Hebrews 12:18-29 (NRSV)
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Verse 18You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, Verse 19and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. Verse 20(For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death." Verse 21Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I tremble with fear.") Verse 22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, Verse 23and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, Verse 24and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Verse 25See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! Verse 26At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven." Verse 27This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of what is shaken-that is, created things-so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Verse 28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; Verse 29for indeed our God is a consuming fire.
Devotion
In today's reading we get a glimpse of the struggles of an early Christian community. They endured times of true crisis. They stood fast through hostility and violent acts from the outside. But the threat they now face seems to be of an internal sort: fatigue, weakening faith, lack of focus, a slow drift away. Some have taken refuge in being ardent for the law as a tangible way of measuring faith, forgetting God's covenant relationship through Christ.
If you are part of a faith community, there is a good chance you have had experience with similar struggles: "The church is tired; the same ten people do everything; it seems irrelevant; people have drifted away; the gatekeepers sit in judgment and visitors feel unwelcome; I can't feel God anymore."
Take heart! God is still active, whether we feel it or can imagine it or not. God is shaking the foundations of our tired expectations and reordering the world. This is the promise that is ours in Christ. It remains firm.
Prayer
Creating God, see our fatigue and restore us to muscular faith. Surprise us with energy and invigorate our imaginations. Turn our eyes to see and trust in you alone. Amen.