This Tuesday, Fr. Gabriel will conclude our study of Hebrews. Please read through Hebrews 12-13. This passage is the writer’s final exhortation and admonition to his audience and to us. His appeal begins with a beautiful explanation of the Christian life. Above all, the Christian life is a journey with a goal. The first few verses of Chapter 12 tell us what this journey looks like. First, we are not alone. Rather, we are surrounded by “a great cloud of witnesses.” On every step, the saints of the church accompany us. Second, part of the purpose of the journey is to set aside those things which weigh us down and seek to prevent our reaching the goal. As we looked at in “The Imitation of Christ”, the first part of partaking of his nature is the purging of our own selfish desires which lead us astray. Divesting ourselves of this “weight” which “clings so closely” helps us travel lighter and more directly towards the goal. Third, the writer tells us the journey is not a sprint but one of perseverance and endurance. Union with God isn’t accomplished with a once-and-done rite or learning the correct things but only occurs by being in his presence over the long haul. Finally, the writer tells us that the good news is that the path we must take for our journey has already been cleared. Jesus is the “pioneer” who has both shone us the way and led us by it.
Dinner is a 6. The menu is TBA. Teaching about 6:45. Hope to see you here. Please don’t forget our Christmas drop-in this Sunday from 5-8.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27