Hebrews 10:11-25
November 15, 2009
Patrick Preheim
Not Neglecting to Meet Together - A Case for Church
In his book The Way is Made by Walking Mennonite theologian and teacher Arthur Paul Boers wrote about his month long trek on the Comino de Santiago. While walking he met a lot of people. Most of those with whom he visited had chosen this traditional Christian pilgrimage because they believed there is a spiritual essence present on this particular trail (see chapter 9,”Secular Seekers: the disconnect of pilgrims and church). Rather than the Appalachian Trial or the West Coast Trail they had chosen a route used by Christian pilgrims through the centuries. The irony of this situation was, however, that most of those with whom he visited did not classify themselves as religious. They called themselves spiritual, not religious. The experience of Arthur Paul Boers is not uncommon. And yet the writer of Hebrews exhorts spiritual people to not neglect meeting together. When I returned to the office on Monday and reread the today’s passage for today I decided to explore the case for regular communal worship outlined in Hebrews.
Now I realize that in many ways I am preaching to the choir. You are, after all, the people who have chosen to worship communally this morning rather than at the 1st Mennonite mattress, the Bedside Baptist, or the north woods cabin. On the other hand, there may be a few of you who are really wondering if the investment in Sunday morning church is worth it. Or perhaps you have loved ones who routinely choose a privatized worship experience. You can answer for yourself why you have chosen church worship this morning. I want to briefly outline the case for church laid out in sermon we call the book of Hebrews.
The first verse of Hebrews states that “long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways”, and from there the author tells about many characters from Jewish history. The stories, presumably, are important to remember. These are the stories we tell each other when we come together for worship. And each story is one of good news. Covenant is part of that good news. Covenant is a word that comes up in our reading today, and it is mentioned thirteen other times throughout the book of Hebrews. In the ancient near Eastern cultures it was usually a vassal (the weaker member) who approached the king to make a covenant. Not so with our God. Time and time again Yahweh comes to the Hebrew people to make a new covenant or supplement an existing agreement. It is good news that God seeks us out. It is equalling moving to further consider the people with whom God chooses to covenant. Most of the figures mentioned in Hebrews are flawed protagonists. Most of them were the youngest, from the weakest clan, or seemingly had little to offer. This is good news, for a substantial number of people in the world feel unworthy. We may feel weak, that we have nothing to give, but God comes to us. God chose to covenant with spiritual ancestors who were far from the brightest stars in the sky, and God chooses to covenant with us.
Take, for example, the characters of Abraham and Sarah who are mentioned ten times throughout the book of Hebrews (Primarily Hebrews 6-7). God chose to covenant with aged nomads who had no clan, no home, and no heirs. Out of this unstable situation God promises to bring a blessing that will bless the world?? The details of the covenanting ceremony turn the hierarchy of humans and deities upside down, but that is another story for another time. Or take, for example, the character of Moses who is mentioned eleven times in the book of Hebrews (primarily Hebrews 3). Moses, we must remember, is a murderer whose speech impediment makes him fearful to speak publically. Where else but in worship and the story telling of the Biblical texts are we reminded that God chooses to liberate an entire people through the likes of Moses? Through Moses God covenants with the Israelites in the law. And while the eye for eye business may seem a bit harsh to us, it was a vast improvement over the disproportionate, vendetta like, and nobility biased justice being meted out in many societies of the time. An elaboration of this point will also need to wait because it is a sermon on its own. I can imagine, in fact, a preacher of the early church taking 6 months methodically preaching his or her way through the Hebrews letter. Each week the preacher would respond to another allusion appearing in the letter by telling the good news of covenant from that character’s perspective.
Also a part of each narrative of covenant in Hebrews is the presence of the Jesus story. From the author’s perspective the covenant offered in Christ is superior to everything that has come before. After affirming that God has indeed spoken to our ancestors in verse one, in verse two he emphatically states that God has spoken to us in Christ who is the heir of all things.
- The author takes up the case of Abraham and Sara in chapters six-seven of Hebrews. It is good news that God can make a chosen people from the likes of Abraham and Sarah, but it is really good news that in Christ all humanity is chosen to be in the family of God. The covenant extended to Ishmael and Isaac and their descendents is now extended to us all-- we are all a chosen people.
- The author takes up the case of Moses primarily in chapter three of Hebrews. It is good news that God leads people to liberation through the likes of Moses. It is really good news, however, that in Christ we have a new Moses who will lead us out of bondage, guide us through seas, provision us in the desert, and ultimately lead us through the Jordon River into the Promised Land. Christ does this not because we merit it (oh, no—more times than not we are a complaining and stiff necked people who erect all sorts of altars to suit our fancy). Christ leads us simply because God has chosen us.
- The author takes up the case of the written law (the Torah) at various points. It is good news that God gave the Israelites the Torah (the law) to guide how they should treat one another and those outside the faith—it is helpful to have a written copy of the rules. It is really good news, however, that through the Spirit the laws of God are written on our hearts and minds. In consultation with the Spirit the law is no longer limited by time or context. We are now able to discern the will of God for our time and place.
- The author takes up the case of the sacrificial system in chapters eight—ten of Hebrews. It is good news that a system of sacrifice was put in place so that the Israelites had a mechanism to deal with their short comings-- their sin. It is really good news that Christ has made a single sacrifice for all time. This allows people like you and me to live in the present rather than dwell on the mistakes we have made in the past. Christ’s sacrifice allows me to live today rather than pine for the future.
Outside of worship I don’t hear much about chosen-ness, or about providence, or about the law written on our hearts, or about the freedom Christ’s sacrifice allows us. We hear a lot about the Skywalkers, Harry Potter, and the Bagins(es), but our spiritual forerunners have aspects to their stories that the modern heroes not have. Hearing and exploring the stories of our spiritual ancestors is one reason, I believe, that the author of Hebrews tells us not to neglect meeting together. Don’t get me wrong—I like the Bagin(es), Potter, and the Skywalkers; I just think our biblical characters also have something to teach us.
In addition to stories I believe worship provides us a foundation from which we engage others and our world. I am suggesting that mutual care and mission is directly linked to our worship life. Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan just had their annual meeting (and by the way blessings on the tasks before you Peter) and I wonder if MCC would generate nearly a quarter million dollars from their thrift stores without worshiping communities; or I wonder if MCC would generate $100,000.00 from an MCC sale without worshipping communities; or I wonder if MCC would have received over 1.2 million in general and designated offerings without worshipping communities. I also think about the power of worship in shaping the small group gatherings that happen at this church. Would the women’s bible study on Tuesdays have the same tenor without worship as a shared experience for the participants? Would it be possible for the congregation to hold a classical music afternoon, as happened last Sunday, without a worship life that connected many of the participants and their family? The act of creating music together on a Sunday is an type of mutual care. Music sometimes speaks to our condition in ways a sermon, story, or even nature is unable. And no matter how gifted a musician, one person can not sing harmony. When we sing together something connects between people, and it is good. My point is that I think people are provoked to “love and good deeds” (to quote our scripture from today) in large and small ways through a vibrant worship life. It is our worship life that permits the kind of relationships to form that encourage service at thrift stores, Ten Thousand Villages, and in our smaller groups. I suspect this is one reason the author of Hebrews encourages the congregation in meeting together regularly.
I understand there will be circumstances in which persons no longer attend worship regularly. It will happen on account of health. It happens when the church behaves badly. It happens when families separate and children spend half their weekends in another home. It will happen when depression weighs so heavily on a person that they can barely make it to work let alone a group setting where most others seem to be happy. It happens when youth define themselves by opting out of the traditions held firmly by their parents. It will happen when a person decides God or the institution is just not worth the time. Many of these people continue to be spiritual even if they are not religious. I will conclude this morning where I started: with a reflection from Arthur Paul Boers on the dichotomy between the religious and the spiritual.
Is there not a way for the church—not just along the Camino but elsewhere as well—to welcome such seekers? Can we not respond to this yearning with hospitable listening and conversation? On the Camino many pilgrims asked themselves the most basic and most important questions: Who am I? What is the purpose of life? Am I significant? Is how I behave important? How ought I to live? Is there reason for hope? These are existential matters, the very concerns that Christians profess to know something about...If the church focused less on institutional power, protection and self-interest, and more on prayer, mysticism and the spiritual life, we might still have an opportunity to be heard. As I became acquainted with various pilgrims and we helped one another, I found that conversation went two ways and that I too was being called to new convictions. The Way is Made by Walking, pp. 126-127
I think our task is threefold: 1. to continue meeting regularly as Hebrews prescribes-- to hear stories, to be encouraged by the stories and our worshipping community, to be provoked to good deeds; 2. to clarify why we choose to meet regularly; 3. to continue the conversation with those who do not meet regularly. May God grant us joy, compassion, and wisdom as we seek to be faithful. Amen.