Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 (NRSV)

 Let mutual love continue. ² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. ³ Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. ⁴ Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” ⁶ So we can say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper;

I will not be afraid.

What can anyone do to me?”

⁷ Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

¹⁵ Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. ¹⁶ Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

The theme of Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16, part of a larger segment that extends to verse 29, is that of a general exhortation focused on love.

All readers seem to recognize the different tone of Hebrews 13: its paranetic features, its short sentences, its epistolary quality and its Pauline echoes. However, scholars divide about the meaning of this difference. Some assert that it is a later interpolation, a subtle forgery intended to align the letter more closely with the Pauline corpus. Others argue that it encapsulates and reiterates themes that are important to the entire sermon. With no manuscript evidence to the contrary, the evidence seems to suggest its originality. Consequently, we need to engage this chapter and understand its contribution to the argument of the author.

Chapter 13 is not the first appearance of parenesis in this letter. The author’s entire presentation is a careful dance between exposition and exhortation, but previously in the letter his exhortation has most often taken the form of warnings (6:4-8; 10:26-31; 12:15-17) and has highlighted the necessity of his readers’ holding fast to their confession. Now, the focus of his exhortation shifts from the primarily doctrinal to the primarily ethical. This ethical exhortation, which explicates his readers’ proper orientation to God and to others, follows the great importance of offering proper worship to God because God is a consuming fire (12:28-29). The ability to approach and to worship this holy and awful God has very practical applications for how one should live.

Although modern readers find it difficult to understand the exact nature of this community, the content of the letter, with its many references to the salvation history of Israel, implies that the author expected this community to recognize and resonate with the lessons learned through Israel’s long faith journey with God. He also wanted them to translate that faith journey’s lessons into teachings fit for their new journey with Christ, who was the “pioneer and perfecter” of their faith (Hebrews 12:2). One of the central themes then, of both the letter to the Hebrews and Israelite salvation history is that of the covenant community — bound to each other and to God, and pledged to uphold God’s standards for life within covenant bonds of love.

Throughout Hebrews, the author stresses the theme of continuity between the previous generation of believers and the current one. One unique title for Christ in Hebrews is "pioneer of salvation" (2:10), an image that portrays Jesus as the ultimate in spiritual ancestors. Hebrews also deals with the very difficult issue of the end of the temple sacrificial system and seeks to provide the theological rationale for seeing Christ's death on the cross as the completion of, and thus the trigger for, the dissolution of the sacrificial system. Christ is the one whom God perfects and in turn Christ perfects the believers, thus doing away with the need for the sacrificial system, while at the same time perpetually continuing the act of saving humankind (2:10; 5:9, 7:19, 28; 9:9; 10:1, 14; 11:40; 12:23).

In the final chapter of Hebrews, both the eloquence and the wisdom of the author couple with genuine pastoral concerns. Actually, this core theme of love is the third in a series of organizational themes used by the Hebrews author. The favorite threefold expression of Christian attributes that Paul formulated and preached -- faith, hope and love -- seems to be the focusing thrust of these final three chapters. The theme of chapter 11 is faith, chapter 12 is hope, and chapter 13 is love. In Chapter 13, the writer testifies to the fact that Christian love is essentially a verb, not a noun, for these final remarks are clearly concerned with direct, pastoral applications of love in the world.  Hebrews also draws extensively from Old Testament themes, as well as from the life stories of its heroes and heroines. It is fitting, then, that Hebrews concludes with an encapsulation of major ethical teachings drawn from both the Old and New Testaments.

This segment offers wisdom and pastoral concern. We might think of it as “joys and concerns” time. Many of the parting instructions in Hebrews 13 reaffirm basic tenets of the Old Testament laws for covenant community. This chapter concludes the letter to the Hebrews and contains its many parting blessings and instructions for the community.

            The theme of 13:1-6 is Christian attitudes.

Hebrews 13: 1-6 contain four couplets. They may derive from a larger poem on ethics. The author may also have collected them from separate sources. Some scholars view the list of exhortations in verses 1-6 as a continuation of those begun in 12:14. Having digressed from the listing with a parenthetical warning against spurned grace, the author now returns to his intended remarks. The axis around which all these admonitions in Chapter 13 appear to turn, however, is the centrality and practice of Christian love.

The first admonition speaks volumes in only four words. Let mutual love (filadelfia) continue. Such an admonition with this particular Greek word is consistent with other New Testament writings.[1] Paul says God has taught his readers to love one another (I Thessalonians 4:9). He also urges his readers to love each other with mutual affection (Romans 12:10). Peter will say that his readers have purified their souls by their obedience to the truth through their genuine mutual love (I Peter 1:22). He urges his readers to support their godliness with mutual affection, and their mutual affection with love (II Peter 1:5-7).  I John 3:14-18 does not use the word, yet he will discuss the same theme in a powerful way.[2] We pass from death to life through love for each other. Jesus showed his love by laying down his life for us, so we ought to lay down our lives for each other. We are to love in truth and action.  The injunction echoes the Old Testament mandate of covenant love and loyalty implied in the Hebrew term chesed. This type of love implies a familial relationship between those who share it. It implies rights and obligations. It is the type of love shared between those in covenant with each other; and we can find nearly all of the instructions that follow within the Israelite covenant law. This statement presupposes that such mutual love is already the possession of all those reading this text. Such love is not a distant promise, but a reality now available to Christians. The subjunctive form of this directive ("let") also suggests that extending this mutual love is a Christian obligation, not just some occasional possibility. Since a Christian is by definition one who is "in Christ," this commitment to mutual love is part of the natural extension of Christ's spirit within each believer's soul. The author seems to focus primarily on the flow of Christ's love as believers experience it within the membership of the faithful. Grammatically this is an exhortation for Christians to love other Christians -- suggesting that the ability both to extend love and to receive love are marks of true discipleship and the reciprocating glue that helps hold the church together. The ability of the early church to practice mutual love in the midst of a hostile pagan environment prompted Tertullian's oft-cited observation, "See how these Christians love one another."  Let it flow in word and deed, no matter how difficult it might be to express it, and no matter how difficult people may be. We put our energy in all the wrong places. The greatest of Christian wisdom and the greatest pastoral concern, is that love will flourish. When a group of people is able to be together in love, it is a wonderful witness. In fact, just think of the opposite, when the community does not love each other, and what a failure in witness that can be to the community.

We can acknowledge that such love is never easy. A prayer by a child, Nancy, was simple. Dear God, I bet it is very hard for you to love everybody in the whole world. There are only four people in our family and I can never do it.

People who live only according to their five senses, seeking nothing beyond the gratification of their natural appetites for pleasure, reputation, and power, cut themselves from the love that is the principle of all spiritual vitality and happiness. Love alone saves us from the barren wilderness of our detestable selfishness.[3] We have found medicine for many physical ailments. For the feeling of being unwanted, however, we have no cure other than willing hands to serve and willing hearts to love.[4]

Love is elusive. Funky Winkerbean is a cartoon character I used to read.  He is a high school student who goes through all the typical issues of growing up.  It often brings back many memories.  I clipped out one that addressed the theme of love.  In this particular series, Funky Winkerbean dated a girl named Lisa for a period.  He broke up with her and went out with another girl.  This hurt Lisa, and they deal with that for a while.  At the end of the series, he sees Lisa out with another man.  He reflects on what happened:

It's odd, but when I saw Lisa with that other guy, I really felt hurt and rejected!  Maybe that's how she felt when I broke up with her!  It sure would be nice if people could go through relationships without hurting one another...And while I'm at it, it would be nice if eating pizza could cause you to lose weight.[5]

As difficult as love may be, when it comes to relationships, love is persuasive. An old Hasidic story has a father complain to the rabbi that his son had forgotten God.  "What, Rabbi, shall I do?"  The Rabbi replied, "Love him more than ever."

A dialogue from the 1954 film Brigadoon illustrates the persuasive power of love. The film is a musical set in an enchanted Scottish village where everything is changeless. The village appears once every hundred years for a single day. It disappears until a century later.

Tommy Albright: Look ... I’m not saying I believe all this, but just for argument’s sake ... suppose ... suppose a stranger like ... well, like ... like me ... came to Brigadoon and wanted to stay. Could he?

Mr. Lundie: [gives him a long look, then smiles] Aye, he could. Mr. Forsythe provided for that.

Jeff Douglas: He didn’t miss a trick, did he?

Mr. Lundie: [laughing] No, lad, he didna! No, a stranger could stay if he loved someone here ... not Brigadoon itself, mind, but someone in Brigadoon ... enough to be willing to give up everything to stay near that person ... which is only right because after all, lad ... if you love someone deeply enough, anything is possible.

The author's second directive is for an attitude of perpetual "hospitality to strangers.” ² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. The command recalls Exodus 22:21, "Do not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." Job viewed this as one of his strengths: “the stranger has not lodged in the street; I have opened my doors to the traveler.” The only other occurrence is in Romans 12:13, “extend hospitality to strangers.” We find a similar concern in Matthew 25:35, where the Son of Man will say at the judgment to those received into the eternal kingdom, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Early Christian leaders warned the Christian communities of those who might take advantage of them. The reason to welcome strangers is that by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. This statement reminds one of Abraham and Lot's encounters with angels in Genesis 18-19, Gideon's similar encounter in Judges 6, and the encounter of Manoah in Judges 13, the widow of Zarephath entertaining what she learned later was the prophet Elijah in I Kings 17. Undoubtedly, the epistle's Jewish-Christian audience would remember these experiences. In the apocryphal, book Tobit 5:4-9, the angel Raphael stands in front of Tobias, but Tobias does not perceive him as angel of God. They will travel together to Media.[6] I must admit that many of us as church leaders have refused hospitality to angels in terms of giving them a place in our preaching, teaching, and theology. We have no experience of them, so it becomes easy ignore them.[7] This admonition reminds readers that just as they have "freely received" (God's grace and mercy), so should they "freely give" (with gestures of hospitality). The admonition relates to how one ought to treat travelling Christians. With the remarkable system of roads constructed, maintained and policed by the Roman Empire, travel in the first century was more common and pervasive than we may think. Yet Christians were certainly a minority. Commercial roadside accommodations were both outlandishly expensive and -- catering to the primarily pagan character of their clientele -- morally disreputable. Thus, travelers were especially in need of welcoming hospitality. Of course, a spirit of hospitality was a long-held moral tradition.

We may want to think of such hospitality to strangers in a different way in our culture. A friendly and welcoming attitude is contagious. Imagine starting the day by smiling and waving at the trash collector, then randomly picking up the tab for a stranger standing in line with you for Monday morning coffee on the way to work. Go out of your way to greet a customer or a visitor to your workplace. Bring a dozen bagels to work and give them all away. These are all simple ways of showing hospitality, making someone else’s day, just a little brighter while showing a measure of God’s good grace through you.

            The third admonition directs us to identify with prisoners, an important reminder of the persecuted condition of the first generations of Christians. ³ Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Colossians 4:18 says, “Remember my chains.” Matthew 25:36 shows a similar concern, as the Son of Man says to the righteous at the final judgment, “I was in prison and you visited me.” The exhortation is not specifically concerned with the lot of Christian prisoners so much as it aims at encouraging a correct attitude of genuine empathy between Christians, no matter what their situation. Numerous Old Testament passages command Israel to remember what it was like to be slaves in Egypt and thus have concern for those enslaved now. For example, Deuteronomy 5:14-15 says the Sabbath is a day of rest for the slave, for Israel was to remember that its heritage included enslavement in Egypt and liberation by the mighty hand of God.[8] Thus, we need to stress the first tenet of this admonition is in the imperative: "Remember." Those who are suffering are often "out of sight" and so drop "out of mind." However, the "remembering" is to take on a specific, personal dimension. The act of remembering is to enable the disciple to become a genuine participant in the situation of suffering and need that the other experiences -- the prisoner, the widow, the orphan. The author asks believers to feel the pain of those who suffer within their own bodies -- viscerally connecting with heart and soul, not just cerebrally registering the other's situation from a distance.

            Let us be honest. Most church-going Christians today, however, have never seen the inside of a jail. Visiting prisoners can be difficult with limited hours, but ministries like Kairos can provide opportunities to build life-giving relationships with those who are incarcerated. Adopt a family whose loved one is in prison. You could buy toys for an inmate’s children at Christmas through an organization like Angel Tree or remember their birthdays. We can also serve those who are in prison around the world because of their beliefs, writing letters to political leaders calling for justice and freedom for those unjustly accused.

            The fourth admonition relates to faithfulness to the marriage covenant and rejection of fornication. ⁴ Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled. A blessing rests upon the barren woman who remains undefiled by not entering into a sinful union. Such a woman will have fruit when God examines souls (Wisdom 3:14).[9] This text rejects any notion of asceticism as an elevated way to God. Unlike some first-century sects, the verse extols marriage as an "honorable estate," not relegated to some morally second-class status. The passage safeguards both the physical and relational benefits of marriage. For God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Clearly, the author will not celebrate unbridled sexuality. Paul reminds his readers that they should have no illusions about the judgment awaiting fornicators, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, for they will not inherit the kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:9-10).[10] In the midst of a pagan world of sexual extremes, such an intermediate or mediating position was unique. The command to respect the bonds of marriage is also reminiscent of injunctions given by the restoration prophet Malachi. Central to his message of purification and rededication of the priesthood to the restored temple was his urging of faithfulness toward one's marriage partner.[11]

Sometimes the people we neglect the most are those closest to us, which can lead to unfaithfulness. You do not need the author of Hebrews to tell you that you need to do nice things regularly for your spouse.  However, he does it anyway. We Americans have so much focus upon personal growth and self-fulfillment that we may forget the value of having stable and committed family relationships. Writing an unexpected love note, an extra good hug, a few flowers delivered to her/his office are not just things reserved for Valentine’s Day. Make it a habit to spend intentional time every day working on your marriage, treating your spouse with honor and enjoying the “mutual love” that characterizes a healthy relationship.

We have such high expectations of marriage.  A trend often noted in modern life is toward personal growth and self-fulfillment. Such a value can be in conflict with the value we place upon love and marriage. Where spontaneous interpersonal intimacy is the ideal, one may view negatively formal role expectations and obligations, since it can feel as if they inhibit intimacy. If people view love and marriage in terms of psychological gratification, then love and marriage will fail to provide the older social function of providing people with stable, committed relationships that tie them into the larger society. We want relationships to be free and spontaneous.  We also want them to be committed and stable.  Some marriages are so open that the partners can develop relationships with others.  Others are stable while all the feeling and heart has gone out of the relationship.   Somewhere in between, I suspect, is where most of us want to be.[12]

In Hebrews 13: 5-6, the author reminds the reader that the providence of God negates concern for money. While "love" may be the impetus behind all these commands, he identifies one form of "love" his readers are to reject. ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money. In I Timothy 3:3 offers the advice that one who desires the office of bishop should not be “not a lover of money.” Further, be content with what you have. I Timothy goes on to urge godliness combined with contentment, for we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it. The author urges us to find contentment in having food and clothing, while those who want to be rich fall into the temptation of many senseless and harmful desires that bring people into ruin. The author famously states that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Eagerness to be rich often leads people away from the faith and brings pain into their lives.[13] It takes courage to give up concern for money. It also takes trust. Jesus urges his followers not worry about their lives, including what they will eat, drink, or wear, for life is more than such things (Matthew 6:25).  Paul reminds his readers that he knows what it is like to have little and plenty, and he has learned contentment (Philippians 4:12). The point, of course, is that Christians are to pursue simplicity and contentment rather than riches. At the root of the "love of money" is an insidious form of idolatry. It shifts one’s faith from God the Creator to an overarching faith in a created thing called money. Obsessing after money will destroy personal contentment and leave a gnawing cavity of insecurity. He posits that one manner of life is free from the love of money and those who live in this way are satisfied with what they have. The underlying assumption is that his readers should embrace this way of life. For he has said in Deuteronomy 31:6, 8, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” ⁶ So we can say with confidence, as in Joshua 1:5 and Psalm 118:6-7, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. Here, the person receiving God's promise of protection is Joshua, as he steps into his role as Moses' successor. God gives this promise to Joshua personally. It is fitting that this summation of Hebrews should use the quotation as it occurs in Joshua, so that the community that received the letter received its instructions in the same way as the great lawgiver's successor received his. Thus, those who trust wholly in God can cheerfully offer this challenge: What can anyone do to me?”[14] Thus, not only should the Christian be content, but also their material possessions pale in comparison to knowledge of the fact that God has promised them the abiding presence of God. This assurance allows them to be bold and claim the words of the psalmist for himself or herself. If God is their helper, they do not have to fear anything a person can do to them, as we also learn from Paul in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who is against us?” Luck can always change; money can always run out. His scriptural citations are examples of the peace and confidence available to those who rely on God's grace instead of their bank accounts. In essence, was it worth it to give up all they had for the Christian community?

As much as the church values love, it also recognizes that we can direct our love to the wrong object. It often means wealth, materialism, and accumulating stuff. We love it because it feels like security, and to a certain extent, it does give us security. It takes up courage to give up concern for money. At the root of the "love of money" is an insidious form of idolatry. It shifts one’s faith from God the Creator to an overarching faith in a created thing called money. Obsessing after money will destroy personal contentment and leave a gnawing cavity of insecurity. We need to pursue simplicity and contentment, not riches. Become content with what you have. Be generous with others. Live as stewards of the resources God has provided us.

            The theme of Hebrews 13:7-8 concerns leadership. ⁷ Remember (one of many imperatives to do so) your leaders (general term), those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life (the death of a martyr), and imitate their faith. In addition to the help of God, they have the tangible example of those believers who have gone before them. Paul shared a similar concern when he urged his readers to give proper recognition to the household of Stephanas, as well as Fortunatus, and Achaicus (I Corinthians 16:15-18).[15] The almost certainly Jewish-Christian audience for this letter suggests that these former "leaders" may have been the first generation of Christians. On the other hand, it may be an inclusive reference to the righteous leaders from the Hebrew Scriptures, especially as summarized in Chapter 11. Whichever examples the author encourages them to remember, the author urges readers to recall the messages spoken by these messengers and to imitate their faithfulness. Paul in II Thessalonians 3:7 invited people to do the same: “For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us.” The New Testament gives little direct counsel to such leaders. Continuity between teachers and disciples, previous generations of believers and the current generation is a theme of major importance in Hebrews. In line with this theme is the injunction in to remember the former leaders of the community and imitate their faith.      Leaders in the country, leaders in the community, and leaders in church, are under constant criticism. Even when we disagree with a leader, can we pray for them? Can we find a way to write them an encouraging note? Can you work beside them to help make the mission of the church a reality?

⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever, a poetic and theologically packed way of saying that Jesus Christ is always the same. Further, the assurance of this community also has its basis on the affirmation that Jesus is the same throughout all time and through all generations. In a vision, the risen Lord identifies himself as the first and last, the living one, as once dead but now alive forever (Revelation 1:17-18).[16] The verse is an early confession of faith. Leaders and times change, but Christ remains constant. The permanent character of Christ becomes a source of encouragement. Even though his readers did not know Jesus in the flesh, he assures them that he does not change from one day to the next. Moreover, this statement about the character of Jesus also seems to align him with God the Father, who remained in relationship with humanity even though the mode (the covenant and the priesthood) changed. The generational reference in verse 7 surely prompts the timelessness of this powerful declaration. Although the words and witness of past leaders may or may not speak to the current generation, Jesus is the ultimate leader, the head of the church. He is forever the same. What remains unchanged amid changing times is Jesus Christ -- God's final word of redemption to creation. The unchanging nature of God's love and grace makes Christ the proper focus of all Christian hope and faith. All of this reminds us that Jesus Christ is the Lord of time. Jesus Christ yesterday may refer to the earthly course of his life, his preaching, healing, cross, and resurrection. Yet, such a yesterday could enclose him. Jesus Christ today may refer to the community of faith. Christ moves out of the latency of yesterday into the power of moving in people today. Today would then be the provisional representation in the form of the true church. It would not be either God or salvation of such a provisional representation if it were not today. If we do not take it seriously in this, we do not take it seriously at all. If we hold ourselves aloof from this, we hold ourselves aloof from salvation and the savior. Finally, Jesus Christ forever may refer to every conceivable time. Of course, the point of the author is that every time belongs in the course of human history belongs to Christ.[17]

Hebrews 13: 15 seems to recall the theme of verse 8, as the author urges the members of his audience to offer up continual praise to God. What possible sacrifice could faithful believers bring in response to such an amazing gift of redemption through the cross described in verses 9-14? ¹⁵ Through him, then, let us continually offer, first, a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Psalm 50 twice refers to God's preference for a "sacrifice of praise/thanksgiving" from the faithful rather than animal sacrifice (verses 14 & 23). Paul urges his readers to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is their spiritual or reasonable worship (Romans 12:1). Paul could refer to the gifts received from his readers as a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God (Philippians 4:18). Hebrews equates this with confession of belief in God, which in an age of martyrdom could well lead to sacrifice of one's life for God. We see here the combination of praise and confession, suggesting that early in the history of the church we find a common confession of faith as part of the worship context. Individual believers united themselves to the faith proclaimed by the church. Of course, the individual affirmed personal faith in relationship to Christ. Yet, this definitive character of confession did not rule out the recollecting, repeating, and ratifying of the once-for-all confession in another context, especially at celebration of the Eucharist, suggested by the sacrifice and confession in this verse.[18]  Of course, the words involved in the sacrifice of praise and confession of faith is not enough. Thus, ¹⁶ second, do not neglect to do good and, third, to share what you have (literally, “Do not neglect generosity”). Such an admonition is in keeping with Acts 4:32, where the early church in Jerusalem shared their possessions.  For such sacrifices are pleasing to God. By emphasizing the connection of praise and confession to God and the social bond with others as proper sacrifices to God, the author stands within the Old Testament prophetic tradition of critique of the temple's sacrificial system and those who emphasized it over the other parts of the covenant law. These references to alternative forms of sacrifice also go along with Hebrews' belief in Christ's completion of the sacrificial system through his sacrifice of his own life. The motivation for these things — confession, good deeds and fellowship — is the desire to please God. The exhortation of the author has returned to the same place it began. The presence of God is both the motivation and the guarantee of right belief and right living. Praising and confessing God in worship and serving humanity through good works and sharing of possessions are the "sacrifices" Christ calls upon Christians to make. 

We need to remember that this congregation was going through some difficult times. Its people had to face many challenges. At the close of this letter, the author wants to remind them of the simple wisdom that can keep them together. It will help you get through the difficulties, and get through the day. The admonition to love occurs so frequently that it leads one to wonder if the people of the church find it difficult to get it. Maybe the simplest way to “get it” is short sayings, observations, or insights that make us reflect prayerfully or meditate. It might be well for us not to over explain it. How do our lives match up?

Let mutual love continue. Such love is already there in the heart and in the community. Let it flow in word and deed, no matter how difficult it might be to express it, and no matter how difficult people may be. We put our energy in all the wrong places. The greatest of Christian wisdom and the greatest pastoral concern, is that love will flourish. The mark of true discipleship is love, for love remains the glue that holds the community together.

Show hospitality to strangers. One can so easily take advantage of a stranger. Open your heart to them. You never know what gift from God may lurk behind the stranger.

Remember in prayer and in action those in prison. In doing so, we recall that many people are in various forms of bondage in their lives, whether in prison or not. Participating with them in their bondage may liberate them, and it will certainly bring liberation to us.

Hold marriage in honor. Every society has its own way to invite people to sexual extremes, as if sex were the only thing that mattered. Honoring marriage reminds us that, as important as sex is, it remains one part of a total commitment to another person.            Become content with what you have. Pursue simplicity as a way of life. It will show the trust you have in God. The danger is that obsessing after money will bring insecurity and anxiety. Money is not a helpful idol.

Remember in prayer and in action your leaders. They are one of your connections with past generations of believers and with the Scripture. If you let them, they may tease out of you the best that you can be. Of course, every leader of the church knows that he or she only points to Jesus Christ, the true leader of the community.

Do good to others and share what you have with others. Such actions are the sacrifices that we offer to God. Such actions are what bring pleasure to God. We have here an indication that our rituals of baptism and Eucharist are not magical rites that preserve us from the need for a transformed life. As Hebrews consistently reminds, Christ made the one sacrifice necessary for humanity. To put in Trinitarian language, the Father has made the one sacrifice necessary in the giving of the Son, while the Son as offered the one necessary sacrifice in himself. Such passages offer support for the notion that Christ is the one sacrament, the one means of grace, to which we need to turn and acknowledge as true, respond to with faith, and lead lives that reflect the fact that his truth as embraced us. The result is that the only sacrifice we can make is through our words of praise and witness concerning what God has done in Christ and properly connecting such words to honoring the social bond we have with each other. Our words and deeds must match. While love of God and neighbor are different, their bond is such that we cannot legitimately have one without the other.

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[1] Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; (I Thessalonians 4:9)
love one another with mutual affection; (Romans 12:10)
Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. (I Peter 1:22)
5 For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. (II Peter 1:5-7)

[2] 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. 16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17 How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. (I John 3:14-18)

[3] “All men who live only according to their five senses,” writes Thomas Merton in The Seven Storey Mountain, “and seek nothing beyond the gratification of their natural appetites for pleasure and reputation and power, cut themselves off from that charity which is the principle of all spiritual vitality and happiness because it alone saves us from the barren wilderness of our own abominable selfishness.”

[4] We have found medicine for leprosy and lepers can be cured.  There's medicine for TB and consumptives can be cured...But FOR BEING UNWANTED, I DON'T THINK THIS TERRIBLE DISEASE CAN EVER BE CURED, EXCEPT THERE ARE WILLING HANDS TO SERVE AND...LOVING HEARTS TO LOVE (Malcom Muggeridge, Something Beautiful for God, 1971, p. 98, quoted in Lance Webb, Making Love Grow, p. 14).

[5] (Funky Winkerbean, by Tom Batiuk, June 6, 1986).

[6] 4 So Tobias went out to look for a man to go with him to Media, someone who was acquainted with the way. He went out and found the angel Raphael standing in front of him; but he did not perceive that he was an angel of God. 5 Tobias said to him, "Where do you come from, young man?" "From your kindred, the Israelites," he replied, "and I have come here to work." Then Tobias said to him, "Do you know the way to go to Media?" 6 "Yes," he replied, "I have been there many times; I am acquainted with it and know all the roads. I have often traveled to Media, and would stay with our kinsman Gabael who lives in Rages of Media. It is a journey of two days from Ecbatana to Rages; for it lies in a mountainous area, while Ecbatana is in the middle of the plain." 7 Then Tobias said to him, "Wait for me, young man, until I go in and tell my father; for I do need you to travel with me, and I will pay you your wages." 8 He replied, "All right, I will wait; but do not take too long." 9 So Tobias went in to tell his father Tobit and said to him, "I have just found a man who is one of our own Israelite kindred!" He replied, "Call the man in, my son, so that I may learn about his family and to what tribe he belongs, and whether he is trustworthy enough to go with you."

[7] Barth, Church Dogmatics, III.3 [51.1], 415.

[8] 14 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:14-15)

[9] For blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled, who has not entered into a sinful union; she will have fruit when God examines souls. (Wisdom 3:14)

[10] Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. (I Corinthians 6:9-10)

[11] Because the Lord was a witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 Did not one God make her? Both flesh and spirit are his. And what does the one God desire? Godly offspring. So look to yourselves, and do not let anyone be faithless to the wife of his youth. 16 For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel, and covering one's garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless. (Malachi 2:14-16)

[12] Habits of the Heart, p. 83.

[13] 6Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; 7 for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; 8 but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. 11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. ( I Timothy 6:6-11)

[14] Like the rest of the Old Testament quotations in Hebrews, the version of this psalm follows the Septuagint, not the Masoretic Hebrew tradition. In the Hebrew, the word that translates as “my helper” is missing from verse 6 though it appears in verse 7. In the Greek and Syriac versions, it appears in both verses.

[15] 15 Now, brothers and sisters, you know that members of the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints; 16 I urge you to put yourselves at the service of such people, and of everyone who works and toils with them. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence; 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. So give recognition to such persons. (I Corinthians 16:15-18)

[16] 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. (Revelation 1:17-18)

[17] Barth, Church Dogmatics III.2 [47.1] 466 and IV.2 [67.1] 622, IV.3 [69.4] 291.

[18] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology, Volume 3, 112.