Scripture Text (NRSV)
Hebrews 12:18-29
12:18 You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing
fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest,
12:19 and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the
hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them.
12:20 (For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even
an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death."
12:21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I
tremble with fear.")
12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal
gathering,
12:23 and 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,
12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the
sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
12:25 See 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!
12:26 At 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."
12:27 This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of what
is shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may
remain.
12:28 Therefore, 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;
12:29 for indeed our God is a consuming fire.
Comments:
Thanks to whom-ever provided the gem for last week's reading from
Hebrews 11:29 - 12:2 on the insight that the congregation present with
us is a poetic way of understanding "the cloud of witnesses that
surrounds us." Last week was my first time using DESPERATE PREACHER'S
SITE. Thanks to one and all.
Gregory in Dot, MA
For some reason I really love this odd little passage. If you read the
story to which the author is referring, it tells about how God invited
all the people into (his) presence -- they were presumably at that
time to become a literal kingdom of priests, able to come right in to
the Holy Presence of God and hear from God on a one to one
basis...they got all ready and when they were confronted with the
awesomeness of God's presence in a theophany type event, they said:
"No way" -- this God thing is too much for me. I'll just stand back
and be a spectator and let Moses do all the talking with God. Moses,
you just tell us what God says do, and we'll do it. And the law became
necessary. At least, this is my translation of the story -- The writer
of Hebrews seems to be saying that in this new and "better" covenant,
God again has come to us in the mediator Jesus -- we -- humanity --
has been given a "second chance" to come before the Holy and most
powerful God. This God we serve is a really big God -- we have no
idea. Entering into relationship with God is no small thing...it's a
little shakey. Indeed, the whole world is a little shakey right now --
but the good news is...we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be
shaken. those are just some rambling thoughts I have right now. My
sermon series will continue on "Faith" -- I don't know exactly what I
will do with all this. Sermon title is: "The Test of Faith: Whole Lot
of Shakin' Going on" Can we remain faithful when our world -- our
faith -- is shaken?
p.s. As I watch "contact" again for the 4th time, Iit seems to fit
with this theme. The heroine is searching for something and when she
finds "it" -- she is shaken -- her whole world view is shaken -- and
all she can do is respond..."I had no idea." Amen.
Rev. KK
my sermon title is "acceptable worship," from v28. at mt. sinai, they
had been given freedom and their response was fear. the author of
hebrews is encouraging them (us) to respond not with fear but with
thanksgiving. i'm tying in the gospel passage: the religious leaders
responded to the healing with criticism; the woman, with praise. sue
when i first began working with this passage, i read "consuming fire,"
v.29, as a negative image. but i began to change my mind. God appeared
as fire (in the fire?) in the burning bush then as fire to the people
to lead them across the wilderness. what do you think--did the author
of Hebrews use fire as an image of promise or as an image of something
really scary? sue
Thanks for the sermon title--Faith-A Whole lot of Shaking going on. I
want to tie the gospel and the epistle lesson together--not quite sure
how though. Somehow the stooped over woman, who has been bound by
Satan for 18 years, reminds me of Christians who are still hanging
around the foot of Mt. Sinia, with all the darkness and fear. Unable
to see the grace that they have been called to. Indeed that is their
in Christ.
I'm sorry I hit the wrong key and my thoughts again went out in
cyber-space before I was ready to say good bye to them. Anyways it is
the grace we receive from Jesus Christ that allows us to stand up
straight and see the joy of our faith, to see the power of our
relationship with Jesus Christ, & God the Father. Also the image of
God as a consuming fire is intriguing. Annie Dillard, in one of her
books, I'm sorry but I can't remember the title gives the image of a
moth flying close to a candle flame. At one point the moth gets to
close, gets stuck in the wax, burns but does not shrival. The moth
coated with wax now becomes part of the flame. I wonder if it is not
like that with us as Christians. As long as we are at the foot of Mt.
Sinai, letting Moses do all the talking, we are safe, we are seperate
from God, our faith is here, our life over here. But if we enter that
festal gathering in Mt. Zion, aren't we consumed like the moth, so
that we are no longer our own. Just some intial thoughts. John in PA
The name of the Annie Dillard book is "Holy the Firm"
John in PA
Another note on the worship and holiness of God theme from the book
"Reaching Out without Dumbing Down" -- author Marva Dawn, in a chapter
entitled "The Word: Worship Ought to Kill Us," writes: "In a society
doing all it can to make people cozy, somehow we must convey the truth
that God's Word, rightly read and heard, will shake us up. It will
kill us, for God cannot bear our sin and wants to put to death our
self-centerdness.....Once worship kills us, we are born anew to
worship God rightly." She goes on to say that "The greatest weakness
of much preaching is that the Word hasn't killed the pastor first."
Ouch. We come so casually, so cavalier-ly into the Holy presence of
God, it is a wonder we haven't all already been destroyed by the sheer
might of the Holy Presence. But God is full of Love and Grace (and
that itself an awesome power)--and has shielded us in the "cleft of
the Rock" -- so that we may boldly enter into the holy presence
shielded by the person of Jesus.... I don't think we have a CLUE as to
what we have ahold of, here. Or, should I say, what has hold of us. I
wonder, what would happen if the full presence of God would REALLY
show up in our congregations Sunday morning. Would we preachers be
ready? KK
