Written by: Janet Marshall – Education Officer, the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
Hebrews 1 v 1-4
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets many times and in
many different ways. But now in these last days God has spoken to us through
his Son. God has chosen his Son to own all things, and through him he made
the world. The Son reflects the glory of God and shows exactly what God is
like. He holds everything together with his powerful word. When the Son made
people clean from their sins, he sat down at the right side of God, the Great
One in heaven. The Son became much greater than the angels, and God gave him
a name that is much greater than theirs.
Notes
“Aren’t emails and texts just the best thing ever? What did we ever
do without them?” a friend commented to me recently. It is fantastic and
mind blowing because we can now communicate instantly with people across the
world 24 hours a day! We can develop friendships via emails, photos and film
clips with folks without even meeting them face to face! BUT there’s always
that big question, isn’t there? What are they really like?
In this introduction the writer does not waste any time telling us about himself – he gets straight on with the “business” and that is to tell us about Jesus. He begins by spelling out to us that there has been a long time of preparation, this is no rushed message and that throughout the Old Testament the ground has been prepared by God by using special messengers like the prophets, and finally God “has spoken to us through his Son”. He tells us in no uncertain terms that through Jesus we see God. Like a mirror “the Son reflects the glory of God”. Jesus is like a central “inbox” from which an imprint of the very nature of God can be sent out to all on earth and what is more he communicates to us face to face - God made human.
Words are powerful tools; they can make or break a relationship. Instant email responses can be destructive sometimes if we make an emotional response without thinking first? Hebrews makes clear though that Jesus is in control and “holds everything together with his powerful word”. A word that is rock solid and to be trusted. Now that is some message?!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, all powerful, loving and living word of the Father, I offer
myself to you this day.
May my words, my thoughts and my actions reflect your love to all I will be
led to communicate with today.
I thank you for your message of love and hope. Help me to share this in all
that I do and say this day.
Amen
Hebrews 1 v 5-7
This is because God never said to any of the angels,
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.”
Nor did God say of any angel,
“I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.”
And when God brings his firstborn Son into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
This is what God said about the angels:
“God makes his angels become like winds.
He makes his servants become like flames of fire.”
Notes
Presents...aren’t they great? Yes there are vouchers and gift cards and
money but there’s nothing like a present to unwrap, is there? The excitement,
the anticipation and (hopefully) the happiness felt when we discover some thing
really good inside!
The ultimate and best ever gift – is what the readers are being directed to in today’s reading. The first readers of this letter would have been Jewish Christians, the first Christians. They now knew that Jesus was the long awaited gift. The wrapping was now off and the present revealed – God’s own Son. Life would not have been easy for them however, because lots of their friends and family members perhaps had not accepted Jesus. They were probably under pressure to go back to their old beliefs. Sometimes we can place ourselves in their shoes, can’t we? It is not always easy being a Christian.
These verses are from some of the Old Testament Psalms. Through them the writer is saying, “Forget the wrapping, look to the gift – Jesus”. Jesus is greater than the angels – they are servants of God. His angels “become like winds; he makes his servants become like flames of fire”. But Jesus is so much more. To Jesus he says “You are my Son.” The Jewish Law was a treasured gift given to Moses but that was mere wrapping compared to this. “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
Don’t be content with the wrapping, keep going till you reach the gift itself!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, come into my life afresh today. It’s not always easy to keep
you at the centre of my life. Sometimes it’s easier to submerge you back
in the wrapper rather than reveal you as the precious gift that you are. You
know the pressures, business and stresses of my daily life and I offer all
these to you now.
May I be your servant this day, nourished by your living word, strengthened
by your Holy Spirit and held in your love.
Amen
Hebrews 1 v 8-9
But God said this about his Son:
“God, your throne will last forever and ever.
You will rule your kingdom with fairness.
You love right and hate evil, so God has chosen you from among your friends;
he has set you apart with much joy.”
Notes
“Cheer up!” How often is this said to us, probably at a time when
we really don’t feel much like cheering up at all? Perhaps we are feeling
under pressure, or we’ve just received some bad news? May be we have switched
on the television news and yet again have been bombarded with images and stories
of suffering, hardship and misery. “What’s it all about?” we
ask ourselves? “Where is God in all this?”
These powerful verses are a proclamation of hope and encouragement and again they come from the Old Testament, Psalm 45. They were written as words of encouragement for those first Christians and they are just as valuable for us today. In our world, human beings often fail miserably, justice breaks down, people suffer as a result. This is not what God wants. “You will rule your kingdom with fairness. You love right and hate evil.” The writer is pointing readers to the bigger plan, that God sent his Son to forgive the sins of his people and to create a world where evil has no place. It won’t happen through angel messengers but through Jesus the King, the Messiah in whom all should place their trust. God did not pull out the plug on his creation, the writer assures his readers, and he will not give up on it. “God, your throne will last for ever and ever.”
The final part of the last verse shines out and may be interpreted as a personal message for each individual. “So God has chosen you from among your friends; he has set you apart with much joy.” We may feel ill-equipped just like Abraham, Moses, the disciples of Jesus and others did when they received God’s call, but we are called to serve the King.
Prayer
Help me to trust you Lord. It isn’t easy when all around me often seems
muddled and difficult.
Help me to listen for your call, Lord, for I want to serve you.
I bring before you the needs of your aching world.
I bring before you the joys of your beautiful world.
I bring before you the concerns of my heart this day.
May fairness and justice, patience and understanding be in all my actions and
decisions. Grant me the grace to forgive and love others as you forgive and
love me.
Amen
Hebrews 1 v 10-12
God also says,
“Lord, in the beginning you made the earth, and your hands made the skies.
They will be destroyed, but you will remain.
They will all wear out like clothes.
You will fold them like a coat.
And, like clothes, you will change them.
But you never change, and your life will never end.”
Notes
“Enough’s enough! It’s time for a sort out!” Have you
ever opened your wardrobe or drawers and decided today is the day? There is lots
of stuff you have not worn for ages, there’s all sorts of junk that has
accumulated in those drawers and when you delve to the bottom it is truly amazing
what you find!!
In today’s reading, the writer again quotes a Psalm, Psalm 102. It is about God’s big planned sort-out. He reminds us of God, the creator of earth and skies. He goes on to say that the heavens and the earth will not remain the same – “they will be destroyed.” “They will wear out like clothes.” “And like clothes you will change them.” This is not a warning of impending destruction. It is pointing us yet again to the fact that God’s plan had been developing, changing, sometimes destroying the old to make way for the new. He had been preparing the way for a very long time through the law and the prophets of the Old Testament. Now his plan has reached its climax in Jesus, the Messiah. God’s plan is complete. It is Jesus who will now see God’s plan of justice and salvation to the new age, the time of new heavens and earth. He will not change, we are told – “But you will remain… you will never change, and your life will never end.”
These were amazing words of encouragement for those first Christians who read this letter as they still are for us today. There’s always room for a life laundry and it is never too late to meet Christ face to face in our lives! But do we really allow enough space in the jam-packed drawer space of our lives for Christ to dwell?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the new creation, my Saviour and friend.
In this quiet space amidst the hustle and bustle of my life I come before you.
Thank you for your assurance of eternal life and love.
In the silence of this present moment I open up my life to you.
(A brief moment of silence may now be kept)
Hebrews 1 v 13-14
And God never said this to an angel:
“Sit by me at my right side until I put your enemies under your control.”
All the angels are spirits who serve God and are sent to help those who will
receive salvation.
Notes
Successful, talented? Who really is the best? On TV, on the internet, in the
glossy magazines, in the papers we are never short of a story, are we? Who
got the most Brit awards? Has she got the perfect figure? Is he the best
footballer of all time? Celebrity status, what is it about? Often we never
see the real person underneath the glamour and stardom. Who should we look
up to? Often people aspire to be like a celebrity and then feel terribly
let down when something happens and they realise this person has made a big
mistake and is only human after all!
Today’s short passage leaves us in no doubt about the identity of the true star of the show. The person that no one else, not even an angel, can measure up to. The person nominated by God, his own Son – Jesus, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. These verses remind us about the enthronement of God’s true king at God’s right hand. They aim to explain to us what the messiahship of Jesus is all about. The words in these verses are from Psalm 110 again. They tell us that the king’s sovereign rule will be exercised until everything that threatens God’s purpose of justice and salvation will be defeated. “Sit by me at my right hand until I put your enemies under control.”
Yet again the writer reminds us that the angels are merely servants with a job to do as God’s messengers and helpers. “All the angels are spirits who serve God and are sent to help those who will receive salvation.”
Look to the Son! This is the message in today’s reading. Once you have seen him in all his glory, you will not look any further for stardom!
Prayer
Lord, by your cross and resurrection you set us free, you set us free.
Lord, by your cross and resurrection you set us free, you set us free.
You are the saviour, the saviour, the saviour of the world.
You are the saviour, the saviour, the saviour of the world.
The saviour of the world.
(This may be repeated silently several times with a few moments left silent
in between for you to offer quiet thoughts and prayers).
These words are set to music as a beautiful worship song by CJM music (Jo Boyce and Mike Stanley) on their album “Imagine a World” (www.cjmmusic.com).
Hebrews 2 v 1-4
So we must be more careful to follow what we were taught. Then we will not
stray away from the truth. The teaching God spoke through angels was shown
to be true, and anyone who did not follow it or obey it received the punishment
that was earned. So surely we also will be punished if we ignore this great
salvation. The Lord himself first told about this salvation, and it was proven
true to us by those who heard him. God also proved it by using wonders, great
signs, many kinds of miracles, and by giving people gifts through the Holy
Spirit, just as he wanted.
Notes
Have you ever looked back on all those old school reports? They can be a little
embarrassing, can’t they? I was looking through some with my 16-year-old
son the other day. We were laughing at comments made by his reception infants
teacher about not being able to share toys, throwing tantrums, giving up
too easily when he could not do his maths etc! These are tough lessons to
learn when we are very young, and throughout life! It’s easy to give
up at times when things are not going our way or when it’s hard to
persevere.
This is the essence of what today’s passage is all about. “We must be careful to follow what we were taught.” We have so much teaching throughout the Old and New Testaments. The Gospel message offers the truth, BUT it is so easy to stray and turn away from what we believe. We get busy, distracted, tired, disillusioned, and sometimes we cannot see clearly when others are trying to support us in our faith. When we are down, we fail to motivate and support others. Often it can get like this in our church communities.
The writer reminds his readers that God has proved his salvation through using many wonderful signs and miracles and through the precious gift of the Holy Spirit to his people. The first Christians were bowled over by this and, when they believed the message of Jesus, they felt a warm, disturbing, personal presence within which energised them and enabled them to become different people from the inside out!
Have we grasped the royal message from the King lately? It’s there for us today just as powerfully as it was then! Pause then, take a breath in the hectic daily grind and receive!
Prayer
Living Lord Jesus, the way, the truth and the life, live in me today.
May my words and actions reflect your love.. Fill me with your Holy Spirit
I pray.
Help me when I drift and fall.
Amen
Hebrews 2 v 5-8a
God did not choose angels to be the rulers of the new world that was coming,
which is what we have been talking about. It is written in the Scriptures,
“Why are people important to you?
Why do you take care of human beings?
You made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and
honor.
You put all things under their control.”
When God put everything under their control, there was nothing left that they
did not rule.
Notes
“Do this!” “Do that!” “Hurry up!” “Haven’t
you finished that yet?”
How often do we feel like everyone is getting at us? Some times we just feel
like yelling at the tops of our voices, “Hey I’m not superhuman,
you know!” Life can be pressurised and hectic. Some times it’s
hard to keep up the pace. When we look at the governments of the world, we
realise how much trust and responsibility is placed on the shoulders of human
beings. We are interdependent on one another too, no one can totally go it
alone.
In today’s passage a “new world” is referred to, the world to come. This is the main subject of this passage and of the whole letter. The theme of the whole book is hope. The overriding message is that Jesus the Messiah is that hope that has burst into the world.
This passage begins by reminding us that God sent his unique son. “He did not choose angels to be the rulers of the new world.” The writer quotes from Psalm 8 in this passage: “Why are people so important to you?” Although human beings are lower than the angels, this passage points out that God intends that they should become the world’s true governors. God wants his new world to be ruled wisely and creatively by humans who live in trusting obedience to him.
Humans have as their role model Jesus – the ultimate human being. He has gone ahead of the rest of us, the world’s true Lord.
So we are never alone. Jesus suffered and died but was then exalted and we can celebrate and live in the light of that.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, strengthen my faith and guide my steps.
Often I stumble under the pressures and difficulties of daily life.
Often I lack trust in your saving power.
Often I am quick to judge and to tell others how it should be.
Give me the gift of stillness and help me to listen to your call.
Lord of my life, I offer all that I am to you this day. Amen
The views expressed by the writers of our daily e-mails are not necessarily those of Church Army or word-on-the-web but of the individual writers.
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes