Throughout the letter to the Hebrews we have been looking at
being fit for the Kingdom (Lk.9:62); putting our hand to the plough and not
looking back. We have a destiny in
God. We want to live in it and to be
well-placed to serve Him in it. We want
to run the race, to finish the course and to receive the prize.
Now as we reach the end of the letter, the writer shows his
wonderful pastoral heart as he expresses his personal desire to be with the
readers again (13:18-19). This
tenderness reminds us that this is not just a collection of philosophical or
abstract ideas, but, because it is based upon Christ, relationships of love
form the heart of it all. It’s as if he
is saying to the readers, “I want to run this race with you; I want to walk by
your side”.
Out of this tenderness he finishes, perhaps where we should
always finish, especially since we started with the superiority of Christ, with
the great benediction (13:20-21). It is
actually a benediction in two parts: what God has done in Christ, and what God is doing
in Christ.
Our God is a God of peace, power (resurrection) and
tenderness; He is the great Shepherd.
And through the blood of the eternal covenant, the sacrifice of Jesus,
He has made us His own. He doesn’t leave
it there, having done such a great work, but He then equips us with everything good to do His will. He works in us to do what pleases Him (cf. Ps.115:3, 135:6). That work in us isn’t a ‘hammer and tongs’
work, but a beautifully crafted symphonic poem.
The work that God does in us and in our churches is a delight to Him;
changing us and helping us to make it through to the end is a joy to the
Father. May we ever see it in the same
manner!
As the letter started, so it finishes - it is all through
Christ, the one who is superior to all things.
Our response to it all, to His superiority and our position in Him, is
to shout together with the writer, “Glory
to God, forever and ever, amen!”
May my final words echo that of the writer to the Hebrews
(13:25), “Grace be with all of you”.
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