or flappable, she would have been invited to make another cup of tea in the station and await their return.

While the temptation was to think well of myself and abilities; I found myself rather humbled by that experience and the relationships that I am establishing.

From Debie Thomas, ‘So, Jesus warned the dinner guests — be careful where you sit, and what you wish for; it might reveal more about yourself than you think.
He then turned from the guests to the hosts. He commented on what we might call the law of reciprocity. When most of us host a dinner party, we invite people whom we most enjoy, who are pretty much like us, those whose presence in our house might flatter us. In fact, Jesus observed, there’s a decent chance these people will reciprocate and invite you to their party, which is exactly what you hope.
But as he did with the guests, so with the hosts, Jesus turned the tables. Instead of those whom we would most likely invite — “your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors, ” Jesus challenges us to host those whom we are least likely to invite — “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.”
Just as he warned the guests, Jesus warned the hosts: be careful about your invitation list. Like your seating preferences, it says something about your deepest identity.
Jesus warned both guests and hosts, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

I think this is a good place to end our summer series as we begin to turn towards the autumn season. This is often a season of fresh starts. Jesus offers us fresh starts everyday. Amen! There are some great takeaways from Hebrews: Run with perseverance the race that is set before us.

Remember those who lived by faith and did not receive what was promised. Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith. We do not have to have a photo finish, Jesus will run alongside us, cheering us on to the finish line. As Christians need to be clear and honest about the faith we profess. Yes, there is joy in the Christian life. Yes, there is beauty. Yes, there is the promise of love, wholeness, healing, and grace.

Yet the life of faith is also hard and risky. The life of faith does not ever guarantee us health, wealth, prosperity, or safety. To suggest otherwise is to lie, and to make a mockery of the Gospel. Above all, the Lord is our helper, we need not be afraid.

Trinity 9: Peace?

17/8/25 – Trinity 9

Psalm 80:1-2, 14-end
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Luke 12:49-56

I have said in my last few sermons that we are in a season of teaching as we hear again the parables and stories of Jesus’ life and ministry. This was all well and good until I read this week’s readings. All this talk of fire, hammers, torture, unfulfilled promises, division, superficiality, and uncertainty. It’s August, it’s supposed to be summertime and living is easy!

To ease us in, I came across a story about the great composer Beethoven. He used to sometimes play a trick on polite salon audiences who were not really interested in serious music. Beethoven would perform one of his pieces on the piano, usually a slow movement which would be so gentle and beautiful. The audience would be lulled into thinking that the world was a soft, cosy place and relax into semi-slumber and think beautiful thoughts. Then, just as the final notes were dying away, Beethoven would bring his whole forearm down with a crash across the keyboard. Then laugh at the shock he gave to the assembled company. I think that we have something of a crash in the readings this morning.

“Many great heroes of the faith,” who died gruesome deaths, “did not receive what was promised.” writes the unknown Hebrews author. “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I came to bring division!” Jesus cries as he makes his way towards Jerusalem and death.

Maybe we need a reminder in this summer season that a real Christian faith is not one that is soft or easy, without cost. Maybe a reminder that peace comes with a price and how easily we can mis-read the signs.

There are a few phrases that I want to highlight from the readings this week and what they might have to say to us:

Run with perseverance the race that is set before us

Hebrews chapter eleven is often called the “Faith Hall of Fame,” since it highlights the remarkable lives and achievements of those who lived “by faith” in the Old Testament. Indeed, the achievements of these faith-filled men and women are awe-inspiring.

During their lifetimes, they “administered justice,” “shut the mouths of lions,” “quenched raging fire,” “won strength out of weakness,” and “received their dead by resurrection.” How much more impressive can you get? Yet maybe they feel distant, the persecution they faced as unrealistic to us now and their actions are ancient history; not practical to today. The lions we face are likely to be metaphorical and the foreign armies are over there, somewhere.

What is the race set before us? Many people are tired; we see that in the faces around us. The race feels endless, the finish line is not even a speck on the horizon. Whatever it is – physical, social, psychological or spiritual, look to Jesus. Perseverance takes energy and effort; when we run out of those we need to take a pause to rest, to recover. Simply gritting our teeth and trying harder often leads to less energy, less joy and to exhaustion.

Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith. We do not have to have a photo finish, Jesus will run alongside us, cheering us on to the finish line.

“Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised.”

The “Hall of Fame” has a dark side to triumph and victory. Many of God’s faithful were tortured, flogged, mocked, and stoned to death. Many went about “destitute, persecuted, and tormented.”

Many spent their lives wandering in deserts and mountains, in caves and holes in the ground. And all of them — all of them – died without receiving what was promised to them. What does this mean? Well, among other things, it means that God’s timing does not always align with ours.

It means that crisis, feelings of meaninglessness, pain, and horror are part and parcel of human existence, regardless of whether we profess faith in God or not. As Christians need to be clear and honest about the faith we profess and not pretend we are immune. Yes, there is joy in the Christian life. Yes, there is beauty. Yes, there is the promise of love, wholeness, healing, and grace. But the life of faith is also hard and risky. The life of faith does not ever guarantee us health, wealth, prosperity, or safety. To suggest otherwise is to lie, and to make a mockery of the Gospel.

Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? NO, I tell you, but rather division!’

The Gospel of Luke begins with the proclamation that Jesus will “guide our feet into the way of peace.” At Jesus’s birth, an angelic choir sings “Peace on earth!” On numerous occasions during his ministry, Jesus offers men and women words of peace: “Go in peace and sin no more.” “Peace I leave with you.” “My peace I give you.” “I have told you these things, so that in me you might have peace.

Many of us, following Jesus’s example, “share the peace” with each other every Sunday morning: “The peace of the Lord be always with you.” “And also with you.” We assume — the vast majority of us, anyway — that ours is a religion of peace. Of peace-making, peace-loving, and peacekeeping.

It is not Jesus’ desire or purpose to set fathers against sons or mothers against daughters. It is certainly not his will that we stir up conflict for conflicts sake or use his words to justify violence or war. His words are a necessary reminder that the peace Jesus offers us is not the fake peace of denial, dishonesty, and harmful accommodation. He will expose the lies we tell ourselves out of cowardice, laziness, or stubbornness. Jesus will disrupt all dynamics in our relationships with ourselves and with each other that keep us from wholeness and holiness. This is not because Jesus wants us to suffer. It is because he knows that real peace is worth fighting for.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus forced choices from just about everyone he met during his years of ministry. No one met him without feeling compelled to change. He consistently brought people to the point of crisis, tension, movement, or transformation. He consistently led people to decisions their families and communities did not understand. And he still does. When Jesus speaks of divisions in households, he is talking about the division that his message will bring. Families will split up over it, the OT prophets spoke about this happening too.

Jesus did come to bring peace and wants everyone to put their faith in him. The reminder is that this is not easy or to be undertaken lightly. We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses who are cheering us on so we can run with perseverance. We have been set examples in the heroes of the faith. Like Beethoven’s arm coming down on the keyboard and shocking his polite audience, let’s let the words of the readings this morning grab our attention again.

Trinity 8: Hello Hebrews!

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Luke 12:32-40

As I keep reminding you that we are at Sunday summer school, it is time to learn (hopefully) something new. We have had some great Gospel stories over the last few weeks: Jesus sent out the 70 ahead of him to find labourers for the harvest, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan which challenges us on what it is to give and receive mercy and consider who is our neighbour.

Martha and Mary had their lesson in balancing work and activity with the need to sit and listen at Jesus’ feet. The start of Luke 11 took us deeper into spending time with God as it started with Jesus at prayer. We reviewed the Venture Week stories: Jesus and the first disciples, the blind man and Zaccheaus the tax collector. All changed by encounters with Jesus in the way they needed to be changed.

We are taking a little detour this morning into the Letter to the Hebrews and its 13 chapters tucked at the back of the New Testament. Hebrews features for the next three weeks so it is good to do some digging.

The letter to the Hebrews is something of an oddity in the New Testament. The author has never been confirmed and the audience is unknown. Who were the Hebrews? A new church, a group of people in a city somewhere? Is this a letter or a series of sermons? There is extensive reference to the Old Testament, more than any other New Testament letter or Gospel.

The letter was likely written between 50-90 AD by someone who knew their audience and circumstances. The dating is important to understand that this was a new-ish Christian community who had broken away from Judaism. This can explain the Old Testament references. These are people who knew their Jewish history (1:1-14).

This community had been persecuted and some members had been imprisoned. They were generous to fellow Christians in need (10:32-34). Yet something is wrong in this community. The writer is telling the Hebrews to imitate its former leaders and get along with the current ones (13:7,17). This suggests they were inclined to go their own way. They were following ‘strange’ teachings (13:9) and had stopped meeting together (10:25).

Worst of all was that they had stopped growing as Christians (5:11-12). The writer accused them of lazy discipleship (6:12). He begs them to persevere (10:36), to hold on to hope (10:23) and to not drift away (2:1) or shrink back (10:37-39) in their faith.

What is going on in this community?!

It was incredibly difficult for people in the early church. They were being persecuted for turning their backs on the Jewish faith and religion; at the same time as trying to remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus.

Temptation would have been great to give up. Is that our temptation too? When things get hard and do not turn out as we would like or think they should, give up to get out?

The writer is trying to stop the Hebrews from giving up by pointing them towards Jesus in three ways.

Importance of the OT

What do you think about the Old Testament? A lot of Christians struggle with it. They see it as not relevant, difficult to understand, it is violent, God is mean, misogynistic and distant and does all sorts of terrible things. These are common arguments!

However, the Old Testament reads more like this: it is the story of a people who messed it up completely. Repeatedly. For centuries.

This is their simplified story: God called Israel to be his people over others. We do not know why. He provided in every way and loved them. In return, God asked that they love only him, be obedient to him and look after their neighbours. Israel refused. Either they could not or would not. They were unfaithful as they worshipped other gods, killed their neighbours, wanted to be like the other nations. So God punished them.

Yes the punishment was harsh and the consequences significant. Think for a moment of the justice system. Punishment is the consequence of doing wrong. We often hear stories of people being punished too lightly or getting off too easily. There are people on the other side working very hard to increase punishment, length of sentences. Both sides fill the news with stories. Disobeying God has consequences too.

Which side would we be on if we or someone we love were the ones being punished? Why am I willing for someone else to be punished far harsher than I would want for myself? The point is that following God, obeying God is a matter of life and death. There is reward and punishment. There still is. Jesus is the reward.

The Hebrews needed to hear their story again with the added ending that Jesus fulfills the prophecy and promises of the Old Testament. Jesus is the Messiah that is spoken throughout the OT. We catch glimpses of Jesus throughout. Jesus is the One that was promised.

‘Heroes’ of the Faith

Hebrews chapter 11 is often called the “Faith Hall of Fame” since it highlights the remarkable lives and achievements of those who lived “by faith” in the Old Testament. Indeed, the achievements of these faith-filled men and women are awe-inspiring.

However on closer inspection many of these people made some big mistakes along the way! These are the people who messed up. Imperfect people, like you and me, are used by God to achieve some amazing things. It is great that their faithfulness is being celebrated and not their mistakes. Otherwise they would not be all that heroic.

Just a few examples.

Rahab the prostitute. She is remembered forever as a prostitute. How would you like to be known for that?

Gideon was initially spineless and blamed God for his problems.
Samson got involved with the wrong women and ate stuff out of dead lions.

David and Samuel were both great men and leaders and both had serious issues in their roles as husbands and fathers.

They are all commended for their faith and/but they did not receive what was promised.
They all lived in faith.
They all died in faith. (v 13)
This really struck me – they died in faith. We only die in faith when we do not give up.

Faith

Faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” In Luke’s Gospel the servants who put their faith in the Master’s return are blessed and rewarded. The heroes in chapter 11 were rewarded – for what though?

So what is faith?

For some people faith is a matter of creeds and doctrines; an intellectual exercise. To accept Jesus into my heart, to be “born again,” is to affirm a set of claims about who Jesus is and what he accomplished through his death and resurrection. To enter into orthodox faith is to agree that certain theological statements about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the human condition, the Bible, and the Church, were true.

Both Hebrews and Luke are pointing us in a different direction. People of faith, Abraham, Sarah, Issac, Jacob and the servants are described as those who set out for new places, wait for big changes and for the master to return. Abraham set out not knowing where he was going but he trusted God’s promises. They had a baby even when Sarah was way past child-bearing. The slaves were to be dressed and ready for action so that when the master arrived they were ready. Not sure for what. It will be unexpected and wonderful.

Faith described in these readings is not a destination. It is not a conclusion or a form of closure. Faith is a longing. Faith is a hunger and a desire. Abraham was pursuing his inheritance promised by God. Faith is taking the journey because God asks us to. It means a willingness to open our imaginations to new life and new joy even when we do not feel it.

It is through faith that the promises of God come. All of the heroes in chapter 11 lived and died with unfulfilled promises. If you have unfulfilled promises of God, you are in good company. We are part of something bigger. The biggest promise that God has ever made has been fulfilled. Jesus is that promise. He is the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

This is bigger than any broken or unfilled promise. The Hebrews needed to hear this. We need to hear this: something better has come and is coming again. It will be at an unexpected hour. We need to be ready.