“Provoke One Another”
Hebrews 10:19-25
Mark 13:1-8

November 19, 2006 - Kim M. Henning

High and lifted up, in the front of our sanctuary hangs the cross. The cross is the premiere symbol of Christianity. The cross is the premiere symbol of our church. When this building was designed, we wanted the cross to be prominent. We wanted the cross to be the one symbol that would tower before us.

“I desired to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified,” the Apostle Paul wrote to the early church. Christianity 101, the simplest, most fundamental teaching of the church is that the Son of God was put to death on a cross that you and I might live.

The cross towers before us telling its story. The cross tells us about the costly sacrifice of God. The cross means to say to us that God cares passionately for human beings. The cross tells us about the death of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. The cross publicly announces on behalf of God, “I forgive you. I love you. I would do anything to win your heart.’

Take away from us the cross, and Jesus becomes for us little more than a good teacher. Take away from us the cross, and all that holds us together are Roberts Rules of Order. But give us the cross, and human lives change.

I was drawn this week, for some mysterious reason to the book of Hebrews. I have to admit that I have never studied very seriously the book of Hebrews, neither have I preached from Hebrews. There is one verse that you and I know. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” But what more do we know about this book?

I read verse after verse, chapter after chapter this week. I learned that Hebrews is not a letter like so much of the rest of the New Testament. Hebrews is a sermon, and the preacher preaches endlessly Jesus Christ.

Listen to this: “He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being.”

Listen to this, “He has made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of Majesty on high.”

Listen to this: “Jesus is worthy of more glory than that given to Moses.”

Listen to this: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every resp3ect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.”

Listen to this: “Jesus is the great High Priest who puts his laws into our minds and write them on our hearts and promises to remember our sins and our lawless deeds no more.”

And then we come finally, to Hebrews, chapter 10 where the preacher says, “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.”

Those words from Hebrews clung to me this week. I could not let them go. Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.”

Jesus Christ has died for you upon the cross. “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.”

Jesus Christ is the great high priest who promises to intercede for us before God. “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.”

Jesus Christ has defeated the power of death. “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.”

Jesus Christ is “the resurrection and the life.” Jesus Christ is “the good shepherd of the sheep.” Jesus Christ is ‘the way, the truth and the life.’ Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life.” Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.

Have you ever thought that our practice of Christianity has to do with ‘provoking one another to love and good deeds?’ Have you ever thought that Christian spirituality has to do with ‘provoking one another to love?’

A few months ago, I walked into a local coffee shop. Someone in the coffee shop recognized me. He called me over to his table, “Pastor, come over here.” We chatted a bit. After a short while he introduced me to his friend. But before I could even shake hands, his friend said forthrightly, “you’ll never see me in church. I don’t do church. The coffee shop is my church.” That’s what he said.

Sounds interesting, doesn’t it! Purchase a Latte for $3, and a muffin for $2. Soothing music plays in the background. Pick up the newspaper, read the comics, fill out a crossword puzzle. Pamper yourself. That is coffee shop spirituality. Pamper yourself. You deserve a break today. That is coffee shop spirituality. Do you feel good yet?

When the preacher to the Hebrews preaches to his congregation, the preacher says that Jesus Christ has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. He has conquered death. He speaks forgiveness. He promises eternity. And then he goes on to say, ‘let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.’

Have you been provoked lately? The Gospel means to provoke us.

Over there in Pennsylvania, a terrible tragedy happened in an Amish Community. A gunman, he must have been mentally ill, walked into a school and he killed some very young children and then he turned the gun on himself.

The Amish Community responded in a way that I find very challenging. They publicly offered their forgiveness. They grieved without drawing public attention to themselves. They even sent a delegation to visit the family of the murderer.

It seems to me that they did not learn that spirituality in a coffee shop.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ begins with the cross. Jesus said to his followers, “Take up your cross—take up whatever is burdening you; take up whatever is hurting you; take up whatever is embarrassing you; take up whatever is threatening you—and follow me.”

The Gospel of Jesus Christ means to provoke us.

A person asks for food, how should we respond?

Hurricane Katrina displaces millions of human beings, destroying their homes. How should we respond?

The mentally challenged are born into our world. How should we respond?

I hear the preacher to the Hebrews telling us that Christian spirituality is about provoking, challenging and growing us into the image of God. Christian spirituality is anything but comfortable, once in a while.

Today is Stewardship Sunday.

Keep it simple. When we give, we respond to the cross.

Stewardship is not about guilt.

Stewardship is not about the church reaching into someone else’s pocket.

Stewardship is simply provoking people to respond to the life-giving cross of Jesus Christ, apart from which we would die.

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