October 16th

Back to Basics

Hebrews 4:12-16


Most of you who know me already know that I am not really what you would call a “techno guru.” Now, I can build a decent Excel spreadsheet, and I definitely know my way around Word software. Hey! I even learned how to blog this year! But much beyond those applications, I am pretty useless when it comes to being a computer pro.

But e-mail? Hey! I am all over e-mail! Can I get an “amen” from the Board of Directors and our bookkeeper? In fact, I am usually so on top of my e-mail that it has become a source of, well, let’s say “discussion” in the Lofstrand-Spears household. See, Richard checks his e-mail maybe once every week or so. I check my e-mail at least daily, unless we are on vacation.

What makes my obsession with keeping my e-mails up to date so strange, though, is that 10 years ago I hated using e-mail. When my company installed e-mail on our computers and made using it mandatory, I was one of those folks who complained that we would lose that “personal touch” so valued by our customers. I joined the chorus of those shouting, “We need to get back to basics!” Never mind that I worked for a hazardous waste removal company. Oh, yeah! A lot of personal touch required in that industry! Truth be told, I was probably a closet technophobe.

But as wonderful as e-mail can be, it also has a dark side. For example, have you ever been upset about an issue, typed out a flaming e-mail, and as soon as you clicked on the “Send” icon, said, “Oh….golly gosh darn it all (or words to that effect)? Um hmm. Thought so. So have I.

My worst e-mail moments normally happen when my intention is to be professional, firm, clear, and direct. I click on the “Send” icon, confident that I have presented my position well. But sometimes the replies I receive to these well-intentioned e-mails have singed the hair on my eyebrows! E-mail has truly become today’s two-edged sword. But as we learn from our passage in Hebrews today, there was something long before the invention of e-mail--and something that will outlast e-mail--that is even sharper—the word of God. But exactly what is the word of God?

Well, today, when we speak of the “word of God,” most Christians think of the Bible; and that is certainly one way of looking at this term. But, I want to challenge us this morning to go beyond this more traditional view of the “word of God” to a view that may be a little less concrete, but also a view that may be more personal to us, as well. To do that, we need to know a little more about the context, or setting, for the book of Hebrews.

Remember last week when I said Job is one of those books many pastors avoid when it comes to preaching? Well, Hebrews is another one of those books. A big reason for this avoidance is that Hebrews is full of symbolic language and imagery that make a lot of the passages from this book difficult to apply to everyday faith and living.

Take the term “word of God,” for example. As I said earlier, when we hear that term today, most of us here think of the Bible. But that is not what the “word of God” means in Hebrews. Early on in this book, we read that, “long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets.” You see, our ancestors did not have a handy dandy, Old Testament or New Testament they could download from a multitude of various websites, or maybe even actually pick up and read in paper form! No, while these writings did eventually come along at a much later time, in the beginning, we had the basics—the word of God through the prophets.

This word of God is the living, breathing word that spoke the universe into existence. This word of God is the word that came through leaders and prophets like Moses, Ezekiel, Elijah, Elisha, Hosea, and Jeremiah. This word of God is the word that came through the actions of wise women like Deborah, Rahab, and Naomi. This word of God is a personal, loving word that provided protection and guidance to our ancestors.

This same word of God is still around today, too. But to be honest with you, I think we’ve lost a lot of that “personal touch” that comes with experiencing the word of God outside of the Bible. Don’t get me wrong; I think the Bible is great. When we really—and I mean, really—read and study the scriptures, I am convinced that God speaks to us through them. The Bible provides us with guidance, direction, and hope. Some of us use daily devotionals that include biblical passages. These devotionals are great ways to make the Bible even more accessible to people who may be a little lost on how to start reading the Bible. There are also Bibles that have the scriptures arranged by the day of the week so you can read through the Bible in just one year! These are wonderful study tools!

But as valuable as Bible study is, there is just something about the word of God coming through another person or event that seems to make a far more lasting impression than the written word alone. For example, it is one thing to read about God’s love in the Bible. It is a different thing altogether to experience God’s love in deep and personal ways in a community of faith, as we pray together, hug one another, and share one another’s joys and sorrows.

But there is also another side to God’s word—a side we don’t like to talk about too much. You see, folks, judgment also comes through God’s word. Leaders and prophets in the Old Testament, and apostles in the New Testament called people on their stuff as God spoke through these leaders, prophets, and apostles. The book of Hebrews recalls how some of the children of Israel died in the wilderness as a result of their disobedience.

In our passage today we read how the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. We read how the word of God is able to separate soul from spirit, joints from marrow. Not only that, the word of God is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The word of God cuts through all the fluff. The word of God cuts through all the garbage. The word of God exposes us completely—and we don’t like that kind of exposure one little bit, do we?

It has been said that, “the word of God is not merely a collection of words from God, a vehicle for collecting ideas. The word of God is living, life changing, and dynamic as it works in us. With the precision of a surgeon’s knife, the word of God reveals who we are and who we are not. The word of God penetrates the core of our moral and spiritual life. It discerns what is in us—both the good and the evil. The demands of the word of God require decisions. We must not only listen to the word of God, we must also let it shape our lives.”

It is one thing for me to stand up here and talk to you about living honestly and with integrity, as well as avoiding excesses in all areas of our lives. You expect that from me. You expect to read about issues like that in the Bible, too. So, as a result, some people tend to avoid churches that preach about responsible living. And while these folks may own a bunch of Bibles, chances are they avoid the passages they don’t like—if they read their Bibles at all. So, if we avoid the nagging preacher and don’t really read the Bible, we have an excuse for our actions, right?

Think again. Remember, the word of God is living and active. The word of God is not limited to the writings of the Bible, or the scriptures of any other faith tradition, either! And do you know what else? The word of God can come through some pretty strange sources too, sometimes! You see, I think the word of God can come through friends and family who may not even claim to be Christians! Folks, I’ve had non-Christian friends call me on some of my stuff in ways that were far more effective than any sermon or Bible study! Think about it. If the Bible challenges us about an issue in our lives, the preacher challenges us about this issue, and even loving, open and affirming, non-Christians call us on it, chances are we should be paying attention! Amen?

So here we are—spiritually sliced open, exposed, naked, bare before God. And it ain’t a pretty sight, either. How can we even pretend to be able to stand under such judgment?

The good news is we don’t have to pretend. Jesus Christ, who experienced the full range of human mortality, this same Jesus Christ intercedes for us before God. Whenever we are at our most vulnerable, our most exposed, whenever we are at our lowest and think we have no where to go, scripture tells us that we can approach God’s throne of grace with boldness so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.

My sisters and brothers, as we look around at our world today, I think it is time we got back to basics. So whether it is written, electronic, spoken, or experienced through events in our lives, let’s get back to the word of God. For it is through the living, active, sharp word of God that we discover the way to God’s throne of grace.

And couldn’t we all use a little more grace in our lives?

God bless you and amen