In my second year of graduate school at Emory, I took a New Testament course in the Candler School of Theology—me, the lone music student along with 75 candidates for ordained ministry. I was uncharacteristically intimidated at first, but truly it was one of the most wonderful opportunities I’ve ever had. That November, I recall that the professor walked into the room for his seminar on the book of Hebrews and started with these words: “We save the book of Hebrews for November, when you are all weary and anxious for the Second Coming.”
Sound familiar? The early church had been told that Jesus would come again, and they assumed that meant it would happen during their lifetime. The years went by and—no Jesus. The persecutions continued and—no Jesus. They adopted new patterns of life, trying to hold onto their fresh belief, but it was unimaginably discouraging doing it on their own—without Him. The author of Hebrews sought to strengthen and encourage those believers who were restless, weary, and anxious.
So here we are. We’ve figured out the Zoom thing, we’ve acquired our masks and gloves, cleaning has stepped up, our stores are guiding us in safe methods, and we certainly WANT to keep our people safe. We have, in essence, learned the new patterns with some fluency, but we are already tired of these new patterns. We long for the old ways of doing things. As a friend said to me recently, “Zoom is a poor substitute for being together.”
Dear ones, the time will come to us. Every effort you are making now is NOT lost, NOT in vain. God is completely faithful and His love is sure.
Here is a wonderful remembrance from Peachtree last summer with soloist Emily Franch and our choir singing, “He’s Always Been Faithful”: