CONCLUSIONS - With the efficacy of Christ’s salvific work and corroborated by texts from Jeremiah (31:33 and 31:34), the pastor/writer now moves to the implications of Christ’s work on their behalf: confidence before God, guilt-free access to God’s presence, hope, and exhortations to love in specific ways.

FUNCTION OF CHAPTER ONE - The passage "let us" subjunctive forms that seek to invite, urge, wheedle, and coax listener/readers into obedience and alacrity provides all the right reasons for entering God’s holy presence without guilt or fear of rejection. "By the entrance of our pioneer, our forerunner (2:10; 6:20) Jesus, who did so in the offering of his on blood . . . the high priestly act of Christ’s self-giving does not leave us outside, as the ancient worshipers stood anxiously awaiting the exit of the high priest, but removes all obstacles to our own access of God." [1]

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? - The chapter begins with a summary statement of Christ’s once-and-for-all offering of himself as sacrifice for sin, then invites and cajoles believers to come to God in light of this great Christ-offering. Then the pastor/writer shifts to a negative, threatening rhetoric in an effort to move the believer into the appropriate response of worship. What is the problem here? Individualism? Are they shying from faith in the face of public ridicule? Are they experiencing attrition or lethargy? Persecution, lack of fervor? "Since the time of Socrates, philosophers and theologians have ob served a condition that afflicts persons and communities, sometimes without causes know to themselves, called ennui . . . in the church the condition is labeled akedia, often translated "sloth" and listed among the seven deadly sins. How is it to be addressed?

Notice the four subjunctives-"let us"-statements in this passage. What does each one mean to a vital worshiping community? How is each one accomplished?

Dallas Willard speaks of the "cost of non-discipleship;" why might the "let us" statement about meeting together be critical to a worshiping community as an act of discipleship?

 

A homily on this passage might be especially useful if you can recover what we know about the community of the Hebrews and then move that picture into our own worshiping communities.

Describe the cooling off period that seemed to leave the congregation enervated. Name some of the conditions that might have thrown a blanket over their zeal for God.

Name sloth as one of the most deadly sins of the church and how worshiping communities can off set such a sin.

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[1] The New Interpreter’s Bible XII (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998), page 120.