Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Hebrews 11:32-40 and 12:1-2:
32 And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. 36Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented— 38of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39 Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40since God had provided something better so that they would not, without us, be made perfect.
12
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
Today is All Saints Day and it is a day for remembering all those who have gone before us — that “Great Cloud of Witnesses” which according to our Lesson today surrounds us.
Usually in the Protestant Church, we think of the faithful who have passed on as “the Church at Rest” in contrast to we still on earth called “the Church Militant”. The Church Militant meaning the Church still struggling, while the Church at Rest meaning those who have come to rest from their labors.
But today’s Lesson gives us a slightly different image. The Great Cloud includes all the faithfully departed — Jews and Gentiles alike — and though they seem to have run their race and so rest in a sense, they also seem to be gathered around watching and hoping we who are still running our course, like the first legs of a relay team might step off the track but still cheer and perhaps even run beside the latter legs.
The Church at Rest is not fully at rest just yet. Too much is still at stake. Too much of the race is still left. So they surround us. The pray, they hope, they cheer us on. And they count on us.
They are counting on us to keep our course, to not grow feint or weary, and to not give in to dismay. They are counting on us to keep running the race set before us.
They have run their leg. This is our leg now. So “let us run with perseverance”, not giving up or giving in. For they did not give up or give in; and neither should we. Let us keep at it, staying the course, following Jesus, running our race for Him, for ourselves, and for all the saints who’ve run before and still in hope run beside.
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