May I speak in the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit Amen
Today as we read from Hebrews, we hear advice on how to live as Christians. The verses of chapter 13 are not explaining how to become followers of Christ, but rather how to live a life of faith and obedience as a follower.
The chapter is a series of exhortations to the Jewish Christians.
The verse upon which I’m preaching is “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.”
It’s important to look at the verses which precede this in order to set the context.
Verse 12 explains how Jesus was sacrificed outside the city gate, in order to make people holy. This is significant in that under the old covenant, leftover flesh from sacrificed animals was burned outside the city walls.
Verse 13 encourages the Hebrew Christians to follow Jesus’ example both in terms of enduring persecution and in going out from where others are, rather than seeking their approval.
Do you ever feel that you are a stranger in the place where you live? Do you feel that you are at odds with the world? It may be all the new technology, or all the new laws and procedures we have to follow. It may be new terminology that we are not familiar with.
Just the other day I heard a very annoyed lady who had turned up to vote in the County Council elections using her Lancashire County Council Staff Photo ID to vote. It wasn’t acceptable and she really couldn’t understand why! She argued her case really well; she may actually have had a point. However, she couldn’t persuade them to give her a voting paper.
I frequently hear people reminiscing and remembering past times when everything seemed much simpler and clearer.
I sometimes despair of what is happening in parts of society. I worry about the values that people hold and about the lack of tolerance and empathy for others. I worry about the levels of violent crime.
It is alright to feel worried and disturbed by it.
The text today reassures us that here we have no continuing city or to put it another way, This is not our permanent home.
What we have here is temporary and as such, as Christians we are strangers and pilgrims in a strange land.
Just like the Israelites of the Old Testament wandering in the wilderness, and like these Hebrew Christians in the New Testament, we are seeking something better.
As I was writing this some words of a very old song that we used to sing came to mind.
This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue!
A quick Google search revealed it as a Jim Reeves song.
It continues with a chorus.
Which includes the words,
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore!
The theology behind ‘up somewhere beyond the blue’ is probably questionable, but the sentiment is the same. The feeling that this is a temporary place for us. It is okay to feel that we are not comfortable with some aspects of society today and there must be something better.
In 1 John ch2 we are told to love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
We are being told to hold loosely to the things of this world, be prepared to let things go. Don’t be pre-occupied with things in this world.
But the good news is that we have a promise of a new dwelling place.
Paul, in his letter to the Colossians tells us to set our affections on things that are above.
We are promised that, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have a hope, a heavenly hope, an eternal hope of being in God’s presence.
Recently I have been thinking a Lot about the word ‘Hope’.
In everyday terms we use it where there is more than a degree of uncertainty. We talk about hoping for a nice day, hoping we pass our exam or driving test, hoping that our football team will win the league. I’m from Morecambe, so unfortunately for me it wasn’t even a reasonable hope! Here in Burnley I think you fared much better!
Our hope of eternal life isn’t just a hope. It is a promise to us. I think I prefer to use the word expectation rather than hope! If we believe in our hearts, then we have that expectation and anticipation of things to come which is grounded in our faith and it is certain.
We are looking to the time when Jesus will come again and establish his Kingdom.
But is the kingdom of God (that new city that we seek) just something to look forward to?
Or can we experience some of that joy of the coming kingdom here and now?
As Christians, we are charged to live in this world to shine his light for others. To love one another and be witnesses in the world.
So let us accept that this city / town / community / world that we live in is temporary.
Let us look forward expectantly to the promise of eternal life with Christ.
As the light of Christ shines through us in our words and actions, and as we worship together, we can experience a foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven, the new Jerusalem. That new city that we seek!
I pray that as others see our Christian lives in action, they too may recognise their need to seek eternal life.
Amen
St Peter's Church 