Faith for Ordinary Times
page detail from Hebrews, 1611 KJV Bible (Replica Edition) photo by jch
Sermon Series “Through the Bible,” № 79, Hebrews 10:19-25
And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some …. –Hebrews 10:24b-25a
In the text Kalyn read for us, the disciples wrestled one more time with what it means to live in the tension between faith and doubt. A part of them wanted to ask the stranger who he was, to have verbal confirmation to counter the fear that they were hallucinating. But another part of them knew – at least with 99 percent certainty – that it was Jesus. Peter, especially, is put in a position to reaffirm his love for Jesus multiple times, just as he had denied allegiance to him multiple times during Jesus’ trial. According to the tradition of the early Church, all the disciples went on to become bold witnesses for Jesus, most to the point of death.
After an experience like this one, it seems the apostles never questioned his leadership again. After the Day of Pentecost, with the tongues of fire, and the speaking in many languages, and the incredible feeling of community that was generated, they never again neglected gathering together for worship and fellowship.
With the passing of time, new generations arose who needed to learn the same lessons. To teach them, someone in the early Church wrote a text we know as the Letter to the Hebrews.
We don’t know the author’s identity, but it seems likely that he or she was a respected leader in the early Church, and certainly had a commanding knowledge of the Hebrew Testament. The recipients of the letter were Jewish-Christians who were subjected to waves of persecution, and had grown impatient waiting for the prophesied “Day of the Lord.” Years had passed by since Jesus’ ascension, iron-fisted foreigners still ruled the land, oppressive taxes still were levied, freedom and abundance seemed like a distant dream.[1] The amazing miracles of an earlier time were no longer so memorable, physical threats were growing, and they were growing lax in their practice of the Christian faith.
The text I read from the tenth chapter is probably the Bible’s best-known call and encouragement for Christians to meet together regularly. Sometimes, the challenges faced in Bible times seem so remote that we have a difficult time appreciating them. But the challenge of Christians neglecting to gather together seem as fresh and relevant as the people we miss here on Sunday morning.
There are, of course, many good reasons for not being in worship. Among the most common are poor health and an occupation that requires work during the same time frame. Every hour of every day there are babies that need mothers to birth them, sick children that need parents to nurse them back to health, elderly family and friends who need someone to care for them. What horrors we would face if on Sundays there weren’t police to keep order, firefighters to put out flames, medical personnel to attend to critical care, utility company workers to restore our power, plumbers to fix our leaks and restore our water flow, tow truck drivers to rescue stranded drivers, bakers to provide a donut and cup of coffee to those who have been up all night, transportation workers to distribute the goods and food needed in our grocery stores and restaurants. God bless them all.
But there are good reasons for showing up to worship whenever you are able. Regular participation in worship is a discipline that reminds you who you are, and whose you are. It has a power to shape your values, your character, and your life’s direction. Researchers like Harvard’s Robert Putnam argue that social connectedness of the sort you find in a worshipping community is one of the most powerful determinants of health and happiness.[2] Life-transforming moments take place in worship; if you look back into your memory, then I hope you’re able to remember some.
When Therese and I were married forty years ago this spring, I was touched by the number of family and friends in attendance. Many people traveled long distances, some of whom I had not seen in years. I remember meaningful conversations with several. Never before or since have so many members of both our families gathered together in one place.
Later, when my parents died, I was moved again by expressions of sympathy and support that came from places near and far. Friends I had not seen in twenty years took time out of their busy schedules to come to the funeral and express condolences. Some told stories of encounters with my parents I had not previously heard, or shared letters I would have had no other way of seeing.
As I ponder our regular worship services, sometimes I call to mind these special worship experiences, and wonder about what it takes to recreate the community spirit that characterizes milestone moments like weddings and funerals. Naturally, community spirit is supported by the proper selection and preparation of things like the scriptures, the sermon, the music, and the prayers. Community spirit can be enhanced by openness to fresh new elements, as the Holy Spirit moves us to embrace them. From the preacher’s perspective, one the most overlooked factors is the simple gift of each member’s presence.
I have a recurring fantasy about what would happen if each able-bodied member of the church made a commitment to attend worship forty Sundays per year (you’d still have 12 left for illness, travel, and so on). If that were to happen, the vehicles in the parking lot would tell those who pass by that Presbyterians are especially serious about faith, and the church’s influence in the community would be strengthened. Expensive promotional campaigns would seem less important because the unchurched would begin to follow their Presbyterian friends to church. Children and youth would have an example set for them with greater impact than any curriculum resources, because when it comes to faith formation, more is caught than taught.
A message that is as much for people not here as the ones who are: I encourage you to offer our church a gift that cannot be bought or sold: grace us with the gift of your regular participation in worship. Whether it’s a wedding, a funeral, or especially a weekly worship service, there is power to create and sustain community in the act of simply showing up.
NOTES
[1] George Wesley Buchanan, To the Hebrews, Vol. 36 of The Anchor Bible, Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co, Inc., 1972, p. 169.
[2] Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000, pages 20, 327, 332.
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