Monday, February 6, 2012

Taking Part

Hebrews 13:1-16
I have mentioned before how relatively easy it is to be a Christian in America. There are those who might dispute this assertion to some degree but the fact remains that I am free to attend (or not to attend) worship, free to pray (or not to pray) in the privacy of my own home, and free to speak (or not to speak) of my faith publicly. Nor is there an established religion in the United States. I consider myself richly blessed by the freedoms I enjoy. Our reading from Hebrews this morning, however, comes from a time when being a Christian was anything but easy, when it required commitment and resolve in the face of persecution and opposition. Read in this light Hebrews 13:3 is far from hypothetical. It is a real-life exhortation. “Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured.” When these words were written Christians were in prison, Christians were being tortured. This was far from a matter of occasionally showing up for worship or deciding whether or not to tithe. This was hardly a matter of politicians comparing their religious qualifications while appealing to a fractured electorate. This was the stuff of life and death in the name of a Savior who himself was willing to die for our sake.

Here then is the challenge we face, to live the faith not as one of the things we do when it fits our schedule, but as those willing to be imprisoned or tortured for the sake of Jesus Christ. If and when we are able to make that type of commitment to the faith we may finally understand what the writer of Hebrews meant and may finally begin to get it. This is serious stuff that God is asking us to do.

Prayer: Lord, give us the courage and the strength to live as your people at all times. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

No comments: