Hebrews 13, 8 & 9b

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.

Hebrews 13, 8 & 9b

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not benefited those who observe them.

Dear congregation,

The Letter to the Hebrews is not a letter written at the turn of a year. It is a letter that can be read throughout the whole year.
There is no single historical event that prompted its writing. It may have been written at some point between 60 and 96 AD.

It is a letter that belongs right in the midst of life: in the long, everyday routines of the first Christian communities.

There were the external political and social conditions in which the congregations took root and grew: the Roman occupation, which had lasted for a long time and yet was something people did not want to get used to. The longing for a different kind of government was strong.

There were the congregations with their daily routines. Much had already become habitual: Christians gathered regularly, shared experiences of their faith, and celebrated the Lord’s Supper together.

And again and again they asked: How are we to be church? How are we to live as Christians? There was no church order yet and no bishop. There was no church law and no organizational structure.

All the congregations tried, in one way or another, to carry on what Jesus had taught them. And time passed. Many people who had personally known Jesus had long since died.
The imminent return of Jesus, which the first Christians had eagerly expected, did not take place.

And of course, there was also personal life back then. Probably less focus on individual self-fulfillment, and more concern for daily bread, clothing, and family experiences.

That is why I call the Letter to the Hebrews an “everyday letter.”

For us today, a year is coming to an end. A year full of everyday life. Not 365 days of routine—because we also know Sundays and special feast days.
But still, a great deal of everyday life. Our personal lives embedded in the daily realities of our country and our world. Our personal lives within our congregation and NELCSA.

At the end of so much everyday life, many people pause: New Year’s Eve. The last evening of the year invites us to reflect: How am I doing with my life in this congregation, in this country, in this world?

For me, it is a meaningful and beautiful exercise to reflect on the many different facets of a year and to become aware of everything that has a place in my life, in my everyday routine.

In today’s short passage from the Letter to the Hebrews, an everyday problem is addressed: dietary regulations. They were a source of conflict.

And as we know well, two thousand years later: we humans—and Christians too—argue about almost everything. People, including Christians, hold different positions, have opinions about nearly everything, and unfortunately often think as well: “The way I see it—that’s how it should be and must be!”

Yes, how should we live as Christians? An old dispute—whether about what we eat, what we wear, how wealthy we become, how we work, how we shape our relationships, and so on.

Dietary rules are probably not such a major issue for us today—although in Europe, the whole debate about politically correct eating has become quite a struggle, even a cultural battle for some: meat or no meat, organic or not, and many other questions.

Over the course of a year, we make thousands of small decisions and a few major ones. The question for us as human beings and as Christians remains: What guides us? What are our guiding principles? What are our goals? What do we want to achieve and accomplish?

Into all these questions and into the many choices before us, the Letter to the Hebrews gives a simple and far-reaching answer:
Orient yourselves toward Jesus Christ!

The writer reassures the unsettled Christians: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

In all transience and change that we encounter in everyday life: Jesus Christ remains.
In all the complex and often complicated situations in which we carefully weigh decisions: Jesus Christ remains.
In the great question of values and of what unites us as human beings and as Christians despite all individualization: Jesus Christ remains.

And that is why the Letter to the Hebrews is truly an everyday letter—one that encourages us not only on New Year’s Eve.

The writer of this letter wants to give confidence in the midst of uncertainty; to offer comfort where there is hopelessness; to provide orientation where there is disorientation.

He does this by directing the readers’ attention to Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ, yesterday, today, and the same forever.
A piece of eternity amid uncertainty—steadfastness amid transience.

The Letter to the Hebrews says: If you want to have a firm heart, orient yourselves toward Jesus.

A firm heart is a beautiful expression for people who are at peace within themselves. A firm heart—not hardened or bitter. Not broken or divided. Not a heart muscle that is weak or damaged. A heart that beats steadily amid the ups and downs of life. The heart—understood in those days as the center of the human being. Life is in the heart. And a firm heart is a healthy heart. A heart that can feel compassion.

A firm heart—we receive that by grace.
Otherwise, if we were left to ourselves alone, the heart could start racing, beating too fast, trying to keep up with the frantic pace of change, with the heartlessness and violence in the world. The heart could grow weak, overwhelmed.

But by grace, because God is at work within us and dwells in our hearts, we may ask for a firm heart.

Jesus Christ, yesterday, today, and the same forever. This thought gives support and meaning.
It is a perspective on the new year that awakens joy.

In the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper, we pray for such a heart: Create in us, O God, a clean heart.

Let us not argue about useless things and weigh one another’s hearts down. Let us look together to Christ and find there peace for looking back and for looking ahead.