Ted Johnston—Year C Proper 16

Anthony: Let’s transition to the next pericope, it’s Hebrews 12:18–29. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 16 in Ordinary Time, August 24. Ted, we’d be grateful if you read it.

Ted:

You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, 19 and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. 20 (For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”) 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, 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, 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. 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! 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.” 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. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe, 29 for indeed our God is a consuming fire.

Anthony: Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude. Hallelujah. Ted, Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. Those are, that was, an eight-word statement, but a lot of work is being done there. It’s good news. Why is it such good news in the here and now?

Ted: Yes. If we had about 12 hours, I would explain it to you in detail,

Anthony: which we don’t, but

Ted: … we don’t. So, suffice it to say that the author of the book of Hebrews, whoever he or she is, is comparing and contrasting the old covenant with a new covenant. And this letter, this sermon really is addressed to Jewish Christians who are extremely familiar with the old covenant.

They’d grown up living by its precepts, but now have embraced Jesus who is himself the new covenant, and he is urging them and urging us by extension to understand the superiority of the new as compared to the old. Some of them, of course, were being tempted to turn away from the new and return back to the order of the old, because that was what was familiar to them. That was what was comfortable, was kind of safe for them.

And I don’t mean to condemn those folks. If I were going through what they were going through, I don’t know what I would do. But he wants them to keep their eyes focused on Jesus, who is the new covenant. To leave the new is to turn one’s back on Jesus, who mediates the new covenant. One might say as I’ve already said, that he himself really is the new covenant, the new relationship between God and humanity found in the person of the incarnate, Son of God, Jesus Christ. And here’s the good news and a source of encouragement to them, and I hope and encouragement and hope to us — Jesus is God and can be trusted.

Anthony: I say it again. We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken because God cannot be shaken. So, we should show gratitude. It’s expressed in verse 28 and the writer of Hebrews goes on to continue the thought by heralding God as a consuming fire. I’m curious, how do these things go together?

Ted: As I mentioned before the author is drawing from the Old Testament, in other words, the Hebrew scriptures, which these Jewish Christians were very familiar with and using stories and symbols, events that were very familiar to them and the language that’s being used here he is drawing directly from Israel’s experience in the Exodus and which God revealed his presence to Israel in a cloud by day and by fire at night.

And even back to the story of the burning bush. These were signs of the presence of God that left the Israelites awestruck, but now the author is saying, you Jewish Christians, and all Christians today, now that you and the person of Jesus see how the new covenant operates, don’t lose that sense of awe, that sense of reverence that will allow you to turn your back on Jesus. Instead of under appreciating Jesus and what he gives us, be full of gratitude.

For it is, I’m going to say, reverent gratitude that so powerfully shapes our affections and directs our steps. Is worship important? It’s important because God is due worship, but it’s also important to the worshipers, because it instills in us that reverent awe, and that is extremely important, especially in the hard times, times when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, to quote from that familiar psalm.

And so, to keep in mind of who it is that we are worshiping and to cultivate that reverent awe, that sense of gratitude towards God is extremely important for how we walk this journey with Christ, which sometimes can be very difficult.

Anthony: I think you’ve said something vitally important because there’s a misunderstanding sometimes, especially from critics of Christianity, that God is somehow this needy, self-absorbed God who needs our worship.

Ted: Yeah.

Anthony: He doesn’t.

Ted: No.

Anthony: No, but as you pointed to, he’s worthy of it for certain, for what he has revealed in Jesus Christ, but also it does something to us, just like praying. It changes the person who is praying, not the one being prayed to, he’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is good.

Ted: Yes.

Anthony: He doesn’t have to be conditioned to be good. He is good. But it does something to our hearts and I think that’s so important for us to see God.

God is not needy. He is completely full of harmony and love and is satisfied, but he chose to create out of love and hallelujah that we get to participate in that. And just a final word before we transition to our final passage of the month. As Hebrews says, Jesus’ blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Hallelujah.