Second Last Sunday in Church Year
Jesu Juva
“The
Finisher of our Faith”
Text:
Hebrews 12:1-2; Mark 13:24-31; Daniel 7:9-10
Grace, mercy, and peace
to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Someone once said that “Life is like a bowl of cherries.” Forrest Gump told us that “Life is like a box of chocolates.” But today God is telling us through the
author of the letter to the Hebrews, that the Christian life is like a
race. It is a race of endurance, more
like a marathon than like a sprint. It
is a race which is begun in Holy Baptism, and run each and every day after
that. It is a race in which we are
sustained by the living water of the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us to run
through the preaching of the Word, and through the eating of Christ’s body and
blood in the Lord’s Supper. And it is a
race that one day will end, when by God’s grace we will cross the finish line
when our earthly life comes to an end.
So, we are told,
“Let us run with endurance [this] race
that is set before us.”
Now while that is an easy picture to keep
in your mind, it is not such an easy thing to do. Because sometimes we get tired of running
this race, and just want to sit down and give up. Sometimes we lose our way. Sometimes instead of running the Christian
life we try to run other races instead – and find ourselves running after money
or success, or popularity or fame, or love.
Perhaps sometimes we run only to keep one step ahead of the next
guy. And then there are the times we
spend running away from something or someone, or running in circles, or even
running away from God.
“Let us run with endurance the race that
is set before us.”
And this race that is set before us is
more like a cross country race than a race on a nice, smooth track. For in this race, in this life, there are hills
to climb, obstacles to negotiate, narrow paths to follow, and rocks and mud to
slow you down. This race set before us
was never promised to be easy, although if you’re anything like me, you sure do
often wish it was a lot easier, and flatter, and shorter!
“Let us run with endurance the race that
is set before us.”
And in this race we are not alone. For not only do we have our fellow runners,
our fellow Christians to encourage us on the way, but as we heard in Hebrews, “we
are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.” And these are witnesses not simply watching us on the way, but witnesses testifying to us. Testifying to God’s
faithfulness. So that when we are
tired and weary of running, when we have doubts and fears, when we wonder
whether or not it is really worth it, we hear that it is . . . and to keep
going.
And who are these witnesses? That we are told in the previous
chapter of Hebrews. They are the
great heroes of the faith who have gone before us: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac,
Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel,
and the list goes on and on. We could add to that list the witnesses of
the New Testament, like Peter, Paul, James, John, Apollos, and others. And then there are the Fathers of the
“Let us run with endurance the race that
is set before us.”
And as we run, the author tells us, “lay
aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.” It is difficult to run with such things. And ask yourself: what burdens are you trying to carry as you
run? What weights of stress or
anxiety? What weight of expectations
have others placed upon you, or have you placed upon yourself? Lay aside every weight. And also “the
sin which clings so closely.”
Or as other translations put it, “the sin that entangles.” And picture hair that’s tangled, and trying
to run a comb through it. You just can’t
do it. So what sins are holding you
back? Tangling about your legs? Reaching out and grabbing you and “clinging
so closely?”
“Let us run with endurance the race that
is set before us.”
Except we cannot do it. We
cannot do it if we think we
can do it! If we think we can lay aside
our burdens; if we think we can loose ourselves of the sin that entangles; if
we think we can if we just try harder, and do better, and be more dedicated,
and just . . . But you cannot do
it. For even if you could do all those
things, and run focused and strong, and endure to the end, you would only get
in sight of the finish line and then find out that there is a chasm between you
and the goal. A chasm
which you cannot cross. A great chasm between us and God, torn open by sin. It is the bottomless valley of the shadow of death. And it is the end of the road. The end of the road for everyone
and every life.
And so how do we get there? How do we get across? Actually . . . it is by running the other
way! We get to heaven not by running
toward the goal, toward the finish line, toward heaven – but by running toward
and to the cross. By running to Christ
crucified. And that is what the author
to the Hebrews meant and was describing when He said, “Let us run with endurance the
race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our
faith.” For in running this
race, we must look to Jesus, but not as we would like to see Him,
enthroned in the glory of heaven, and so try to run to heaven ourselves! But to see Him as He wants to be seen, and
that is as the bloodied, pitiful, dying man on the cross. As the Son of God who came down from Heaven, not to set an example for us and
teach us how to do it, but as the One who came to cross the chasm
Himself. To bridge the
gap between God and man. To enter the valley of the shadow of death for us. And that is what we see on the cross – the
battered, bruised, and bloodied body of the One who entered that valley, who
entered death, and died.
“Let us run with endurance the race that
is set before us, looking to [this] Jesus, the author and perfecter of our
faith.”
The author and perfecter
. . . or as some other translations put that, “the author and finisher
of our faith.” And take careful note of that: the finisher
of our faith. The
finish line of our faith. The One who can get us to the finish. And He is the finisher of our faith
because He is the One who finished the race!
The only One.
For He is the only One who entered the valley of the
shadow of death, and came out the other side. For after entering death through the cross,
He then three days later emerged from death, from the valley, and “is
[now] seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” And because He did, His resurrection means
that there is now a way across the chasm, a way to get to the finish, to
reach the goal that is set before us, and that is to be in Him. In Christ. For He knows the way. He is the way. The only way.
And so to “run with endurance the race that
is set before us,” is not to try to run to heaven, but to run to Christ. To run to where He and His cross have now
promised to be for us, and that is in His Word and
Sacraments. For in those means is where His
crucified and risen body and blood now are for us. We do not have to wonder where He is, or how
to find Him, or how to receive Him and His gifts – we know. They are here. And when we are baptized, when we are
absolved and forgiven, when we hear His Word, when we eat His flesh and blood,
we are joined to Him. He lives in us and
we in Him. And in Him, we not only run
the race set before us, but finish it.
For in Christ is where our burdens and weights are lifted. In Christ is where the tangle of our sin is
removed, forgiven. In Christ in where our
faith is strengthened and sustained. In
Christ is the promise of eternal life.
And in Christ we too will be seated around the throne of God in
Heaven. For He is the finisher,
and will get us where we want to be.
But if we are sure and confident that
Christ will get us where we want to be and will finish our faith – then we are also where we want to be
in this life. For we will already
have all that we might otherwise race after in this life. In Him we are safe and secure. In Him we have meaning and purpose. In Him we have contentment and
satisfaction. In Him we are loved. . . .
And so we can “run with endurance the race that is set
before us,” for we know where we are going. We know that we will finish. And we know that in Christ, the victory has
already been won.
And knowing this, we will not fear when
the end of our race draws near – be that in death, or when Jesus comes again at
the end of time, with all the signs and wonders that we heard about in the Old
Testament and Gospel readings. We will
not fear when “the sun is darkened and the stars and falling from heaven.” We will not fear when “the Ancient of Days takes His seat,
the books are opened, and the Judgment begins.” We will not fear, because Jesus has promised
us, “Heaven
and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” And that doesn’t just mean the Bible, but His
words of grace and promise. His words
that we rely on. His words which will
not let us down.
And then as we run, as we run in Christ,
and His cross, and His promises, we join and become one of that “great
cloud of witnesses.” And you
have the opportunity to testify, to encourage, to help your fellow saints on
the way. To point them to Christ, that
they too may finish the race . . . for the finish may be closer than we think.
In the Name of the Father, and of the (+)
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all
understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus our
Lord. Amen.