“Therefore, since we are surrounded by
such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every
weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And
let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping
our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because
of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he
is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:1-2
We have said their names, we have
mourned their loss, we have lamented the way their passing has left an empty
place in our lives, we have remembered the ways they instructed us, guided us
and loved us so that in them we would know the teaching, the leading and the
love of Christ in them. We have honored the way they pointed us to Christ. We
are thankful to them, to the light their lives was and continues to be for us.
They are our fathers, our mothers, our friends, our sisters and our brothers
and in so many ways they were fathers and mothers to us in our Faith. They were
and forever will be dear to us.
Paul was a spiritual parent to the
Thessalonians. Paul was literally the reason they had come to Christ. Paul came
to Thessalonica, proclaimed the gospel, they heard it and accepted it and became
believers. Father in last week’s passage spoke of how he was a mother to them
and in this week’s passage he speaks of how he was a father to them. He was
father, he was mother, and he was their parent in the Faith.
This morning we have remembered that
we are here because of those who came before us, our fathers and mothers in the
Faith. For many of us, we know we would not be here this morning if it were not
for these who names we read and whose lives we have honored this morning. Some
of them prayed for us. Some of them loved us. Some of them gently taught us when
we struggled. Others sternly urged, pushed us even in the right direction we
strayed to far, or wandered willingly. They encouraged us and guided us. It because
of them we found out way when we were lost and it is because of them we came
back to the path we had left it. We owe our spiritual lives to the fathers and
mothers of the faith who came before us and showed us the way.
In the Revelation passage we read this
morning, St. John the revelator gives us picture of the great sanctuary of
eternity. In that sanctuary we find a great multitude of believers from every
nation, from all tribes, peoples and language. John tells us they are all
there, before the throne, our fathers and mothers in the faith, who have gone
on before us, whose words have guided our steps, whose lives lite the way, so
we could see the road to Christ. They like Paul (who I am sure is not counted
among them) are pure, upright and blameless conducting themselves in ways which
worked to benefit and strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and bring us to the
place we are today.
We are here because they urged us on
in our faith, encouraged us when we struggled and plead with us when we
faltered so we might lead lives worthy of God, worthy of the one who sits on
the throne and whom we worship here today. In reality all worship; all
gathering together of the people of God for worship, is rehearsal for the gathering
and the worship which we will someday join in the eternal sanctuary described here.
One day we too along with all those in
the eternal sanctuary will sing, “Blessing and glory and wisdom, and
thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever!” We
are here because of their faith, the hope they had in us and all they imparted
to us. And when we join them we will be
there because of the foundations they laid in us and for us.
As Paul speaks to the Christians in
the Thessalonian Church, he tells them repeatedly how thankful he is for them.
Paul is thankful to God for the people in the Church in Thessalonica, for their
faith and for the way they have carried their faith to others. It is easy to
think about how the Thessalonian Christians might be thankful to him, as we are
for those who came before us, but we rarely stop to think about what it might
mean for them to be thankful to us. Paul was thankful to the Christians in
Thessalonica, thankful for their faith and who they were becoming as people of
faith. We are thankful to those who have come before us. Thankful for the ways
they helped and guided us, yet, personally, I have not really stopped to think
about the ways they might have been thankful to us. Perhaps, they, just as Paul
was to the Thessalonian Christians, were thankful to us. Thankful to see us
come to faith, thankful to watch us grow, thankful that they had the privilege
to nurture and encourage, to lead and to guide, to urge us along in our faith.
Maybe they are looking forward to us joining them in the great multitude, just
as we are thankful to have the privilege to join them. It is kind of a neat to
think they are thankful to and for us, just as we are thankful to and for them.
As we think of joining the great
multitude, think of becoming a part of those gathered in the eternal sanctuary,
we must remember that this is not a circle which ends with us, at least it
should not end with us. It is a circle which should continue going round. Paul
lived in such a way to bring others to Christ. They lived in such way that
those around them came to Christ. These we have honored here this morning lived
in such a way to bring us, guide us and strengthen us and we too must carry on,
pass on what we have gained, so that other may come to faith, be strengthened
and guided along their journey. We too are fathers and mothers, parents in this
faith. We are to follow the example of those who went before us in all things,
and that includes urging and encouraging, nurturing, , and leading others to
faith and in their faith, just as we follow behind those who have gone ahead of
us, we walk ahead of those who will follow us. “Come join us we say,” as we
look to join those before us.
This is how God’s word is at work in
us. This is what it truly means to be kingdom people, what it truly means to
live life as Christ lived life. We follow Christ example in all things, his
life was a living example of what it looks like to live in relationship with
God. Jesus taught us to pray and taught us to love. He showed us what it truly
means to love our neighbors, our enemies, the outcast, the widow the orphan and
anyone our society pushes aside, rejects, tramples down or ignores. And he was continually
drawing others to faith, bringing people to God through his actions, through
his teachings, through his kindness and gentleness. What it really means to be
a person wholly given over to living a holy life, a transformed life, a life
which reflects that of Jesus Christ is to work to bring others to faith.
One day we will all meet in the great
sanctuary of eternity. We will greet those whom we have honored today. We will
see them again in that moment every tear will be wiped from our eyes, all the
pain we have experienced on this earth because of death and sin and evil will
be gone and the only thing left will be the joy we feel at joining these loved
ones to give honor and praise to the one who sits on the throne and unto the
Lamb, Jesus Christ. And in that moment it will not only be those who have gone
before us, whom we will great, but we too will be greeted by those who come
behind us. It is easy to name those whom are looking forward to greeting but we
also should be thinking about the names of those who will want to greet us. Who
are we discipling, who are we guiding, who are we leading, who are we hoping to
guide in their faith. Not only should we be thinking about the names of those
who have gone before us, but we should also be thinking of who will come behind
us.
No comments:
Post a Comment