All Day, Every Day

Hebrews 3:12-19
Ask someone if it is Wednesday (for example), and they may answer, “yes, all day.” It’s just one of those things that people say sometimes. Ask the writer of Hebrews if we should encourage one another to live righteously at any given time and the answer might be a verse from our epistle reading for today: “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Deuteronomy 3:13). Based on this verse it would appear that exhortation is a full time job for the Christian community. And frankly, it ought to be.

The typical work week for many is five days or about 40 hours (though for others the requirements are a good deal more). The “exhortation week,” as we might call it, is much shorter: one day. Only that one day is whatever we happen to call “today.” Is the writer of Hebrews trying to make a joke of the matter? I doubt it; the subject is far too serious for that. Instead, I think that the importance of the message is being underscored, highlighted, emphasized, lifted up in a manner similar to what I have just done by stringing a number of verbs together to help make my point. Our concern for one another should be an ongoing and constant aspect of life. Faithful obedience to God’s will is the bedrock of the faith and, so long as it is in our power, we must hold each other accountable and nudge each other along the path of true discipleship. It really does take a village to raise a child as the African proverb says, but within the community of faith that work is not done when the child reaches adulthood. The need for guidance remains, and one mark of our regard for each other should be that we take the time to offer such guidance whenever it is needed.

As a pastor, I ask congregants to tell me when they become aware of pastoral concerns even if they assume I already know. I would rather be told twenty times about the same matter than to find out too late that there was someone who needed my help. Exhortation works the same way. I don’t necessarily like having my faults or my failures pointed out to me, but I would really hate being left on my own to deal with my sinfulness without anyone taking the time to show their love and support. The Lord set aside one day out of seven of rest and charged us to use it. But even on that sabbath day we are called to offer encouragement and guidance to one another so that all may live in right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. So, being a Christian is a full time job and being part of the community of faith allows for no down time. It is just that important.

Prayer: God of love, help us to care for one another and to encourage one other to live in faithful obedience to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Here’s Hoping

Hebrews 3:1-11
There are things I hope for that are, in the grand scheme of life, of little lasting importance. For example, I hope the San Antonio Spurs win the NBA championship this year. As a fan, I would be very proud of that accomplishment and it would give me a certain amount of confidence, I suppose, among other basketball fans. Besides, the Spurs are a model of consistency, led by an outstanding coach and a core group of players who understand the importance of teamwork. So I hope they win the championship. But even if they do, in a matter of months it would mean very little as my life moves on and challenges arise; challenges like providing for my family, or caring for those in need, or participating fully as a citizen of my country. Those are issues that cannot be resolved or dealt with simply because a particular team wins a title. And yet, even these aspects of my life, these challenges, do not approach the level of meaning expressed by the writer of Hebrews. In our epistle reading for today we read, “Christ, however, was faithful over God’s house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope” (Hebrews 3:6). True hope, true Christian hope, leads to a kind of confidence, a sort of pride that stands over and above the day to day aspects of our lives –– even the important ones –– because it is focused on eternity and not merely on the here and now. Indeed, to live with the sort of hope that the writer of Hebrews is talking about is to live with no fear of what challenges may confront us, but with a sense of peace and resolve that transcends even the most trying of circumstances because we know –– we know –– that something better, something more complete, something more profound awaits us.

As one whose faith is placed in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, I have the opportunity each and every day to face life with all the energy, all the strength that I can muster, embracing life and all of its ups and downs. Even even if I fall well short of the goals or aspirations that my faith holds out to me, even if I am subjected to ridicule or hardship because of what I believe, I am blessed with the knowledge, the certain hope, that in Jesus Christ God has claimed me and will continue to love and guide me no matter what. And when I allow that to really sink in, when I let that enter into my consciousness in a meaningful way, I realize that I really do have nothing to fear. The confidence I feel is not in my own abilities, the pride I have is not based on anything I have done; it is all based on the fact that in Jesus Christ I am a part of God’s house and as such blessed beyond measure.

I will be rooting for the San Antonio Spurs to win the NBA title in 2013. But regardless of whether or not they do, I will be striving to live my life with the pride and confidence that comes from knowing God is at work in and through me and that something far greater than I could ever imagine awaits me. That is the nature of Christian hope.

Prayer: Almighty God, may we each live out the hope with which we have been blessed, and may we demonstrate our confidence and pride in you to those around us, this day and always. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Like There's No Tomorrow

Hebrews 3:12-19

The Christian faith is a community faith, one that requires men and women, the young and the old to stand together as the body of Christ at work I the world. Only when we are in relationship with others may we fully live the relationship - the covenant - we have with God. But the Christian faith is also a 'right now' faith, one that looks forward to the coming of God's reign, but which lives out its witness in the present. The book of Hebrews helps us to put this aspect of our relationship with God and with one another into focus. "...Exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrew 3:13). For the writer of Hebrews there is no time like the present in which to do the work of God, in which to stand united with a common purpose, in which to act on the faith we confess. Yes, we have a sure and certain hope of what God will do in the time to come, but the call we receive is to be awake now and to exhort and care for one another on every day called "today."

Ours is a "right now" faith for in grace God entered world in the person of Jesus Christ, a real person who lived at a real time and place, but whose love continues to abound in our midst. As God's people may we live like there is no tomorrow, and may we do so with a unity of purpose.

Prayer: Gracious God, help us recognize today and everyday as a gift from you and a blessing to be cherished and shared. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Exhortation

Hebrews 3:12-19
This morning I was struck by a verse in our reading from Hebrews. “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). Apparently this wasn’t the first time verse 13 had caught my eye because I had already underlined it in my Bible. So what’s so special about it?

I think it is just the turn of phrase we find there that has caught my eye. We should “exhort one another every day” to avoid disbelief and the “deceitfulness of sin.” And we should continue to exhort each other as long as it is “today.” First of all, it is always “today” which is just another way of saying “right now” or “at this time.” Which also means that it never becomes a matter of history or of future alone, but is always set in the current time, the present tense. The community of faith that exhorts one another and holds each other accountable may well be looking ahead to the coming reign of God, and should be mindful of where it has been by God’s grace. But that same community should take care to live and act in the present moment, for as long as there are present moments. This isn’t a matter of living just for today, it is a matter of taking stock of where we are and what is going on, and then responding appropriately.

Exhort one another every day and every “today” as long as there are “today’s.” Be open to what is happening now even as you look ahead to the future and remember the past. Hold the present moment as a precious gift, something to be celebrated and used to its fullness, but always be ready and willing to let the next moment come along, and the next, and the next. For in that way the work of God is always contemporary and fresh, and is always a number one priority of the people of God.

Prayer: Lord, help us to use the present moment as a time for building community and praising your name. In Jesus Christ, Amen.