Sermon: January 6, 2008
"So Great a Cloud of Witnesses"
(scripture references are clickable)
Today is an unusual day. It’s the first Sunday of the new year – a time of new beginnings, fresh possibilities and great potential. We should be excited today, knowing that God has great plans for us. But today is also a sad time – a time to remember all that we have lost in the past year. And here at Westwood, we have lost a lot – 2007 was a very hard year for us. Many of our beloved members and friends passed away. And yet . . . it is appropriate to be both sad and excited today. For as we look forward in hope, and as we look back in grief and sorrow, we do both through the lens of faith, in light of the work of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
That’s the wonderful thing about our Christian faith. Even bad news, even grief and sorrow and pain, even trials and burdens can be seen through the Good News of our Savior, Jesus Christ. His love, His blessings, His redeeming work extends to every part of our lives – even unto our deaths. And nowhere is this seen better than in the Letter to the Hebrews. You may be familiar with Hebrews 11, the so-called “Faith Hall of Fame”, in which the author seeks to define what faith in the Lord is by looking to the examples of the Old Testament saints. And so he goes through a long litany of believers, from Abel to the prophets, who lived by faith and who continue to bear witness to that faith through Scripture. Most of these saints endured terrible hardships, including torture, jeers, flogging, imprisonment and even stoning (Hebrews 11:35-37). But this would have been familiar to the recipients of this letter, who themselves were enduring persecution and pain because of their Christian faith.
With all this in mind, the author then says “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1-3, NIV). Now, that may be a bit of an unusual idea for you – that all these Old Testament saints, that all those who have gone before us, are to us a “great cloud of witnesses”. The author gives a picture of a great amphitheater, in which we are running a kind of long-distance race. These former runners have passed the baton to us, and now are on the sidelines, cheering us on, encouraging us to keep going. And with their cheers surrounding us, we then fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, who is our goal and our finish line, the author and perfecter of our faith. The author tells us to throw off everything that might slow us down, everything that might trip us up, all our sins and heavy burdens, and to keep running with perseverance. We are to remember the examples of all who have run this race before us, and to then do the same – to run the race marked out for us.
The author is therefore poetically referring to the two parts of the Church of Jesus Christ – the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant. We are part of the Church Militant – those still running the race, those still fighting the good fight against sin and evil. Our dearly departed friends are now part of the Church Triumphant. They have completed their race and have gained their victory, their triumph in Jesus Christ. But from heaven, they still are encouraging us, cheering us on. They are still a great cloud of witnesses and we look to them as examples. And now included in this great cloud are people like Lee Schnur, who served for many years as this congregation’s volunteer treasurer. Lee was a World War Two veteran who served on every continent except Antarctica. Also in that number is his wife Vera, who served as Westwood’s volunteer secretary, even providing her own equipment. She started and served with every level of Girl Scouts in her time here. With her is Dave Benz, who was working to turn his life around and was in the process of joining this congregation when he died. He’s joined by Moe Mollett, a master welder. Some of Moe’s work even ended up in space, as he was considered one of the best in his field in the United States – he even did work for NASA. Moe was baptized and made his profession of faith here at Westwood about three years ago. Moe is joined by Maxine Slater, who always came to church impeccably dressed, and by Dave Gushurst, and elder, a teacher, a student, a man of God, who gave himself to the Church in service of his Lord, Jesus Christ. And they are joined by Ruth McGuire, who lived in a family of all men, yet who ruled the roost! This strong woman was always willing to serve anyone who was in need. She’s joined by Bern Fuller, a man who dearly loved music, who always radiated joy in his life and wanted to spread it to others. And they are all joined by Thelma Schraer, an elder, a teacher, who served as Financial Secretary of this congregation for decades. Thelma dedicated herself in service of Christ’s Church; it was the center of her life.
And the author of Hebrews tells us that all these saints, who are now part of the Church Triumphant, who have gone to be with Jesus, their Lord and Savior – they are encouraging us to persevere in our race, to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, the One who gave us the gift of faith, the One who one day will perfect that faith in us as we join Him in eternity. These saints are now in their white robes, washed in the blood of the Lamb, singing “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10, NIV) and “Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever, Amen!” (Revelation 7:12, NIV). They have joined the saints from every nation, tribe, people and language, and now are worshipping their Lord and Savior. They are now serving the Lamb who is the Shepherd – and no more do they experience hunger or thirst. No more do they bend down under scorching heat. For the Lamb is shepherding them to springs of living water, and He wipes away every tear (Revelation 7:15ff). They are receiving their reward. The Lord has spread His Tent over them, and they are now safe in His presence.
And friends, that is our goal and our destination, too – if we persevere in our race. I know it can sometimes seem hard. Sometimes we wonder if we can endure. Sometimes we wonder if we can make it through another day of trials, heartaches, loneliness, sickness, pain and despair. Sometimes, like the recipients of the Letter to the Hebrews, we need encouragement. And it’s at these times that we need to remember the example of all who have gone before us – all the Old Testament saints, all the members of this congregation who have passed from life to Life, all those who have run their race, who have persevered in the midst of hardship, who have kept the faith and are now with Jesus. And especially in these times, like these saints, we need to fix our eyes on Jesus, He who endured pain and heartache for us, He who endured the cross, who scorned its shame so that He could bring us joy and strength. For our Lord, the Author and Perfecter of our Faith, endured opposition from sinful men so that we could run this race, so that we would not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:2-3). We, who are still in the Church Militant, have a great comfort and encouragement for our lives, both in our brothers and sisters who cheer us on from above, and in our Lord and Savior, who strengthens and comforts us as we patiently run this race.
So let us throw off all that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us. Let us look forward with hope and confidence that Jesus will be with us. He will guide us and bless us. He has great plans for us. He is faithful; in Him is our hope and assurance. And let us remember all that have gone before us, knowing that they are cheering us on to our goal. For in joy and in sorrow, in hope and in grief, in great times and in hard times, let us always keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who came that we might eternally fellowship with Him. Hallelujah! To God alone be the glory!