December 23rd 2012
Hebrews 1-6
The Letter to the Hebrews was written a few decades after the death of Christ to Christians who converted from Judaism. Think about how Christianity would be at this time sociologically, all the band wagoners would have found a new cause, more than one social group would have been around denouncing all things Christian, and many Christians were still being persecuted for their faith. And now think about the audience of the letter. All of the Jews who switched to Christianity were floored by the simplicity of it all. The Jewish religion was more than just a belief system, it was a culture with strict rules, many holidays with instruction manuals, and a total way of life. When they converted to Christianity, they left behind all their old customs and rules and were left wondering how to behave. If you were told all your life that you had to work hard for salvation, you would be skeptical about a man giving it away for free too.
Even today it can be hard to put your faith completely in Christ. There are so many things wrong with the world today, there are so many tragedies, and it is easy to look at all the bad and doubt the existence of the good. But just like the newly Christian needed this letter to reassure them, we too sometimes need something to reassure us that our faith is in the right place.
The holidays are the perfect reassurance. The holidays are a time of giving: giving time to your family and friends, giving food to the hungry, giving money and clothes to those in need, and giving gifts to those you love. In giving we always receive, and I don't mean that we get things back, I mean that when we give something away, we get the feeling of joy and peace that comes along with making someone else happy. With all of this giving going around, it becomes easier to accept Jesus' gift of salvation, and it becomes easier to give Him the gift of our faith.
Hope everyone has a safe and merry Christmas!
Gina
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