Text- Hebrews 11: 17-24
The book of Hebrew is often a debated book on its authorship and content. Ignorance in these matters, however, does not seriously affect the understanding of the epistle's message. The message remains timeless and relevant whatever the circumstances out of which it arose. The passage to which we listen today speaks of a meaningful faith as well as the meaning of Faith. Having introduced the description of faith in vv. 1-3 the writer draws on an elaborate canvas on how the faith is demonstrated.
We see the faith of ancestors in the passage we read as exoduses of faith. Those exoduses were characterized by their faith counting on a God rather than on the securities offered by the world. In other words those journeys were embarked from the comfort zones of the life. Abraham leaves his land and relatives and sets off to an unknown land. Moses leaves all his pomp and glory for the sake of this faith. They could win over each and every trial they had to face footing on this faith. They challenged the structural constructions of the society, and by becoming wanderers they negated institutionalized life style. This faith journey moulded an inclusive covenant community.
Today as we claim ourselves as a faith community it is required of us to ponder whether we are putting our faith on God or on power structures. Our ancestors in faith leaped in an unconditional faith without reckoning the end results of it. Today much of our faith is conditional. For much of us, church offers a steady, uninterrupted and unchallenged career and we are more or less comfortable with that. In contrary to the faith of our ancestors we are always mindful about the results. As a result of it the mission of the church loses its direction.
Dear friends when Moses put faith in God, the pain and pathos of his brothers and sisters are revealed to him. This emboldened him to set forth for their liberation. Jesus in his earthly ministry was not preaching an invisible God rather he was living with paining human lives and comforting them. The faith journey is not an exodus in search of an invisible God but it is the constructive response to the pain and pathos of fellow human beings.
Sabarimala is a famous Hindu pilgrimage site in southern India. People travel from miles away in pilgrimage staking their money and health. They could read as they reach the temple it is written “Tatwam asi” which means “it is you itself”. The devotees recognise that the God they went in search for resides in themselves, in their fellow brothers and sisters. The faith journey for which God calls everyone compels us to see the God in ourselves and the God in our brothers and sisters.
Daya Bai was a Roman Catholic nun who came out of the comforts of an institutionalized career to identify with the poor and the marginalized. She changed her name from Mercy Matthew and is living in Madhya Pradesh among adivasis as one of them. Daya Bai heard the call for a faith journey and responded affirmatively risking her life and career. Adv. Cyrus was a leading advocate in the High Court of Kerala. He risked his career, family life for the sake of his calling and went to the impoverished backward villages of Orissa. These life stories retell the faith journeys voyaged by the ancestors. Do these stories inspire us? Do these stories disturb us? Let us examine ourselves in the light of these life stories. Amen
The book of Hebrew is often a debated book on its authorship and content. Ignorance in these matters, however, does not seriously affect the understanding of the epistle's message. The message remains timeless and relevant whatever the circumstances out of which it arose. The passage to which we listen today speaks of a meaningful faith as well as the meaning of Faith. Having introduced the description of faith in vv. 1-3 the writer draws on an elaborate canvas on how the faith is demonstrated.
We see the faith of ancestors in the passage we read as exoduses of faith. Those exoduses were characterized by their faith counting on a God rather than on the securities offered by the world. In other words those journeys were embarked from the comfort zones of the life. Abraham leaves his land and relatives and sets off to an unknown land. Moses leaves all his pomp and glory for the sake of this faith. They could win over each and every trial they had to face footing on this faith. They challenged the structural constructions of the society, and by becoming wanderers they negated institutionalized life style. This faith journey moulded an inclusive covenant community.
Today as we claim ourselves as a faith community it is required of us to ponder whether we are putting our faith on God or on power structures. Our ancestors in faith leaped in an unconditional faith without reckoning the end results of it. Today much of our faith is conditional. For much of us, church offers a steady, uninterrupted and unchallenged career and we are more or less comfortable with that. In contrary to the faith of our ancestors we are always mindful about the results. As a result of it the mission of the church loses its direction.
Dear friends when Moses put faith in God, the pain and pathos of his brothers and sisters are revealed to him. This emboldened him to set forth for their liberation. Jesus in his earthly ministry was not preaching an invisible God rather he was living with paining human lives and comforting them. The faith journey is not an exodus in search of an invisible God but it is the constructive response to the pain and pathos of fellow human beings.
Sabarimala is a famous Hindu pilgrimage site in southern India. People travel from miles away in pilgrimage staking their money and health. They could read as they reach the temple it is written “Tatwam asi” which means “it is you itself”. The devotees recognise that the God they went in search for resides in themselves, in their fellow brothers and sisters. The faith journey for which God calls everyone compels us to see the God in ourselves and the God in our brothers and sisters.
Daya Bai was a Roman Catholic nun who came out of the comforts of an institutionalized career to identify with the poor and the marginalized. She changed her name from Mercy Matthew and is living in Madhya Pradesh among adivasis as one of them. Daya Bai heard the call for a faith journey and responded affirmatively risking her life and career. Adv. Cyrus was a leading advocate in the High Court of Kerala. He risked his career, family life for the sake of his calling and went to the impoverished backward villages of Orissa. These life stories retell the faith journeys voyaged by the ancestors. Do these stories inspire us? Do these stories disturb us? Let us examine ourselves in the light of these life stories. Amen
[Vinod Easow, the leader of this meditation, is a third year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India]
