Sunday,
August 16, 1998
Joey Noble
"A Cloud of Witnesses"
Hebrews 12: 1 -
2; 12 - 15
13: 1-9a
I enter this sanctuary with joy this morning! The Letter to the Hebrews reminds me that I am surrounded by a cloud of witness, who have come to praise God. These witnesses include our new members who have covenanted with our community of faith.. They are a part of us now, and we are eager to get to know them. I am also blessed to have dear friends here today from Glen Ridge, N.J., the Donnelys. Joan was a member of the first Stephen Ministry class I taught, and her presence reminds me of others in that class, and all that we shared. And I have members of my family here -- a true blessing. But there is even more. There is still the joy of Wilma Woodard's 90th birthday that we celebrated yesterday in McClelland Hall. The laughter, the stories, the embraces -- they continue to resound. There is also a presence here of all those saints who have gone before -- Len Ebel. Marion Tate, Charles Elliott -- who helped bring life and energy to our community of faith.
Who are you sitting by this morning? Greet them, for they too are a part of this cloud of witnesses. What is so exciting about being here, in this sacred space, is that it gives us perspective, it gives us courage; it gives us faith so that we can focus on the important things -- the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things not seen. In the Scripture reading that Dean read, Hebrews says that this cloud of witnesses releases us, so that we can lay aside every sin that clLngs so closely.. Then we can run our own race, attending to the issues that are set before us, "lifting our drooping hands, and strengthening our weak knees, . . so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed" (v. 12).
What were the issues set before you this week? How did you tend to them? Did you draw strength from others? Did the "cloud of witnesses" sustain you ? We are called to "pursue peace with everyone and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." (v.14).
How can we pursue holiness? "Holiness" is very different term from"wholeness". The term"wholeness" is often used by Christians to talk about growth and maturity. This term and the psychological insights that undergird it, are valuable for Christian reflection, but they do not encompass the full Christian understanding of human fulfillment. "Wholeness" is primarily a psychological term suggesting completion, the integration of the various elements of the human personality, The word "wholeness" also has the same root as "salvation." But "salvation" does not depend on "wholeness". Rather it depends on the self-offering of Jesus Christ on the cross. In this, even our alienation and our brokenness are used for God's purposes. We become "wounded healers", able to remind others of God's love for them, even though the body is broken or the spirit despondent. Paul says that we are 'to run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, who for the sake of the joy that was before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and taking his seat at the right hand of the throne of God."(12:2)
The cloud of witnesses reminds us that Jesus embraced the cross, trusting God to care for him, and trusting the Holy Spirit to care for those who followed him. It was as the disciples walked to Emmaus and invited Jesus to join them for dinner that they recognized them. Jesus was known to them in the breaking of the bread. . We share communion this morning as a community of failh, to have bread for the journey. We share this, aware that over the years the cloud of witnesses have gathered countless times around this table to-find nourishment. Like them, we eat the "bread of life" and drink from "the cup of salvation''. This gives us strength to do what Jesus calls us to do, to journey where he would have us to go.
"Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith." What makes life a race and what kind of a race is it? It is certainly not a race around and around the same track. Life is filled with unpredictable events, it is not routine like racing around a track would be. The race of life is more like a cross country race over a course we have never seen before. Each twist and turn is unpredictable and the outcome is unknown.
The race of life should also not be run in competition with others. It is primarily a test of our own endurance and stamina and faith. But it is not a race in which we are alone. God is with us to lift our drooping hands and strengthening our weak knees. The way of the world is to try to beat the others and to "win" the race. But in biblical terms, we are judged by how we run the race, whether we strive for holiness, whether we strive to make peace with others. To make peace with others is just the opposite of trying to beat others in the race. We can never know where the race will take us. We can only know that God is with us and that we must run the race with grace and virtue and with faith.
Before I got sick, one of my greatest pleasures each day was to either walk or jog along Sligo Creek Park. I loved the exercise and being outdoors. I also got a kick out of watching the others or the path. Some came in elaborate jogging outfits, but never made much effort to exercise apparently just being there to be seen by others. Some people showed up in ugly outfits, but they had the gift of style and grace in their jogging, even if they could not go very fast. Others worked so hard at it and seemed to be in such pain while they did it, I wondered whether there might be some alternative way of exercising that should not be so hard on them. These people worked so hard to avoid heart trouble, I feared they would collapse of a heart attack. They could have found some wat to exercise that would have permitted them to have a little joy. Others so thoroughly enjoyed the exhilaration of what they were doing that their enthusiasm was contagious to the rest of us who watched them. Others were quite insensitive to those they encountered on the path and never slowed down to make way for others. They engendered suppressed anger as they progressed down the crowded path. All of these encounters I had on the path carried metaphorical messages with direct application to the race of life discussed in Hebrews.
One of the greatest rewards for me of being a pastor of this church is that I have a chance to get to know so many of you. I have been able to learn something about the race that you have run over the course of your lives and the race that you are running today. Sometimes at a church gathering I look from face to face and reflect on the stories, the unique stories, that each of you has to tell. I reflect on the high moments in your lives and on the low moments; the rough places and the smooth; the joys and the pains. And despite the pain that I know so many of you have encountered, you continue to run the race that life has set before you with grace and virtue, seeking to make peace with others and striving for holiness.
And I hope that each of us is able to say, as we heard
from the passage from Hebrews, "God will never leave
me or forsake me." I hope that we can say with
confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be
afraid. What then can anyone do to me?" Amen
Back to Table of Contents.