Thursday 15 January 2009

Background

The community of the Hebrew church (the recipient of thisletter) is suffering persecution, fearing death and struggling tohold fast to its faith. The superiority of Jesus to Moses isemphasised in these verses to a community tempted to abandon theChristian faith and return to Judaism.

The writer indicates that the Holy Spirit can speak to thecommunity through a passage of Scripture. He quotes Psalm 95, where thepsalmist speaks of God's anger with the obtuseness of the people ofIsrael during the Exodus (when the Israelites were freed fromservitude in Egypt), hardening their hearts against God andwandering in the wilderness in disobedience for 40 years. Thecommunity of the Hebrews needs to heed the warning. If they turnfrom the living God there is a danger they will not enter God's"rest" (verse 11).

The image of God's rest also picks up the image of the Sabbath day,when God rested and saw and savoured the goodness of creation.Through Jesus, whose resurrection we celebrate on the Sabbath day,Christians are invited into the "rest" of God.

The rest can be thought of as the kingdom of God, and theinvitation to participate in the fullness and goodness of creation,after the days of labour. It is a sharing in the blessing of God'sabiding presence; entering into a peace which passes allunderstanding.

Through baptism, and our initiation into the Christian community,we have become partners with Christ. We are called to make visiblethe signs of the in-breaking kingdom of God in all its goodness andfullness.

We must stand firm in our first confidence (with faith) until theend. If you are a Christian, remember the deep sense of excitementand hope kindled inside you when you first glimpsed a sense of thepossibility of God's kingdom, and your call to participate inmaking it visible.

To Ponder

When have you noticed the Holy Spirit speakingthrough old sacred stories of Scripture to your Christiancommunity?

Is it helpful to you to see the idea of theSabbath as an image of the kingdom of God? Why?

How do you feel about being a partner withChrist?