Day 20 • The Week of Joy
Scripture Readings:
Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26
2 Samuel 6:12-19
Hebrews 1:5-14
During certain difficult seasons of life, remembering the big picture can be a helpful reminder to hold on, not lose hope, and can even be an encouragement to choose joy. This was probably the single most helpful thing for me while I was working my way through school. From undergrad to my master’s degree, then onto seminary, I was working multiple jobs to try to stay on top of things. For the majority of the time I was in school, I was a full-time student, working part-time in food service and then working part-time in the church. So, trying to find time for hobbies or a social life was almost impossible. It was so unsustainable and exhausting, but that was what life was for me at the time. Keeping the big picture of my “why” was what kept me going. It helped me to know that my current experience was temporary and there would be different days ahead.
Unlike some other books of the Bible, the book of Hebrews has a lot of mystery behind its origins. It’s uncertain who the author was, and it’s difficult to tell which community it was originally written to as well. One thing we can extrapolate from the text, though is that the community it was written to was enduring a lot of hardships, including being persecuted for their faith in Jesus. Chapter 10:32-34 shows us that they were publicly abused and even had their possessions plundered. So, our section from Hebrews 1:5-14 is part of an ongoing description of the “big picture” of their faith written as an encouragement to them in the midst of their difficulties.
The author begins with the prophets of old that advocated for God since the ancient days of their faith, then connects the legacy of the prophets to the same God that was revealed through Jesus Christ. Then, the author builds on who Jesus is by distinguishing him from the angels, declaring him equal to God and worthy of worship, fidelity, and trust.
With this community likely having a Jewish background, this is all information they would have already known. So why does the author describe these things to them? It is because of their present circumstances. Suffering has such a disorienting impact on people. So much so that it can cause us to lose sight of our goals and even lose hope in God and even ourselves. In this first chapter, the author is essentially reminding them that they are not in this suffering alone but that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead is with them and for them.
This is such a central reason as to why the church faithfully observes Advent year after year. Having gone through more than a decade of walking through Advent every year with my congregation, lighting the same four candles, singing very similar hymns, and preaching from really familiar scriptures, one might think the season would become stale, ritualistic, and even mundane. Yet the opposite has happened, at least for me. It helps me to stop every year and focus on hope, peace, joy, and love. Four gifts of which the world never seems to have enough. The fourfold gifts we are told are fulfilled in Christ’s coming to earth every year. It has become an annual rhythm, reminding me of the “big picture.” Reminding me why we hold on and endure together.
Reflection Steps:
Depending on where you are in life during this season, it will impact which part of the “big picture” of God you may want to reflect on. Perhaps you are feeling stuck, so reflecting on God’s proactive work here and now might help. Perhaps you are not feeling optimistic about the future, so reflecting on God’s refusal to allow death to have the last word over us and creation might be helpful. I want to invite you to reflect on where you are experiencing difficulty right now and then pursue the part of the “big picture” of God that will bring you comfort, inspiration, and joy.