Hebreërs: Ons nuwe reeks

Ons begin Sondag 8 November met ons nuwe reeks uit Hebreërs. Lees solank die boek Hebreërs drie of vier keer deur. Die boodskap vir ons as kerk is vandag net so relevant. Om jou lus te maak hier is 'n uitreksel van Thomas Long

Thomas Long:

The Preacher is not preaching into a vacuum; he is addressing a real and urgent pastoral problem, one that seems astonishingly contemporary. His congregation is exhausted. They are tired – tired of serving the world, tired of worship, tired of Christian education, tired of being peculiar and whispered about in society, tired of the spiritual struggle, tired of trying to keep their prayer life going, tired even of Jesus. Their hands droop and their knees are weak (12:12), attendance is down at church (10:25), and they are losing confidence. The threat to this congregation is not that they are charging off in the wrong direction; they do not have enough energy to charge off anywhere. The threat here is that, worn down and worn out, they will drop their end of the rope and drift away. Tired of walking the walk, many of them are considering taking a walk, leaving the community and falling away from the faith.

We recognize the problem, of course, but the Preacher’s response may astound us. What is most striking about Hebrews is that the Preacher, faced with the pastoral problem of spiritual weariness, is bold enough, maybe brash enough, to think that christology and preaching are the answers. The Preacher does not appeal to group dynamics, conflict management techniques, reorganization of the mission structures, or snappy worship services. Rather, he preaches – preaches to the congregation in complex theological terms about the nature and meaning of Jesus Christ.