“Jesus, Mighty God” (Revelation 5:1-10)

Who Am I?

Have you ever played the “Who Am I?” game? (also called 20 Questions) Now guess who is this person:

•        The Mighty God

•        The Prince of Peace

•        The Light of the World

•        Immanuel

The answer is Jesus. Scriptures are filled with the promises about Jesus, particularly his arrival. Advent (meaning “arrival” or “coming”) is the season of waiting for the coming of Christ. As we expectantly wait for his second coming throughout this Advent, each week we will explore a core aspect of Jesus’ identity drawn from Isaiah’s prophesies. Today’s theme is Jesus as the Mighty God.

Why?

Now can you guess what it is in the picture? It’s really hard to tell. It’s a tapestry, but undiscernible—a confused spattering of twisted, knotted and tangled threads.

Around the time when the Book of Revelation was written, the Early Church Christians were severely persecuted. As they were suffering under Roman oppression, probably they had many questions in their minds: “Do my sufferings have any meaning?”, “Does God have a plan for this?”, “Who can give me a clue to the mystery of suffering?” They might get frustrated and weary. Perhaps they were looking for someone who could give them an answer.

In today’s passage, basically an angel asks the same question, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” John does not tell us what the scroll is, but from the following chapters we know it is the book of history, particularly the sealed record of the unknown future. The scroll is in the right hand of God (v. 1). So we know our history and our future are in God’s hand. They are safely sealed. But, as long as the scroll is sealed, we don’t know what is written inside.

Today some of us in this room may feel the same way – frustrated, confused, tangled, never seem to make sense. We know God holds the future in our heads. But, when we are hard pressed on every side, in our minds we ask the same questions that the early church Christians had, “Why me? Why now? Does God have a plan for this?” No one can seem to answer this question.

Lion of Judah

But, there is good news! The seals are now broken and the scroll is  wide open! Now John hears one of the elders say to him, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals” (v. 5). So who is the Lion of Judah? Jesus! Then, why do you think the elder calls Jesus a lion? What are the characteristics of a lion? Powerful. Brave. Courageous. Strong. Fearless. Ferocious. So the lion symbolizes in personality: majesty, strength, courage, justice, and military might. The lion is commonly referred to as "the KING of the beasts," it is a symbol of Kingly power and might. Jesus is the King of kings, Lord of lords. Jesus is the mighty God, who has conquered the world.

Lamb of God

So now John looks up to see this triumphant lion, but to his surprise what he sees instead is a Lamb, looking as if it has been slain (v. 6). It is crucial that we recognize the contrast between what John hears (“the Lion”) and what he sees (“the Lamb”). Both images are the “true face of Christ.” Yes! Christ Jesus is indeed the Lion of Judah. He is God Almighty. He is able to save us by his almighty power. He reigns with God and is equally worthy of our praise and worship. But at the same time, Jesus is the Lamb of God. To be precise, the great lion of Judah conquered the world not by his might, but by becoming a lamb. He saved us, not by his almighty power, but by his sacrificial death.

In his book The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis describes this paradoxical truth so powerfully. During the Winter Revolution, the White Witch tricked Edmund to betray his siblings by revealing their location to her. According to Narnia’s law Edmond now belonged to her as her lawful prey. When the Witch made a claim on Edmund, Aslan spoke to her, offering himself in Edmund's place. The Witch accepted, and that night near the Stone Table, Aslan went up there alone to sacrifice himself in Edmund's stead. The Witch had all her followers gathered at the Table, to witness the mighty lion, the great King of Narnia's fall and death. It was not enough, though, that he simply die, as she wanted him humiliated, tortured, and shamed. So she had him bound, gagged, beaten, and shaved before being dragged over to the Stone Table, where he was executed by the Witch, using her Stone Knife. But what the Witch didn’t know was the Writing upon The Table, saying, "If a willing Victim that has committed no treachery is killed in a traitor's stead, the Stone Table will crack; and even death itself would turn backwards." – The Deep Magic. At dawn, there was an almighty crack, and the Table split in two right down the middle. And Aslan was once again alive and well.

Leviticus 17:11 says, “It is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” Hebrews 9:22 says, "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Jesus, the Lion of Judah, conquered the world by becoming a lamb. Jesus, the Lamb of God, took away the sin of the world, our sin, by shedding his precious blood. Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb.

King’s Crown

Now we clearly see what it is in the picture. The tapestry was a glorious picture of the king’s crown. This insight is actually from Corrie Ten Boom’s own experience. She was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp along with her father and sister for hiding Jews in their home. Her father and sister both died in the camp. For years, Corrie struggled with why God had allowed this tragedy, especially, why God had allowed a certain woman, prison guard, to be so cruel to her dying sister.

One day Corrie was touring one of the many European castles. There she saw a massive tapestry, mounted and stretched on a wooden frame. But Corrie could only see the underside of the tapestry, not the front. The underside looked all messy, tangled, confused. Then workers in the castle moved the tapestry to its proper place, and Corrie saw its upper side. The tapestry was a glorious picture of mountains, meadows, cathedrals and castles. What a difference, seeing the upper side. Then, Corrie realized that the events of this life are like the tangled, confused dark threads of the tapestry — they never seem to make sense. But, in heaven, we will see the upper side of the tapestry. We will see how God, the weaver, has woven the dark threads of this life into something beautiful. Corrie often said something like this: “If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest.”

Facing the Red Sea

At first, an angel questioned, “Who is worthy to open the scroll?” No one was able to open the scroll. So John wept bitterly. But later he heard the elder say the Lion of Judah is able, then he himself saw the Lamb that was slain. After this, he joined the company of heaven in singing and praising: “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (v. 13).

Today we might be standing on the edge of the Red Sea – confused, weary, afraid. But let us be still, stand firm, and wait expectantly for the coming of Jesus, the mighty God. He will come and save us.

When you are surrounded on every side by troubles,

In front of you is the Red Sea,

Behind you are the Egyptians,

On the one side is a range of craggy rocks,

On the other side are fortresses of Egypt,

Then, begin to praise God and thank him ahead of time,

Because it is time that God will work for you!

“Thank God for the Church” (1 Corinthians 1:1-9)

Leaving Church

Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor was one of America’s most effective and beloved preachers. But after much reflection, she decided to end her 20-year career and leave the church. While she was in ministry, she always felt she hadn’t done enough. If she spent enough time at the nursing home then she neglected to return telephone calls, and if she put enough thought into the church meetings then she was less likely to catch mistakes in the Sunday bulletin. Mrs. Taylor said, “My tiredness was so deep that it had seeped into my bones.”[1] To make things worse, she was conflicted, internally and with the church, because of church dividing issues, including human sexuality. She lamented over the church. She said, “I had been wearing my collar for about six months by then, and I wore it like a string of thousand-dollar pearls. Fifteen years later, I was ready to hang it up.”[2] After leaving parish ministry, she taught at a college in Georgia. And she said that teaching school is saving her life now. Researcher George Barna describes this trend in our society as follows: “We found that while some people leave the local church and fall away from God altogether, there is a much larger segment of Americans who are currently leaving churches precisely because they want more of God in their life but cannot get what they need from a local church.”[3] Even today many people are leaving the church out of frustration rather than rebellion.

My Story

I am a third-generation Methodist pastor. So when I was young, I went to either my grandfather’s church or my father’s church. Those two were my home churches for 27 years. When I came to the US for further study, for the first time I had a chance to choose my home church. After much thought and prayer, I began to serve one particular local church as a student pastor. Guess what? After my first year of ministry I was burnt out. I was ready to leave the church. I got tired of the chronically difficult people and the problems in the church. I wanted to stay away from the “institutionalized religion.” So I did. For a while, I felt freedom, particularly Sunday mornings. Some Sundays I attended different churches that I wanted to explore. Other Sundays I just stayed in my seminary dorm, listening to the sermons from my favorite preachers. I did my charitable giving to the different causes that I trusted. And I also had an informal community of like-minded believers in seminary. But about six months later, I began to feel spiritually dry. I felt something was missing. One Sunday afternoon while I was taking a walk on the campus, I asked God why I felt dry and restless deep in my soul. Then I heard the inner voice. The answer was because I did not stay connected with God’s household, the church. In other words, my vertical relationship with God was ok, but my horizontal relationship with other believers was not. After this, I came back to church.

Back to the Early Church?

So problem solved? No! After coming back to church, the problems were still there. The difficult people in the church were still there. But this time I seriously asked myself the following question: “What is the church?” And I began to study the church history, particularly the early church. In the book of Acts the early church was described as a perfect example to follow. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They shared their possessions and goods with those in need. Every day they got together both at the church and at home. And they enjoyed the favor of all the people (Acts 2:44-47). But then, as I continued to study it, I found something very interesting. The truth was the early church was messy as much as today’s church. This morning we read the introduction of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth. In fact, at that time the Corinthian church was filled with problems. There were major strife and divisions among the church members (1 Cor 1:11; 3:3). There was sexual immorality among themselves (5:1). They sued each other (ch. 6). They divorced without biblical grounds (ch. 7). They abused their Christian liberty and caused new believers to fall (ch. 8). They accused the Apostle Paul of being a false apostle and gave him a hard time (ch. 9). And the list goes on. To make things worse, they were not remorse or repentant. They were proud. But Paul didn’t throw in the towel on the Corinthian church.

Paul, an Eternal Optimist

Rather, he starts off his letter filled with the words of hope and encouragement. He says in verse 2, “Your identity is certain. You have been called by God to be his own holy people. You are sanctified in Christ.” In verse 5 he continues, “Your gifts are sufficient. You are enriched in Christ in every way.” He concludes in verse 8, “Your future is secure. Jesus will keep you strong to the end.” What encouraging words they are! But if we consider the reality of what was happening in the Corinthian church, we cannot but ask, “What is Paul thinking? Why is he so naïve to think everything will be ok? On what basis is he so positive and optimistic?”

The answer is Jesus. In today’s passage (1:1-9) the name Jesus occurs eight times, and if we include the pronoun that refers to Jesus, it would be about 13 times. We can see how much “Christ-saturated” view Paul has. All of Paul’s surprising encouragement is firmly grounded in Christ. Yes, more than anybody else Paul was keenly aware of the Corinthians’ flaws and their problems. But he sees all things through Jesus’ eyes. Here Paul is saying, “Corinthians, you are holy people not in yourselves, but in Christ. Your speech, your knowledge, your gifts are enriched in Christ. And in Christ, God will strengthen you to the end.” So in the midst of all the problems Paul is still able to say to the church, “I give thanks to my God always for you!” (v. 4) Paul is an eternal optimist in Christ.

Church Is Family

It is God who started the church where we are adopted into his family through Christ Jesus. Yes, the church is God’s household. God is our Father, and we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us think about the nature of family. We don’t get to choose our family. We don’t choose who will be our parents or siblings or uncles. Our family is chosen for us by God. In the same way, we don’t choose our church family. We don’t choose one another. Instead, we are given to one another by our heavenly Father. Justin McRoberts says, “Being a Christian can sometimes feel like being in a family with a thousand drunk uncles.”[4] But we need to remember this: Like it or not, uncles are still our family. We don’t throw in the towel on the family. As members of God’s family, we are called to stick together through thick and thin. There is a significant difference between a church and a club. The club consists of “like-minded” people who have something in common – school, hometown, interest, age, politics, or jobs. The club members are kind of “natural friends.” So those who have different perspectives, cultures, and experiences find it difficult to be part of it. But the church is different. By design, God created the church to be made up of “natural enemies” – those we don’t naturally enjoy. D.A. Carson says, “Ideally… the church itself is not made up of natural friends. It is made up of natural enemies… Christians come together… because… they have all been loved by Jesus himself… They are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus’ sake.”[5] In the church there are hypocrite priests, coward Levites, good Samaritans, people in need, and even robbers. If we are united because we are natural friends, we are not necessarily called “church.” But if we are united because we are family washed by the blood of Jesus Christ no matter what the differences, we are the church.

I think Martin Luther King Jr. and Billy Graham showed us a great example of loving natural enemies. They both came from very different backgrounds in terms of their theology, their culture, their experience. However, they saw amazingly positive things in each other’s ministry and expressed their appreciation to each other. This is back in the 50’s and 60’s when racial tensions ran high. Once Graham said to Martin Luther King, “I will stay in the stadium and make them integrated. And you go ahead on the street and do your thing.” Graham was well known for integrating his ministry and insisting on integrated crowds at many of his rallies. In his later years, but still Graham lamented, wishing he’d done more for the cause of racial equality. And he publicly repented and asked for forgiveness, even though he had done so much. While Graham and MLK were in Latin America together on a mission, Dr. King said, “Had it not been for the ministry of my good friend Dr. Billy Graham, my work in the civil rights movement would not have been as successful as it has been.” The church is the classroom for learning how to get along with natural enemies in God’s family.

Thank God for the Church

On this Thanksgiving there are many things to be grateful for. But more than ever, for me personally, I give thanks to God for the church. I give thanks to God for you. You are holy people in Christ. You are enough in Christ. And in Christ God will sustain you to the end. 

If we focus on difficult people, difficult problems, difficult issues, debates will be endless. But if we focus on Jesus, exalting him, we will be united. From day one my prayer for our church is to be known as the “most loving place in town.” Let us always ask ourselves, “What is the most loving thing I can do in this situation?” “How can I love my neighbor? How can I love my natural enemies here and now?” God is faithful. He who began a good work among us will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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[1] Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church (HarperCollins, 2012), 108.

[2] Ibid., 114.

[3] Scott Sauls, Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides (Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2015), 42.

[4] Ibid., 50.

[5] Ibid., 64.

“Two Ways of Life” (Deuteronomy 11:8-17)

The Land of Egypt vs. the Land of Canaan

What image comes to mind when you think of the “Promised Land”? One of the most popular images would be a "land flowing with milk and honey." But, if you read today’s passage carefully, Canaan doesn’t sound like the land flowing with milk and honey. It seems rather a barren land. In today’s scripture Moses compares the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan. In verse 10, he says, “In the land of Egypt you planted your seed and irrigated by foot like a vegetable garden.” In other words, Egypt is fertile ground for planting crops. Yearly floods bring soil rich in nutrients to the Nile Valley. The Nile basin is one of the birthplaces of ancient civilization. In this respect, the land of Egypt is a land flowing with milk and honey. That is why when Korah rose up against Moses, he said as follows in Numbers 16:13, “Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert?” From a human point of view surely Egypt is a land flowing with milk and honey. The life in Egypt is predictable, self-reliant, and self-sufficient.

How about the land of Canaan? In verse 11, Moses says, “But the land that you are crossing over to occupy is a land of hills and valleys, watered by rain from the sky.” In other words, unlike Egypt, in Canaan people must totally depend on rain to get water. They must depend on God for living. The life in Canaan is dependent and unpredictable. Then, why is the land of Canaan called “a land flowing with milk and honey”? The answer is in verse 12. Moses says, “It (Canaan) is a land that the Lord your God looks after. The eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.” Canaan is the land that the Lord cares for. It is the land that the Lord himself is a Provider. So, The Lord promises his people, “If you love me and obey my commands, I will send rain on your land in its season so that you may gather in your grain” (13-14). From a human point of view, Canaan is not a land flowing with milk and honey. But, from God’s point of view, it is the most fertile and blessed land because only when we have a right relationship with God, we are then able to live a prosperous life in the land of Canaan.

Out of Egypt

The thing is our human nature seeks to control of our life. We try hard to avoid unknown, unpredictable. We want to live in the land of Egypt where we are in charge – self-reliant, self-sufficient life. Once Jesus told a story of a rich man who had a large farm that produced fine crops. And he thought himself, “What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops. I know! I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then, I’ll store all my grain… and I will say to myself, “Self, you have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy and have the time of your life!” But God said to him, “You fool! You will die tonight. Then who will get everything you worked for?” (Luke 12:20) So in this story what is the rich man’s problem? Self-sufficiency. He believed if he had enough possessions, his life would be easy, happy, good. If believed if he worked hard, his life would be predictable, controllable. Wrong. On another occasion, a young rich official asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said, “You know the ten commandments.” The man replied, “I have kept them all since I was a boy.” Jesus said, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all your possession and give the money to the poor… then come, follow me” (18:22). When the man heard this, he became very sad and went away. Here Jesus was nudging him out of his comfort zone – self-reliance. Here Jesus was challenging him to see one thing lacking, that is, God-dependence. Here Jesus was inviting him to come out of the land of Egypt and to enter the land of Canaan, but he was not willing.

Into the Land of Canaan

One day Jesus was at the temple with his disciples, watching people putting their gifts in the offering box. There were some rich people dropping their offerings, and everyone could hear the sound of their coins clanging. But then, Jesus also saw a poor widow put in two small coins. And he said, “This poor widow has given more than all the rest of them, because all the others have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she out of her poverty gave her all” (21:4). This woman is a shining example of those who live in the land of Canaan – living a God-dependent life. This quality – “dependence on God” – doesn’t come naturally. It is not a natural quality, but it has to be cultivated over the time. In the following chapters of Deuteronomy, God gives detailed instructions to the Israelites how they should live as God-dependent people in the Promised Land. In particular, three things are essential: “worship and feast celebration,” “clean food,” and “tithes and offerings.” Through these spiritual disciplines the Israelites must learn to fully rely on God.

This morning we will explore further why God emphasizes on tithing. What is tithing? The word tithe simply comes from the Hebrew word “maaser,” which means ten percent. Tithe is one-tenth. Why does then God command his people to tithe? It is because through tithing we can learn to let go of self-reliance and to trust the Lord as our “Provider.” One time I read an interesting story about a trapper in the African Congo. The natives hunt monkeys in a very creative way. They devised a monkey trap using a hollow gourd, and they pour peanuts through a small hole into the gourd. The monkey would reach in and grab the peanuts, but the hole was too small to remove his closed hand. Interestingly, once monkeys grab the peanuts, most of the time they never open their hand until they are caught. Many of us live in a mentality of “I can’t afford it.” We grasp tightly and try to keep everything under control. There is no one in this room who had an open hand to God from the beginning. We need to learn to open our hand, and in this regard tithing is a valuable spiritual discipline to open our hand to God in surrender and trust.

Deuteronomy 14:22-23 says, “Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year… so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always” (NIV). Tithing banishes the fear of losing our control and strengthens our trust towards God. The practice of tithing is a faith journey from self-sufficient life to God-dependent life. It is a practical action we put with the faith statement, “Lord, you are my source of provision.” Tithing requires faith for anyone. If we make $1,000 per month, giving that $100 is difficult, because we need every dollar available for expenses. If we make $10,000 per month, giving the $1,000 is difficult, because it is a lot of money. The discipline of tithing is very similar to the discipline of keeping the Sabbath holy. Sunday is not a weekend. It is the first day of the week. It is the day of worship and rest in the Lord. We rest on Sunday not because we worked hard during the previous week. But by faith, we rest on Sunday first to find time to have fellowship with God, and then we work hard throughout the week. Priority. In the same way, we tithe not because we can afford it. But, by faith we tithe first before using money for anything else. As we develop this spiritual discipline of tithing, we are able to learn to live a God-dependent life more and more.

Living in the Promised Land

Tithing is a floor, not a ceiling. What does it mean by that? Once one of my colleagues shared his grandson, Warren’s story. When Warren was a child, he didn’t like peas and vegetables. So he and his wife set a minimum standard for Warren – 10 peas for instance. He ate those minimums. And now his grandson is a young adult. He eats like a horse. There is no need to set a minimum any longer. The tithe is the same. It is like a training wheel. Once we know the joy and blessing of generosity, we realize that tithing is a floor, not a ceiling. God calls us to grow beyond the tithe. But for some of us, it might be challenging to tithe right away. But I encourage you to take a step in that direction. You may give 2 percent or 5 percent. God will help you to become more and more generous. And for those of us who tithe already, I encourage you to consider not only tithing but also going beyond the tithe as you can for God’s kingdom work. The real issue is not whether we will give 10% or not, but what we will do with the entire 100%!

God is not after our money, but rather after our heart. Every year about this time of the year we do a financial stewardship campaign. Probably you will receive a stewardship letter and pledge commitment card in the near future. I commend you to be in prayer and seek the Lord’s direction. I don’t know how much your income is. I don’t know how much you make an offering to God. But, I strongly exhort you to do one thing – take time to pray for what you will do with your 3 T’s (time, talents, and treasure) next year, and take a step of faith. God’s command in tithing today is descriptive, not directive. We don’t have to abide by it. We tithe, not because we have to. We tithe, because we get to. Our tithes and offerings are a tangible sign, “Lord, I love you. I own nothing; Jesus, you own everything.” My prayer is that all of us in this room may not just “survive” in the Promised Land, but we may “thrive” and “taste” the joy of living a God-dependent life. “Keep his statutes and his commandments, which I am commanding you today for your own well-being and that of your descendants after you, so that you may long remain in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time.” (Deut 4:40). Amen.

 

“Run (or Walk) with Jesus” (Hebrews 11:39-12:2)

Hero of My Faith

Do you have a photo album? Do you ever look through the pages, remembering the people that shaped your life? For me personally, I save some important photos on my phone and always carry them with me, and from time to time I look through those photos, remembering those who shaped my life. Among them, the greatest hero of my faith is my grandfather, who led me to Christ when I was 12 years old. As a Korean Methodist pastor, he was appointed to several different churches throughout his life. Wherever he was sent to, those churches became unified, revitalized, and revived. Surely the power and presence of the Holy Spirit was with him and his ministry. But more importantly, his life was congruent - congruent between preaching and living, congruent what is on the inside and what is lived on the outside. He was a good husband, a good father, a good pastor, and most of all, he was a good Christian. Although he passed away last year, he still speaks to me through his example of faith.

Heroes of Your Faith

The other day I asked you via email, “Who is the greatest hero of your faith?” Several of you graciously responded and shared your stories.

[Mars Hill] For Marge Yeager, the greatest heroine of her faith is her mother, Elaine Bailey. Marge said, “She always trusted in God no matter what. Even during very hard times of loss and sickness she never wavered in her faith. Though she is no longer with us I can still look to her example and try to live in the same faithful way.” Susan Boyd said, “For me it would be my father he always was my rock, my mentor, the one that I knew I could always count on in my life. He has been gone since 2011, but he is still the one who is approval I most seek out, and who I would hope, or I would want to be proud of who I am and what I do.” For Susan’s daughter, Elizabeth, the greatest hero is Mrs. Churchill, her teacher she has had since 6th grade. Elizabeth totally believes in herself when Mrs. Churchill is around. Mary Miller’s heroine is Lynne Josselyn. Mary said, “[It is] because she lived out Christ’s justice and compassion, because she led the way in women’s ministry and gave me courage to serve, because she sang and danced and preached and laughed the grace of God, because she ever embraced and served, with energy and commitment, God’s people.”

[Houlton] Linda Maraya answered, “The greatest hero of my faith is my mother because even during the worst of times, she never lost sight that she had full confidence and trust towards God.” Jo-Ann Barton said, “Mine was my parents took us all to Church every Sunday morning and evening. I accepted Jesus as my savior in Bible School, and I never forget the feeling when I was baptized.” Similarly, Sharon Lyons replied, “My family brought me up in the Christian faith and took me to church every Sunday. I got saved when I was seven and baptized in a river as a teen.” For Angela Cowperthwaite, the greatest hero of her faith was her dad. She said, “because he taught me about faith in God and to trust God in everything in my life.” Cynthia Hillman-Forbush said, “The greatest hero of my faith is Senator Earle M. Hillman (grandfather) because he lived out his faith daily.” Jack Forbush replied, “Garth Gooding.  Mentor and man of great faith. He showed me “the path” to walk on.” Liz Taylor said, “The greatest heroes of my faith are #1, my Godmother, my Aunt Violet, who welcomed me to her home every weekend to go to church… And #2, my husband, Lee, who brought me to Methodism.” Kathy Maclachlan said, “The greatest hero of my faith is my junior high Sunday School teacher, Ralph Dirats because he challenged me to APPLY the meaning and context of Jesus' words and scripture to controversial topics and decision-making… he stretched my childhood faith and my love of the Lord grew and grew.” Lastly, Brenda Richards said, “No one in particular but those who led by example influenced me. When as a teen I became a member of the church was the best experience ever. I can’t explain how I felt but will never forget that special feeling.”

Heroes of Our Faith

Perhaps no particular individual person comes to your mind as your hero. Perhaps you think, “I wish I could have one.” There is good news! Today’s scripture tells us we are part of a community filled with heroes and heroines of faith. We are not alone.

In Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith, we discover two categories of faith. The first group of people lived a victorious life – they conquered enemies, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, even gained victory over death. But the lives of the second group were filled with suffering: they were imprisoned, persecuted, mistreated, and even killed. From the outside, the images of these two groups are so different and impossible to reconcile. But they have one thing in common: whether they triumph or suffer, they are faithful before God to the end. Their faith, their faith-fullness, still so brightly shines and encourages us today. As we listen to the stories of Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Joshua and Rahab, we remember who we are. As we listen to the stories of martyrs, we learn that we are not alone in our suffering and that we are surrounded by so great cloud of the heroes of our faith.

Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter

The heroes of our faith in the Bible as well as in our lives have finished their race. And now, the baton passes to us. The writer of Hebrews gives us the final and most important word of advice: “Let us run the race with perseverance, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” Pioneer translates a rich Greek word, archegos. The archegos is the author, the beginner, the initiator, the trailblazer who goes before us. In the context of a race, the archegos is the team captain. In the Greek games, the team captain would run the race and then wait at the finish line to encourage his teammates as they followed in his steps.[1] As the pioneer, “[Jesus] entered the Most Holy Place once for all time, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, so that we may be set free and follow in his steps” (Heb 9:12).

But Jesus is not simply the pioneer; he is also the perfecter. So Jesus not only waits for us at the finish line, but also he fills in and fills out what is lacking in our faithfulness, in our race. So when we feel worn out in our faith journey, wondering whether we can make it, Jesus walks with us, sustains us along the way, and makes us whole. “Jesus himself has gone through suffering and testing, so he is able to help us when we are being tested” (Heb 2:18). Jesus is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith journey. So let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

Crossing the River

The writer of Hebrews doesn’t tell us why hardship is part of the Christian life. Life is difficult and the Christian life is no exception. To many of us in this room, perhaps death and dying process – loss of memory, mobility, or independence – can be discouraging and even fearful in our faith journey.

In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress Christian and his companion, Hopeful, have gone through many hardships: The Valley of the Shadow of Death, Giant Despair, Doubting Castle, and the list goes on. And now they were within sight of the Celestial City. Between them and the gate of the Celestial City was a river, but there was no bridge crossing over it, and the river was very deep. Upon entering, Christian began to sink and cried out to his good friend, Hopeful, “I sink in the deep water! The billows go over my head; all his waves go over me!” The Hopeful said, “Be courageous, my brother. I feel the bottom, and it is firm.” Christian was greatly troubled with thoughts of the sins he had committed. He was troubled with visions of demons and evil spirits. Hopeful struggled in his attempts to keep his brother’s head above water. Christian’s knees were week and his hands drooping. He could not see before him. Hopeful continued to speak him, “Be courageous. Jesus Christ makes you whole.” With that Christian broke out in a loud voice and said, “Oh, I see him again! And he tells me, When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you” (Isa. 43:2).” Then the two pilgrims both took courage, and the enemy became as still as a stone, until they had crossed over.

On your death bed, what would be the most comforting words? ‘You made a fortune. Why worries?’, ‘You have such a good family and children. Why worries?’, or ‘God has been with you, God is with you, and God will be with you forever. Why worries?’ As John Wesley said on his deathbed, “Best of all is God is with us.”

On this special day we give thanks to God for the heroes of our faith. We give thanks to God for our faithful church members and companions on our journey. But above all, we give thanks to God for his Son Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

 

And then one day, I’ll cross that river

I’ll fight life’s final war with pain

And then, as death gives way to victory

I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He reigns.

 

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow

Because He lives, all fear is gone

Because I know He holds the future

And life is worth the living

Just because He lives

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[1] Bryan J. Whitfield, “Commentary on Hebrews 11:29-12:2,” https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-20-3/commentary-on-hebrews-1129-122