Hebrews 9:24-28
Nov 10, 2024 (the Sunday following the general election)
We are Disciples, “a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world,” and regardless of our political allegiance, we must remember that God has called us to seek and serve Christ in ALL persons. We also must remember our purpose…“Our purpose as a church family is to love and encourage one another, and seek oneness of the body of Christ beyond ourselves.”
We are what you might describe as a PURPLE church…the blue Democrats and the red Republicans. But we all sit in the pews together as ONE church…ONE congregation!!! We have developed deep and meaningful relationships with those who are kind, faithful, generous, compassionate, and extraordinarily loving. Some are now fearful of what tomorrow may bring. And some are ecstatic!! But remember…we are ONE and must comfort, console, and encourage those who feel discouraged and fearful while still honoring and cherishing those who feel hopeful once again.
This is not an easy task…but our work remains the same: to do justice; love kindness; and walk humbly with our God…and it is more important than ever!
Our text from Hebrews speaks to the crucifixion from a theological perspective, telling us not what happened, but what it means for the world and to the human heart that Jesus did, in fact, die. Maybe we can gain some perspective on our current situation from this ancient text.
We are drawn to the story of Jesus on the cross because we sense that he did something extraordinary there—something that we could never do ourselves. Because it is the death of Jesus that changed our relationship with God forever.
Hebrews is built on the foundation of an ancient sacrificial system. Moses took the blood of calves and goats and sprinkled all the people saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God had ordained for you.” In this sacrificial system, almost everything was purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there was no forgiveness of sins (9:19-22).
Thankfully, we don't live in that world anymore, and don't sprinkle blood on people to purify them. But we certainly understand when a person harms us, we want them to pay—maybe even with blood. And when we commit a terrible transgression, we want to offer whatever we can to make things right.
According to Hebrews, Jesus steps right into the middle of this bloody story and offers a new approach. The good news is that Jesus removes sin with a single sacrifice—this means that we do not have to force others to pay, or sacrifice our own blood to make things right. His sacrifice bears the sins of all of us, and does not have to be offered again and again and again. Best of all, Jesus continues to stand in the presence of God for us, like a top-notch attorney ready to argue our case. He saves all of us who turn to him in faith, eagerly waiting for his help.
We need this assistance because we cannot fix all of the problems we have created.
Rev. Dr. Debi Powell-Maxwell
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