Hebrews 9:24-28 (NRSV)
Read Hebrews 9:24-28 on biblegateway.com
Verse 24For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Verse 25Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; Verse 26for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. Verse 27And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, Verse 28so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Devotion
There are too many words clogging up our minds. We find ourselves saying things again and again, somehow hoping for clarity; maybe believing that eventually what we say will be true.
Grandparents and poets know that stewards of words -- pictures carefully developed in black and white and shades of grey -- is what we long for. We crave simplicity and certainty -- solid truth to stand on.
This Hebrews verse speaks of a strong, divine God who has acted once and for all in Jesus. Yet, sometimes we ask, "Didn’t God finish God's work in Jesus?" Was God's plan of salvation flawed, so that now we need to take charge of faith's defense?
And so we bombard our neighbors with words of faith, hope, and love, and believe that if we say it once more maybe they will "get it." In contrast, poets and grandparents simply do faith, hope, and love until someone notices.
Prayer
Thank you God for the "once and for all-ness" of Jesus the Christ. Amen.