Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

Hebrews 11 is one of the magnificent passages in the Bible It is right up there with Psalm 23, The Lord’s Prayer, and 1 Corinthians 13 - we won’t just step into Hebrews 11 – we need a running start • last week’s passage culminated in two statements ◦ a line from the OT: my righteous one shall live by faith ◦ a line from writer: we are those who have faith • it’s a fair question to ask, What does f...

The passage we are looking into this morning, Is as terrible as last week’s passage was wonderful I have found last Sunday’s reminder to be very helpful this week – I’ve survived and thrived on moments of “drawing near” – but now we come to this: For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation...

The writer of Hebrews has been commenting on the “new covenant” The first half of chapter ten is a continuation and conclusion of this theme – he explains how God writes his will into our hearts and minds • in order to clarify the way Jesus works on the inside of our lives, • our writer has enumerated contrasts between the old and new covenants ◦ more contrasts appear here, all the way to verse 18...

When we began our study in the Book of Hebrews, do you remember me telling you that I love this book? That is because it is all about Jesus - to me, it is like a fifth gospel, but it is different in this respect: • the other four gospels follow Jesus from a human perspective ◦ we read about him from our view on earth ◦ Hebrews follows him from heaven’s perspective • it’s as if we watch Jesus throu...

The “first covenant” was supported by worship We have seen that in Jesus we have a better covenant (Heb. 8:6) – and this is the new covenant (Heb. 8:13) of Jeremiah’s prophecy • the first covenant refers to the one God forged with Israel at Mount Sinai • remember, the purpose of God’s law and Israel’s worship ◦ it was to maintain their covenant relationship with God

A renewal of vows mirrors one of most important themes in scripture - God’s covenant • there is a major division in the Christian Bible ◦ one part is the Old Testament (covenant) and the other part is the New ◦ our Bibles are one story told in two parts and both of them having to do with covenants

The writer of Hebrews is going to argue a crucial difference - the difference between copy and original, between shadow and substance

We all know someone–or we have been that someone–who powers through relationships, dating person after person looking for a perfect match. Not long after moving to Dana Point, I met a young man who fit that exact profile. I could not help but think of him when a few years later, reading St. Augustine’s Confessions I came across this line, “I searched about for something to love, in love with lovin...

Are you familiar with the name Dietrich Bonhoeffer? He was a twentieth century martyr – imprisoned for opposing Hitler – he gave a great deal of thought to what it means to be a Christian • also, to what a true church, not compromised by the world would look like • one conclusion he drew was that a Christian meditates on the Scriptures ◦ that got him asking questions like: ◦ “Why do I meditate?” “...

If I were to write a paper on current societal pressures I would title it, “Inadvertent Torture” - no one intended to torture US citizens, it just happened • first, we spend most of our days stuck in these boxes (our homes) • then, two television and social media are dominated by two issues: ◦ a controversial pandemic and the eruption of racial tension ◦ our nation is sharply divided on both of th...

This week I was reading in the Book of Romans In chapter 12, Paul listed ways to live in community with each other – I was doing fine until I reached verse 12: Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer • I am not by nature a joyful person – I lived many years under a cloud ◦ I hate to admit this, but for me hope doesn’t come easily either ◦ there have been a couple of hopes...

We left off last week with the writer complaining (or scolding) He had much more to say about Jesus in his role of a priest,      - but it would be too difficult to explain it all to them          • they had become lazy listeners              ◦ as a result, they were not ready to go further or deeper          • but the truth is, the writer must have believed they were ready,              ◦ because...

’m going to begin with a personal reflection You won’t see the connection at first, but it will make sense later – Friday I was reading in the Book of Acts • Paul was under house arrest in Rome ◦ but he was given freedom to entertain visitors ◦ when people came, Paul’s spent his time trying to convince them about Jesus, and so he, welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and te...

Wednesday evening, our meditation was in Luke, chapter 9 Speculation was growing regarding Jesus – he was a spiritual leader, but what kind of leader? • 2,000 years later theologians and anthropologists are still asking • where did Jesus fit in his culture’s conceptual framework ◦ a prophet, a Rabbi, a sage, a healer, a mystic? – there is not one label that captures all that he is • even for belie...

This week it occurred to me, it might be good to stop here To not go any further in Hebrews – until our experience catches up with what we’ve learned • for instance, we learned about an constant inner peace ◦ a Sabbath rest that doesn’t depend on our circumstances ◦ we can enter God’s rest in bad times as well as good times • and our Sabbath rest is not limited to one day a week One person esteems...

Hebrews chapter 4 is like a mixed-green salad It has four different types of lettuce: Let us fear (v. 1) Let us strive (v. 11) Let us hold fast (v. 14) Let us draw near (v. 16)

Since our text begins with a quote from Psalm 95, let’s go there first The psalm begins with a call to worship Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! (Ps. 95:1-2) Next, the psalm tells us why we worship For the LORD is a great God, and a great...

Is there anything in the Bible you wish were not there? I may be hypersensitive to manipulation – a by-product of growing up in my religious subculture • a typical statement would be, “If you love the Lord, then raise your hands” ◦ the peer pressure was intense ◦ what would the others think if I didn’t raise my hands? • so whenever I hear an “if,” ◦ I assume someone is trying to coerce or manipula...

In every news source, the Coronavirus dominates the headlines Some of us are obsessed with following the most recent statistics – how many new cases in Europe, the US, in New York • how many deaths in Orange County as it creeps closer to our street? – it seems we have to navigate our way between two extremes • Jesus described both in his end-of-the-world sermons ◦ those like Chicken Little, who be...

We have seen that there is an overall structure to whole book It is a wave-like pattern that alternates between revelation and warning – the first revelation came in chapter 1, • and now in chapter 2 we have the first warning ◦ the warning sections can be severe ◦ but the writer also softens them softened with encouragements

I am going to begin with the verses we covered last week, only this will be my own “interpretive paraphrase” of the first four verses of Hebrews. God spoke in the past and God has spoken in our time. There are differences in how he spoke then and now. In the past he spoke • many times in many ways • to our ancestors in the faith • through the prophets

The author of Hebrews is a credible guide – he is an excellent resource for those of us who are always longing to live closer to God • Hebrews takes us on an adventure of discovering Jesus ◦ it unfolds the mystery of his person • in Hebrews we look at Jesus through a different lens than other New Testament books ◦ in the gospels, Jesus reveals God; in Hebrews, God reveals Jesus . . . no one knows...