Hebrews
12:1-3 A
Great Cloud of Witnesses
Therefore,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside
every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with
perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and
perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right
hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against
himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.
****
In just a few lines, the author of the
letters to the Hebrews puts before us three important truths about our lives of
faith.
-We are not alone, but surrounded by a
“cloud of witnesses.” We are always part of a community of sisters and
brothers, those who have gone before us—our parents, grandparents, spouses,
other relatives and friends and countless others we’ve never met or known—all
of us a family in Christ. Despite our being surrounded by sisters and brothers
every Sunday as we sing, pray, share the bread and cup, we often feel alone
when it comes to the struggle, the “race” the writer also tells us we’re on
here, with the kingdom among us, moving on toward the kingdom that has no end.
When the anger, divisions, cruelty toward immigrants, the poor, people of
color, LGBT folk, and so many others may make us feel isolated, abandoned, we
are not alone. We are surrounded by the holy women and men of all time,
carrying us along, understanding our struggles and sadness, sharing with us
their joy.
-Jesus has gone on before us, the
trailblazer, the pioneer, the one who shows us what it is to live completely in
the human and in the divine. Jesus is not magician, yet Jesus is a
wonderworker, the one who breaks through walls that divide us. Jesus extends
this wonderful work to each of us.
-It is no easy stroll, no glide right
into glory. Jesus’ path shows us it is a struggle. Now as we prepare for the
feat of Jesus’ birth, we may not recall that he came as a child, as one of us,
to lift on the cross with
himself, all of us, all of the pain
and hatred, transforming it all, raising it up into new life. We celebrate
Jesus’ coming as a promise of this new life, and not promise only, but a gift,
every day.
Michael Plekon’s interest in studying
religion began early on when he chose to pursue a bachelor's degree in
Sociology and Philosophy from the Catholic University in Washington, D.C. in
1970. He later obtained a master’s degree and a doctorate in Sociology and
Religion from Rutgers University in New Jersey. Originally ordained in the
Lutheran Church, he was later received into the Orthodox Church in America and
has served as an Associate Priest at St. Gregory Orthodox Church in Wappingers
Falls, NY since 1996. He is a prolific writer having published more than a dozen
books and hundreds of papers, book chapters and reviews.
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