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To many people – including me – it seems at first that having so many suitcases is somewhat frivolous. You can only use one or two at a time and how often would most of us use them anyway?
But my husband travels a lot and I have often watched him pack for one of his trips. He is very picky about which suitcase he chooses for a particular trip. Will he be gone for only a few days? Then a couple of carry-on size cases will be fine. Will he be gone for several weeks, perhaps in
If he packs too much, then perhaps it won’t fit into his suitcase or his suitcase will weigh too much or he will perhaps leave behind something that really is important. If he packs too little, he’ll run out of something and perhaps be in a place where he can’t buy more of whatever it is.
My husband has made a science of packing for a trip. He’s had a lot of experience with it, but most of us, me included, haven’t traveled enough to be as precise about what to bring as he is – and I know that more often than not I end up with too much of one thing and not enough of another.
The first portion of this morning’s scripture is called the ‘Roll Call of the Saints’. The second portion, the part starting with Hebrews 12:1, tells us to persevere, run the race of faith, and not to take anything with us that we don’t really need or that won’t fit into out suitcases.
We don’t get a list of what to leave behind, but the author of Hebrews does caution us to ‘lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely’ and the author directs us to ‘run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith’. When people pack for a journey, they always try to pack light, but with they get ready for a race, they leave behind everything that is not absolutely essential. So here’s a short list of what should definitely not be in our suitcases:
Hatred – Hatred is a terrible weight that comes in many forms. Sometimes hatred cloaks itself in words like caution and skepticism. Sometimes it takes on the bold look of bigotry. Hatred intrudes on our time with those near us because we must keep looking over our shoulder to see if those ‘others’, those we don’t like are getting too close.
Pride – Closely related to hatred is the weight of pride. When we take pride along with us we can’t really keep our thoughts on the journey and our eyes on what is in front of us because when we take pride with us, we spend our time comparing ourselves with everyone else, looking around to find something wrong with everyone and everything else – something that belittles them and builds us up.
Fear – Fear is a difficult weight to leave behind. We love the feel and the taste of fear. We love to share our fears with others and receive from those others some attention and sympathy. We love the inactivity that fear seems to condone. We claim that we can’t go on any adventure of faith because we’re simply too afraid of what might happen and because it feels so safe to just stay where we are. We are afraid of illness and death. We fear going hungry or homeless. We fear the bad opinions of others. We fear driving through traffic jams in the Cities. The weight of fear keeps us from the journey, keeps us shut up in our homes and keeps us from really opening our hearts to others.
Greed – Another weight we should leave behind is greed. Last week we talked about the rich man who built larger barns for all his stuff rather than share is with the poor. He turned all his attention inward, to amassing more stuff, and missed the life God gave him. More than that, his fists were so busy holding on to his money that he had no hand with which to offer charity to others. When we bring greed along with us, our thoughts are so taken up with ourselves that we have no time for attention for others.
Unforgiveness – Unforgiveness is another burden that can weigh us down. Unforgiveness is hard work. When we fail to forgive, we need to keep careful track of all the wrongs that have been done to us. We need to keep an account book at the ready to scribble down every real or perceived trespass. We keep being careful in all that we do lest forgiveness or forgetfulness creep in and we lose track of all the wrongs done to us. Unforgiveness robs us of joy because if we are joyful we just might once in a while be nice to someone whom we refuse to forgive.
Doubt - There are two more weights that are difficult to carry around with us. The first one is doubt. When we doubt people, we end up doing more work than we need to because rather than rely on others to help us, we prefer to do it all ourselves. When we doubt God things get even harder. When we doubt the love and grace of God, we start relying only on ourselves. We try to earn our salvation. We try to justify every action. We spend all our time building up riches, good names and keeping others indebted to us so they won’t ask for anything else. When we doubt we look for trouble rather than harmony, we look for the faults of others rather than the good.
Guilt - The last weight and the heaviest weight of all is guilt. When we fail to forgive others, we fail to expect or experience it for ourselves. The weight of our own failures, the sins we have committed, the unkind words, the voice raised in anger, the good we have failed to do – all become a terrible burden that bends us over in feelings of shame, inferiority and unworthiness.
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There is a lot that we should choose to leave behind, but there are a few things we should bring along with us:
Faith – The first thing we’ll need to pack is faith. Without faith there is no journey and we are left in the quagmire or our current circumstances. Without faith in the Holy One who loves us, there is no hope of eternity, no eternally existing good, to plan, no one greater than ourselves to whom we can turn. Without faith there is no journey there is just the awful sameness of the here and now.
Love – The second thing we should bring with us is love. We read a lot about love in the Bible. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love suffers long and is kind. Love is more concerned with others than with ourselves. Love is something we give away that may – may – eventually return to us. Love is the key to all the other good things that we should pack for the journey.
Hope – The third thing we should bring with us is hope. If we truly believe in God then we believe and live as those who know with a certainty that can only come from God that the good will win out in the end. That God’s plan for the creation will be accomplished even if we don’t see it in our lifetime. And that we will be a part of it when it comes.
Forgiveness – The fourth thing to pack may seem so large that we’d prefer to leave it at home. It’s a hard thing to learn to use and sometimes even after we’ve learned to use it, it hurts. It’s forgiveness. Hope and faith may at times be difficult for us, but forgiveness is always hard – and it’s always essential. When we read Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer we saw that it asked for God to forgive us because we have already forgiven others. We receive from God because we have already given to others. We receive God’s blessing because we have already blessed others. It’s hard to learn to forgive, but when we do, carrying it with us actually makes the pack lighter not heavier.
Witnesses – The final thing we need to take on our journey is witnesses. When we finally get our bags packed, it’s because we’re going on a journey. In this morning’s scripture portion from Hebrews 11 and 12, we heard a roll call of many of the great heroes of faith who packed their bags and went on remarkable journeys with their God.
It is said that those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. But for us, I think it can be said that we who do know history are encouraged to repeat it. There is something comforting about knowing that others have gone before us, that others have been through the tough times of faith that we face, that others – just regular people like you and me – have walked with God and done great things for the Kingdom.
I think we need to make room in our bags for a few witnesses. Who would I take?
Enoch – who walked with God and then was not because God took him.
Moses – whom God called meek above all men. Who tried his best to convince God that he was not man enough for the job entrusted to him and who went any way.
David – who committed a great sin and was contrite and humble enough to ask for God’s forgiveness.
Ruth – who followed her mother-in-law to a strange country where her people were hated because she loved Naomi and trusted in her God.
Rahab – who saw the truth when the Jewish spies visited her and whose courage and wise words saved her and her entire family.
By faith, some witnesses ‘conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions’. By faith, other witnesses ‘were tortured, suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, sawn in two, killed by the sword; went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy.’ By faith, they died in the arms of God looking forward in faith to the glory of Jesus Christ that was revealed to us in the later times.
This morning’s scripture portion concludes with the following advice: Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith’.
This morning let us armed with God’s grace, pack our bags, start our journey and resolve ourselves to be witnesses for God. Amen
