Good morning! SLIDE Can some one tell me who this is? Paula Radcliff. What does she do? She’s a marathon runner. Probably the longest race any sane human being would do, and one of the most famous is the London marathon. SLIDE Thousands of people get together each year to run 26.2 miles around some of the greatest landmarks in our capital city. It is also know as an endurance race, to complete it you have to stick with it. There is no hopping on a bicycle and ride to the finish line and although cabbies might try there is no ducking down side streets with the promise of a short cut. If you did that you’d be cheating! You would not have earned the medal the end. Of course the marathon is much longer than 4 hours or more on a Sunday morning in April. The runners start training months before the actual event, running short distances at the beginning to build strength and, that word again, endurance. But even before that there has to be some sort of will-power or discipline to actually want to do the race. Yes we can sit in front of the telly thinking the marathon is a great idea, but what are the chances that we will be on the telly the following year. For me it is slim to none! I lack discipline.
What I need is a trainer! SLIDE Some one who will push me to my limits and give me the encouragement I need to get to the starting line, let alone the finishing line. Some times I get all hyped up and may actually go running, but after a while I wither and start thinking ‘there must be an easier way to exercise than this’ I turn around and head for home at slow walking pace, feeling defeated.
It can often be like this for us as Christians in Luton, whether we have just started our race or feel like we are somewhat nearing the middle or the end, we are all part of it. This passage in Hebrews highlights the discipline that we need to endure the race. With God as our trainer; he is the person beside us encouraging us. And Jesus, well he is the goal. Personal trainers aren’t fat and flabby. How often do you hear the phrase ‘if I can do it, you can do it’? The writer of Hebrews highlights the precedent set before us, the Message writes the first few verses like this SLIDE
“Do you see what this means – all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running – and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished the race we are in. Study how he did it.”
SLIDE Not so long ago I sat my theory test for driving. In a God inspired moment I headed into the Christian bookshop that was next door to the test centre. I shared with the lady behind the counter that I was really scared. She reminded me that Jesus had been before me and seen the test. Of course, I couldn’t ask Jesus for the answers, but I could rest in the assurance that whatever happened was in God’s plan and that God is with me. Months of driving and reading had all accumulated in this one test, and as I sat it I realised I was going to be fine. I passed first time! If I can do it, you can do it! Jesus has already run the race; if he can do it, (and suffer the cross for us) then we can do it too.
Raise your hand if you are a child… Whether you like it or not we are all children and the writer of Hebrews refers to us as children of God. Sometimes we often forget that we are all children. SLIDE My mum and dad remind me constantly and still refer to me as daughter, when I ring home my mum passes the phone to my dad saying ‘daughter 1’. If I want something from my dad I’ll call him daddy and smile lots. Not only does it show an intimate relationship but it also shows an understanding of my place in my family. Just a question to ponder: how often do we call God, Daddy? Not necessarily to get something, but to show our affection and understanding.
SLIDE. I remember when I was little, my sister and I shared a room, we’d only been talking for a bit, but my dad burst in to the room and told us off for not sleeping when we should be. Part of me really hated him, for bursting, for listening to our conversation, for telling me off. But now years later I look back on it and realise that he was concerned because we needed our sleep. We needed to learn the importance of rest. I’m sure that there are stories of discipline that you could share with your family and that when you look at it from the other’s point of view it actually makes more sense. The writer of Hebrews reminds us in verse 7 ‘for what son is not disciplined by his father?’ Discipline happens to be a natural part of growing up and gaining the social skills to live in the world.
A Father’s heart is one of love, growth and protection, amongst other things. Learning to be disciplined is a long process that takes years. From the moment a child can reach out and grab they quickly learn the word ‘NO’. ‘No, don’t touch that it’s hot’, ‘NO don’t go near the edge you’ll fall’. It is used as a way to protect. Usually we see this; with the advantage of hindsight it’s really easy. It is a responsible and loving parent who tells their children ‘no’. SLIDE Programmes like ‘Super Nanny’ and ‘House of Tiny Tearaways’ show us what it is like when children aren’t told ‘no’ and have little structure in their lives. The child behaviourists of the programmes – that have become so popular – spend their time introducing rules and re-teaching parents how to parent.
One such programme showed how a teenage boy was using violence to get money from his mum to get drugs; another showed a four year old ruling the roost because she used her lungs and legs effectively. Rules are used to regain control and structure into family life. It takes time, there is suffering. The pain on the parents face when their child kicks and swears against the authority being asserted. The word ‘no’ can often hurt. But it is part of growing up to become a secure individual. Eventually the children succumb and ‘normal’ family life resumes. I’m sure that the programmes are cut and finished to hook us to watching them where we only see success, but what about the ones we don’t see? What about a few months/years later when the eldest child suddenly turns into a terrible teenager, what happens then? Are the rules still in place; does the structure still work, even when adapted?
SLIDE This isn’t a question for us; the rules and structure of the bible haven’t changed for years, yet some how it is still relevant to how we live. The mystery of God’s infinite wisdom still baffles me. The real question is; are we going to kick against the discipline that God gives to us like the 4 year old who won’t eat anything green? Or do we embrace the discipline like training, taking our strength and encouragement from Jesus who has already run the race that we are in?
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