Thought for Today
Exodus 3:6 He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Psalm 78:14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all night long with a fiery light.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
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,
Our congregation usually follows the suggested readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. If yours does also, you may be aware that we are offered during August a series of New Testament readings in Hebrews. Those verses above are included in those readings.
I thought about those verses last evening when our music director and I were part of an online meeting. I hope everyone in our nation is aware that our country is about to celebrate a significant milestone, its 250th birthday. As part of the celebration, many areas will stage reenactments of various events.
“In September 1775, early in the American Revolutionary War, Colonel Benedict Arnold led a force of 1,100 Continental Army troops on an expedition from Cambridge in the Province of Massachusetts Bay to the gates of Quebec City. The expedition was part of a two-pronged invasion of the British Province of Quebec, and passed through the wilderness of what is now Maine. . . The expedition began its departure from Cambridge on September 11, marching to Newburyport. The first units to leave were composed largely of men from that area, to whom Arnold had given extra time so that they would be able to see their families once more before the expedition left Newburyport. The last troops marched off on September 13; Arnold rode from Cambridge to Newburyport on September 15 after making final purchases of supplies . . . Headwinds and fog delayed the departure of the expedition from Newburyport until September 19.” (en.wikipedia.org)
As part of the departure from Newburyport, a sermon was preached in First Parish Church of Newbury to the departing troops. This year there will be a reenactment of the embarkment of those troops, including that famous sermon preached in our church by the expedition’s chaplain. Our music director and I are part of the planning committee for the reenactment of that sermon and sendoff.
As we talked last night, I could not help but think about those verses above, about the history of our faith and that “great cloud of witnesses.” The Hebrews to whom this letter is thought to be addressed had a long history of association with our Creator God. Trying to establish firm and accurate dates for biblical events and even biblical books is always problematic. Irrespective of that, the history of our faith is at least around 7000 years old.
Those verses above speak about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They reference Moses and the Exodus. Our cloud of witnesses, the Old Testament progenitors of our faith, speak to that long faith history, attesting to “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
As a Christian, I have a further history of 2025 years of faithful witnesses and witnessing to my belief in Jesus, the Christ. Despite the claims of my internet service provider, all the competitors and everyone else proclaiming the magnitude and depth of “the cloud” and of storage in the cloud, my . . . our Christian “cloud of witnesses” is bigger and infinitely greater.
Being aware of that Christian cloud of witnesses, I am able to “lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,” and I am able to “run with perseverance the race that is set before” me. It is proper that we remember and celebrate our nation’s birthday. In those celebrations we remember all who went before us and find courage and hope for our nation’s future. But, our faith is much older. It is important for us to remember all of those faithful children of God who went before us and be strengthened by their faithfulness.
Stay safe, find your strength in faith, trust God,
Pastor Ray