WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:14.060 In Anthony Doerr's World War II-era novel, All the Light We Cannot See, one of the main characters, a young French girl named Marie-Laurée LeBlanc, loses her sight at age six. 00:00:14.060 --> 00:00:20.719 So she has to relearn how to do all the things she was used to doing without her physical vision. 00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:36.859 To help Marie-Laurée learn how to do things without her sight, her father builds a small-scale model of her Parisian neighborhood and teaches her to trace streets, buildings, parks, and trees with her fingertips. 00:00:36.859 --> 00:00:44.899 Then he takes her into their real neighborhood while she holds onto his arm and asks her questions. 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:47.079 How many steps to the baker? 00:00:48.039 --> 00:00:49.219 Do you smell the bread? 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:54.620 What do you hear when you sit in the park and you listen? 00:00:55.920 --> 00:01:02.620 He trains her to rely on her other senses until she's confident without physical sight. 00:01:02.619 --> 00:01:08.120 This passage in Hebrews that we heard this morning does something similar for us. 00:01:08.759 --> 00:01:12.759 These words and stories about Old Testament saints train us. 00:01:13.679 --> 00:01:21.840 They show us how to walk by faith, how to learn new ways of seeing, and they point us towards what our ultimate goal is. 00:01:22.840 --> 00:01:26.439 We'll explore three questions about faith together. 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:28.439 Father, what is faith? 00:01:28.980 --> 00:01:30.920 Who is the object of our faith? 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:35.819 And how do we have faith, especially in the midst of hardship? 00:01:36.700 --> 00:01:37.900 Would you pray with me? 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:44.979 Father, thank you so much for the joy of worshiping as a gathered family together. 00:01:45.799 --> 00:01:48.400 We pray that you would be our teacher this morning. 00:01:49.400 --> 00:01:51.579 Not my words, but your words, Lord. 00:01:51.579 --> 00:01:53.819 Would our hearts be soft? 00:01:54.439 --> 00:01:56.700 And would you pour your spirit out on us? 00:01:57.500 --> 00:02:00.579 In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:02.179 Amen. 00:02:03.620 --> 00:02:06.420 So first of all, what is faith? 00:02:07.060 --> 00:02:15.419 Hebrews 11, 1 and 2 defines faith as confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 00:02:15.419 --> 00:02:24.819 This definition of faith sounds good, but most of the time we want to hang on to things we can see and things we know for sure. 00:02:25.299 --> 00:02:32.699 Things like our relationships, our jobs, our talents, our abilities, the things we do at school. 00:02:33.479 --> 00:02:36.159 And none of these things are bad things, right? 00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:44.379 And when things are going well in our lives, we might even think we don't need the kind of faith that the author of Hebrews talks about. 00:02:45.240 --> 00:02:51.800 Even if we don't mean to, we sort of treat God like one of those safety tools, you know, in the glass box. 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:53.939 Break glass in case of emergency. 00:02:55.460 --> 00:03:01.400 And that's pretty different from the daily joyful life of faith the author of Hebrews teaches us about here. 00:03:02.379 --> 00:03:04.859 He knows life is going to get hard. 00:03:04.860 --> 00:03:15.720 So he weaves two main themes throughout his letter to help us hang on to that confidence, hope, and assurance that he talks about in his definition of faith. 00:03:16.600 --> 00:03:19.900 So the first theme is this, persevere. 00:03:21.220 --> 00:03:24.700 When suffering comes, don't give up. 00:03:25.320 --> 00:03:30.060 The original recipients of this letter dealt with all the same daily struggles we do. 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:37.080 And they also faced imprisonment, torture, and death because of their faith. 00:03:38.259 --> 00:03:42.620 Living with this day in and day out, how did they persevere? 00:03:42.620 --> 00:03:51.980 That brings us to the second theme, which is that Jesus is the fulfillment of everything in the Old Testament. 00:03:53.120 --> 00:04:00.379 The kind of perseverance the author of Hebrews talks about, this isn't the kind of perseverance that's about trying harder. 00:04:00.920 --> 00:04:02.900 It's about looking at Jesus. 00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:07.200 These Old Testament heroes all point to Jesus. 00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:20.319 The author combines these themes, perseverance, and fulfillment with stories of Old Testament saints to give us visible models of an invisible concept like faith. 00:04:21.300 --> 00:04:23.459 This leads us to our second question. 00:04:24.379 --> 00:04:26.480 Who is the object of our faith? 00:04:27.480 --> 00:04:31.339 All the people we read about in this passage were praised for their faith. 00:04:31.339 --> 00:04:35.479 By pointing to these examples, the author makes a bold claim. 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:40.579 We can have assurance of things, even when we can't see them. 00:04:41.339 --> 00:04:47.639 One of the things you might have noticed when the group read this passage is that each section started with the two words, 00:04:48.239 --> 00:04:54.279 by faith, by faith, by faith, repeated over and over. 00:04:54.939 --> 00:04:59.599 The author uses this repetition to say, hey, all these people did this. 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:01.960 So that means you can be part of this too. 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:03.600 It's possible. 00:05:05.060 --> 00:05:08.920 Sometimes we need to know something is possible, don't we? 00:05:10.400 --> 00:05:12.400 Let me give you a more recent example. 00:05:13.280 --> 00:05:18.379 A few years ago, the long-awaited sequel to the 80s classic Top Gun came out. 00:05:19.640 --> 00:05:28.280 In Top Gun Maverick, the Navy calls their best and brightest fighter pilots to California to train and be deployed on a secret mission. 00:05:28.279 --> 00:05:31.599 And I don't even remember what the mission was, but it doesn't really matter. 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:34.859 So Maverick is teaching them. 00:05:35.339 --> 00:05:40.019 And when they're in the classroom with Maverick, he's using a simulator to explain the mission to them. 00:05:40.899 --> 00:05:47.199 And as they watch on the simulator, the students start to look at one another and shake their head. 00:05:48.239 --> 00:05:52.379 They say, there is no way we're going to be able to do this. 00:05:52.379 --> 00:05:53.939 We don't have time. 00:05:54.980 --> 00:05:59.899 We're probably not going to be able to fly out of this canyon without running into the side of it. 00:06:00.939 --> 00:06:09.060 And not only do they think the mission's not possible, but they also realize if they attempt it, they're going to die. 00:06:09.060 --> 00:06:12.819 So this is where they are. 00:06:13.079 --> 00:06:23.399 Until Maverick gets in a jet and flies the simulated course perfectly, showing them that it's possible, proving that it can be done. 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:31.139 Like Maverick, these Old Testament heroes help show us that it's possible to live a life of faith. 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:37.560 That it's possible to persevere even in the face of overwhelming difficulty and pain. 00:06:37.560 --> 00:06:43.300 Verses 13 to 16 say, they did not receive the things promised. 00:06:44.220 --> 00:06:47.280 They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. 00:06:48.220 --> 00:06:49.860 How did they keep going? 00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:52.040 Two reasons. 00:06:53.160 --> 00:06:56.379 They were called by the living God. 00:06:57.560 --> 00:06:58.959 God began to work in them. 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:03.779 And their encounter with the God of the universe left them fundamentally changed. 00:07:03.779 --> 00:07:06.779 They realized they were foreigners and strangers. 00:07:06.779 --> 00:07:09.179 Some translations say exiles. 00:07:09.799 --> 00:07:10.479 On earth. 00:07:11.119 --> 00:07:13.159 The visible world around them. 00:07:13.899 --> 00:07:19.659 The cultural values they were familiar with weren't meant to provide stability, success, and comfort. 00:07:20.619 --> 00:07:23.079 They realized this world wasn't their home. 00:07:23.919 --> 00:07:26.099 And they began longing for a better country. 00:07:27.059 --> 00:07:27.879 A heavenly one. 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:36.319 As we sang a moment ago, they loved their Lord so dear, so dear. 00:07:37.040 --> 00:07:39.360 And his love made them strong. 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:42.219 They walked forward in hope. 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:45.980 Not in their own strength, but in the strength of God's love. 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:57.920 Still, even though many of these heroes had wonderful qualities, courage, perseverance, faith, we're not putting our faith in them. 00:07:59.020 --> 00:08:02.700 Only one person can truly be the object of our faith. 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:05.660 Jesus Christ the righteous. 00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:12.960 The people we read about this morning are like signposts that point us to the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:08:13.280 --> 00:08:14.380 They're not the goal. 00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:15.520 Christ is. 00:08:16.140 --> 00:08:21.300 What all of these saints started, Jesus finished and perfected. 00:08:21.300 --> 00:08:27.879 The word that we translate as pioneer is archegos in the Greek. 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:33.240 And that word is used to describe a person who is the first in a long procession. 00:08:33.560 --> 00:08:36.440 Who shows the way for many others to follow. 00:08:37.139 --> 00:08:38.680 Who is the leader of a movement. 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:41.740 And doesn't just stop once they reach their destination. 00:08:42.180 --> 00:08:46.200 But continues as the conquering hero once the city is established. 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:57.180 What the author of Hebrews is saying here is that by their lives and faith, each of these saints give us partial glimpses of the archegos. 00:08:57.500 --> 00:08:58.640 Jesus Christ. 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:01.240 Let me give you a few examples. 00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:08.259 Abraham obeyed God's call to leave his homeland of Ur and walk towards Canaan. 00:09:08.259 --> 00:09:22.299 Noah built an ark at God's command. 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:25.879 Jesus built the true ark, his church. 00:09:26.519 --> 00:09:31.519 And in a moment, we're going to do a baptism and welcome Michael Chan into the ark of Christ's church. 00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:38.419 Sarah gave birth to Isaac, who would later become the father of the nation of Israel. 00:09:39.539 --> 00:09:45.980 Mary gave birth to Jesus, the one who extends the offer of salvation to all nations. 00:09:48.079 --> 00:09:54.000 Now, unlike the pilots in Top Gun, who were the best and the brightest, 00:09:55.480 --> 00:09:58.799 most of the people in this passage were pretty unlikely heroes. 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:04.259 They had faith, but massive failings for the most part. 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:07.359 So why doesn't the author of Hebrews talk about this? 00:10:07.919 --> 00:10:11.979 Is this one of those selected biographies where the author doesn't really tell the truth? 00:10:13.699 --> 00:10:14.219 No. 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:21.479 The truest thing about each of these people is that Christ Jesus completed the good work that God began in them. 00:10:22.819 --> 00:10:25.159 Friends, will he not do the same for us? 00:10:25.159 --> 00:10:29.379 So how do we live this life of faith? 00:10:30.339 --> 00:10:32.199 We can do what they did. 00:10:32.699 --> 00:10:33.299 Light them. 00:10:33.779 --> 00:10:35.679 We can listen to God's call. 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:38.379 We can believe that God is trustworthy. 00:10:39.079 --> 00:10:40.740 And we can say yes to God. 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:43.079 Three simple steps. 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:48.939 But steps that often mean danger, hardship, and pain. 00:10:48.940 --> 00:10:53.020 Knowing that, how do we persevere? 00:10:55.720 --> 00:11:03.520 Church, we consider Jesus, who persevered through more opposition, scorn, and suffering than we ever will. 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:13.059 We consider Jesus, who showed us what was possible by taking on our human nature, but without sin. 00:11:13.259 --> 00:11:15.399 Who ran the race first. 00:11:15.779 --> 00:11:21.460 And who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame. 00:11:22.860 --> 00:11:25.199 And what was the joy set before him? 00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:30.759 The joy set before him is us. 00:11:31.480 --> 00:11:32.300 It's you. 00:11:32.920 --> 00:11:33.600 It's me. 00:11:33.920 --> 00:11:37.740 It's all those who have gone before us and those who will come after us. 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:41.879 His joy is the redemption of the world from sin and death. 00:11:42.259 --> 00:11:47.500 And the healing of our broken humanity so that we can reign with him forever and ever. 00:11:47.500 --> 00:11:54.639 He scorned the shame of the cross because of the unspeakable, eternal weight of glory to come. 00:11:55.919 --> 00:12:03.000 Because of Jesus, we can fix our eyes on that beautiful heavenly city that he has prepared for us. 00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:09.460 Where, as the book of Revelation says, he will dwell with us and we will dwell with him. 00:12:09.860 --> 00:12:15.000 Where we will fall before his throne crying out, worthy is the lamb that was slain. 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:20.460 Where we will need no light because Christ himself will be our light. 00:12:20.740 --> 00:12:25.059 Where all the suffering we've endured and all the tears we've shed will be wiped away. 00:12:25.720 --> 00:12:28.360 And as St. Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians, 00:12:28.980 --> 00:12:36.100 we shall see face to face and know fully, even as we are fully known. 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:43.440 I want to leave you with a few questions as we close our time together. 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:50.919 For those of us who are Christians, if we're struggling with those three steps of faith, 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:54.700 to listen, to believe, to say yes, 00:12:55.700 --> 00:13:00.639 is there a weight that Christ is calling us to throw aside or to set down? 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:06.820 Is there sin entangling us or shackling us that he wants to free us from 00:13:06.820 --> 00:13:10.679 so that we can persevere and run the race we're called to? 00:13:10.679 --> 00:13:14.859 Another way we could ask this is to say, 00:13:14.959 --> 00:13:19.219 is there something distracting us from running the race with perseverance? 00:13:19.779 --> 00:13:24.719 Are we fixing our eyes on something or someone other than Jesus? 00:13:26.719 --> 00:13:30.959 There's a reason that three out of the four offices in the book of Common Prayer 00:13:30.959 --> 00:13:32.739 include time for confession. 00:13:34.339 --> 00:13:38.319 Friends, spiritual renewal always begins with repentance. 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:42.820 What if both individually and as a church, 00:13:43.220 --> 00:13:46.280 we committed to a season of confession and repentance 00:13:46.280 --> 00:13:48.520 from now until the end of the year? 00:13:49.780 --> 00:13:52.040 Notice that the author of Hebrews says, 00:13:52.740 --> 00:13:55.660 let us throw off everything that hinders. 00:13:56.260 --> 00:13:58.879 Let us fix our eyes. 00:13:59.540 --> 00:14:01.379 We're not meant to do this alone. 00:14:01.379 --> 00:14:05.460 One of the great gifts of being in community 00:14:05.460 --> 00:14:10.679 is inviting one another into our joys and struggles, 00:14:11.019 --> 00:14:13.799 to rejoice and lament together, 00:14:14.279 --> 00:14:19.200 to persevere and to fix our eyes on Jesus together. 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:24.659 Secondly, when we lay things aside, 00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:26.440 when we confess sin, 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:30.320 or when we give God something that we've had clenched in our hands, 00:14:31.180 --> 00:14:33.600 what might he want to give us? 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:37.220 We can trust that God, 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:40.020 who gave up his own son for our redemption, 00:14:40.400 --> 00:14:44.580 is faithful to forgive us from all unrighteousness. 00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:46.900 His love is lavish. 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:49.840 Will he not graciously give us all things? 00:14:50.400 --> 00:14:52.340 We've talked about the joy to come 00:14:52.340 --> 00:14:54.899 of reigning with Jesus in the heavenly city, 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:59.320 but he has not left us without comfort and joy today 00:14:59.320 --> 00:15:00.540 in this life. 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:03.600 He has given us his spirit to guide us, 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:07.019 to comfort us, and to lead us in truth. 00:15:08.060 --> 00:15:11.720 The Holy Spirit will fill every space 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:13.340 we're willing to give him. 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:17.139 If you're not a Christian, 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:19.660 and if all of this is new, 00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:23.059 my invitation for you is two words. 00:15:24.719 --> 00:15:26.100 Consider Jesus. 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:29.919 And if this sermon is stirring anything in you, 00:15:30.439 --> 00:15:32.360 I would love to talk more with you 00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:34.240 about joining in this race of faith. 00:15:35.339 --> 00:15:36.819 We want you to run with us. 00:15:39.399 --> 00:15:42.139 This idea of running a race as a metaphor for faith 00:15:42.139 --> 00:15:44.279 is one we see through much of the New Testament. 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:47.339 And it's one I've meditated a lot on 00:15:47.340 --> 00:15:50.220 in my own life as a runner for the past 30 years or so. 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:53.399 But it started, I really started to think about it 00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:55.220 when I was running cross-country in high school. 00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:57.920 So one of the differences between cross-country 00:15:57.920 --> 00:15:59.180 and other types of racing, 00:15:59.280 --> 00:16:00.480 if you're not familiar with it, 00:16:00.920 --> 00:16:02.680 is that most of the time with cross-country, 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:05.720 you're on uneven, unpaved ground. 00:16:06.580 --> 00:16:09.860 You have rocks and ditches and tree roots to contend with. 00:16:09.860 --> 00:16:13.320 So the natural thing is to look down 00:16:13.320 --> 00:16:15.060 so that you avoid tripping. 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:19.680 And yet, I remember when I would race, 00:16:19.800 --> 00:16:22.460 I would run by my parents and other spectators, 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:23.759 and they would say, 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:25.159 eyes up. 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:27.759 Strange, isn't it? 00:16:28.539 --> 00:16:30.940 But they knew that looking down 00:16:30.940 --> 00:16:34.320 was actually more dangerous than tripping. 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:37.900 Looking down meant I could get distracted 00:16:37.900 --> 00:16:40.040 and veer off course 00:16:40.040 --> 00:16:42.320 and completely miss the finish line. 00:16:43.920 --> 00:16:45.340 Here's the thing, church. 00:16:46.280 --> 00:16:48.360 When we're tempted by sin, 00:16:48.920 --> 00:16:50.040 when we're tired, 00:16:50.620 --> 00:16:51.640 when we're suffering, 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:54.220 or when we're weighed down with distraction, 00:16:54.680 --> 00:16:56.940 remember, we are surrounded 00:16:56.940 --> 00:16:59.960 by the cloud of witnesses, 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:02.520 the saints who have gone before us 00:17:02.519 --> 00:17:03.899 and finished their races, 00:17:04.420 --> 00:17:05.700 cheering for us and saying, 00:17:05.900 --> 00:17:07.000 eyes up. 00:17:08.119 --> 00:17:10.539 Like Marie LeRae feeling the model 00:17:10.539 --> 00:17:11.480 of her neighborhood, 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:13.779 night after night, 00:17:14.619 --> 00:17:16.440 and learning a new way of seeing, 00:17:17.079 --> 00:17:19.539 we have stories and scripture 00:17:19.539 --> 00:17:22.480 and sacraments to help us persevere, 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:26.420 to help us run the race and truly see. 00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:29.039 And we get to run with one another. 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:32.039 Every single one of you matters. 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:33.139 All of us matter. 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:35.960 Jesus is calling all of us. 00:17:36.819 --> 00:17:37.759 Whether you're big, 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:38.680 whether you're small, 00:17:38.839 --> 00:17:39.619 old, young, 00:17:40.299 --> 00:17:41.460 he's calling us. 00:17:43.099 --> 00:17:44.819 It's a long race though. 00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:48.539 We'll have to run through some dark valleys. 00:17:49.639 --> 00:17:50.960 We might stumble and fall. 00:17:52.019 --> 00:17:53.420 And we might grow weary 00:17:53.420 --> 00:17:54.659 and lose heart. 00:17:55.839 --> 00:17:57.460 But when that happens, 00:17:57.460 --> 00:17:59.519 and when we do fall, 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:02.140 we won't be cast long, 00:18:02.579 --> 00:18:03.120 headlong, 00:18:03.380 --> 00:18:04.559 as the psalmist says, 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:06.220 but the Lord himself 00:18:06.220 --> 00:18:08.019 will bear us up. 00:18:09.079 --> 00:18:09.559 Jesus, 00:18:10.059 --> 00:18:11.120 the archegos, 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:12.539 who has called us 00:18:12.539 --> 00:18:13.779 to run this race, 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:15.819 who ran the race first 00:18:15.819 --> 00:18:17.140 and made it possible 00:18:17.140 --> 00:18:19.039 by his death and resurrection 00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:20.299 for us to finish, 00:18:20.740 --> 00:18:21.860 will come to us 00:18:21.860 --> 00:18:22.680 in the dark valley. 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:24.480 He'll pull us to our feet, 00:18:25.060 --> 00:18:26.100 take us in his arms, 00:18:27.100 --> 00:18:28.019 lift our chins, 00:18:28.740 --> 00:18:29.660 and say, 00:18:30.060 --> 00:18:31.880 don't be afraid. 00:18:32.680 --> 00:18:34.240 I'm not far off. 00:18:35.340 --> 00:18:36.680 I'm right here. 00:18:38.180 --> 00:18:39.759 Eyes up, beloved. 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:43.340 Would you pray with me? 00:18:43.339 --> 00:18:46.079 Lord Jesus, 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:48.799 would we fix our eyes on you, 00:18:49.779 --> 00:18:51.639 the pioneer and perfecter 00:18:51.639 --> 00:18:52.599 of our faith? 00:18:53.859 --> 00:18:54.740 Lord, thank you 00:18:54.740 --> 00:18:56.220 that you make things possible 00:18:56.220 --> 00:18:59.039 and that you are with us 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:00.439 forever and ever, 00:19:00.579 --> 00:19:02.359 even to the end of the age. 00:19:03.119 --> 00:19:04.439 We pray these things 00:19:04.439 --> 00:19:05.299 in the name of the Father 00:19:05.299 --> 00:19:06.099 and the Son 00:19:06.099 --> 00:19:07.220 and the Holy Spirit. 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:08.000 Amen.