Hope Vs. Nostalgia

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, the 2nd Reading appointed for the 9th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Luke, contains perhaps the best known verse on faith in the Bible:  "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  As we read the entire text we realize that "things hoped for" have nothing to do with nostalgia - a longing for a golden age - but rather they have to do with God's promises for the future.  It will be the task of the preacher to lift up these promises.

(The following questions have been developed to answer some basic questions for Law and Gospel preachers.  They are not meant to stand alone, but to be used in conjunction with other questions which seek to answer other concerns.  For more on Law and Gospel preaching, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  Without being explicit, this text has a "gospel feel" to it.  It sounds like good news.  Finally in the last verse, we receive the promise which has only been hinted at earlier:  "God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them."  This is a gospel word, that God is not ashamed to be our God, and has prepared a dwelling place for us.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  It is hard to find a word of Law in this text.  There is little evidence here of our need for a  Savior.  One little piece could be used to describe our state apart from Christ: "good as dead" (vs. 12).  That is, of course, how St. Paul describes us apart from Christ.  But here that verse is clearly not talking about our present state, but Abraham's.  We may have to look at other texts to announce our need for a Savior.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are those who are "seeking a homeland."  We are the ones desiring "a better country, that is, a heavenly one" even if we cannot claim to have the faith of Abraham and Sarah.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  This entire text could be understood as a call to obedience, but particularly in verse 8 and following, we hear this call.  When the writer lifts up Abraham and Sarah, and says they "obeyed" when called them to set out for a new land even though they did not know where they were going, that is the call to obedience.  Faith is also being lifted up, of course, but in this usage, obedience follows.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Because this is not a full Law/Gospel text, we shall have to use our imaginations to come up with couplets.  Some possibilities:  as good as dead/alive as can be; homeless/having found a home; living in the far country/finding a better country.

6.  Exegetical Work:  Kittel has a very important discussion regarding 'pistis' which we translate 'faith.'  When we hear the word 'faith', we are very likely to immediately jump to St. Paul's understanding of the word, especially the idea of "faith in Christ."  Kittel makes it clear that there is a different usage in Hebrews that is significant.  He says that St. Paul's use of the term "looks primarily to what God has done, not to what He will do." (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. VI, p. 209).  In other words, faith, according to Paul, is primarily a looking back, while faith as used in Hebrews is primarily a looking forward.  According to Kittel this is a continuation of the Old Testament usage of this term and thus "to believe" is "to obey." (Ibid., p. 205)  Also, "In the OT and Judaism the sense of 'trust' is combined with faith." (Ibid., p. 206).  Finally, "Trust in God is very closely related to hope... This is indeed the predominant sense in Hb. 11. It explains why the heroes of the OT can be examples for Christians, whose faith is also directed to the future which God has promised, and who also know that they are 'strangers and pilgrims on the earth.'" (Ibid., p. 207).  It is well worth reading the entire article in Kittel's TDNT to a get a good sense of how this term is used.  Suffice it to say, faith is not related to nostalgia, but hope.

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Michael Hoy picks up on the homeland theme in his analysis of this text.  He talks about our trust in the visible lands  around us, and our skepticism about any heavenly city.  The turn of the Gospel is indeed when God gives us the better country as our inheritance in Christ.  Go to crossings.org/text-study for the whole analysis.

8.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Charles Rice emphasized the preacher's task of helping listeners recognize their shared story in the text.  This text might be an excellent vehicle for helping listeners identify their dead end nostalgia, and then lifting up the hope of a better country which God promises.

Blessings on your proclamation!