A Race Well Run
Hebrews 12:1-2
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. (Hebrews 12: 1-2)
I invite us this morning to reflect on the theme of a race well run.
Chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews is sometimes called the “roll call of faith”. The chapter begins by stating that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Then the author recounts all of the heroes and heroines of the Hebrew religion who lived by faith. Then the opening words from chapter 12 form the summation – the “therefore” of chapter 11. What the person of faith now should do because of all of those saints who went before is this:
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. (Hebrews 12: 1-2)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. We are not the first generation of Christians. We are blessed to have the witness of countless generations of saints who have gone before us – the great cloud of witnesses – which show us the faith. For we who are gathered here, that cloud of witnesses includes Dan and Nell Rogers, along with the apostles and prophets, theologians and missionaries, members of our personal families, saints of the church, and brothers and sisters in faith. The great cloud of witnesses includes ALL of the saints. Our individual Christian lives are unique, and the mark we make on this world – or the mark we FAIL to make – is as distinctive as the individual patterns of snowflakes. But we are not the first. We are but the latest in a long line of faith. And from these witnesses we receive not only our faith, but also a holy fellowship that extends beyond time and beyond the grave. Friends, even today, as we are gathered in memory and in worship, we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. Think of it! Think of them. Beloved brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers in the faith. The great cloud of witnesses surrounds this day and every day of our lives.
Being surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, then, let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. By God’s grace, Dan lived a long and active life of four score and eight. But whether our race be long or short, an easy jog or an arduous climb, our calling is the same: to run with perseverance. The dictionary’s first definition of perseverance is “Adherence to a course of action, belief, or purpose without giving way; steadfastness”.
To run with perseverance, then, is to lead one’s life with stubborn faithfulness, to adhere to the faith – to “stick to it”. That’s a high calling, to be sure. One available to us only by God’s grace.
Speaking of grace, perseverance carries a particularly comforting weight within our Presbyterian-Calvinist tradition: the notion of the perseverance of the saints is the affirmation that “those who have been chosen by God will continue in a state of grace to the end and will finally be saved.” In other words, our shortcomings cannot and will not negate God’s gracious love for us! By God’s grace we have the assurance that we will persevere until we find our place among the great cloud of witnesses of the people of God.
Surrounded by the witnesses of the faith, we run, we live with perseverance, that life set before us. Looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Jesus as pioneer and perfecter points to the two dimensions of richness we have in Jesus. First, Jesus is the MODEL of LIFE. In Jesus we see not only how God loves us, but also how we should live. How we should treat one another. How we can relate to God. How we can grow within God’s grace. Jesus is the model, the trail blazer, the pioneer who has gone before us to show us the way to God and the way of life with God.
Jesus is our model. Jesus is also the perfecter of faith. Jesus shows us how it is to be done. And Jesus is the MEANS for how it can be done. In Jesus Christ God acts for us so that we might act for God. In Jesus Christ we have the assurance of God’s love for us, empowering us to love God and neighbor. In Jesus Christ we have the victor – the perfecter of faith – through whom God has conquered even death. In Jesus Christ, we are cemented to God, and joined with all of the saints of the past and present.
Dear friends, 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. (Hebrews 12: 1-2)
This is the word of God. This is God’s word to you. This is God’s word for you. AMEN.
R. Charles Grant
Bon Air Presbyterian Church
Richmond, VA
March 1, 2008