In Pursuit Of The Great White Rabbit
Sermon text for June 8:
Hebrews 12:1-6
Farewell Sermon - First Presbyterian Church, Lakewood, Colorado
“Let us run with perseverance the race that is before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
It has been a real privilege to be with you these last fifteen months. You have shared yourselves with us, and Sharon and I have shared ourselves with you. And I would like to believe that each of us is stronger and more faithful because we have been together. Now I am excited for you as you look forward to the next stage in your faith journey.
The faith journey is a major theme in scripture. Abraham and Sarah journeyed toward the land that God promised. Moses led the Chosen People out of Egypt and kept them moving toward the Promised Land for forty years. Jesus, it seems, was always on the move from one place to another. He and the disciples walked the length and breadth of Israel educating, feeding, and healing the people. And Paul, who sounds like the most athletic of the Bible’s authors, speaks of life as a race.
The common theme in each of these stories is movement: moving toward the goal of achieving the promise; moving toward self discovery; moving, moving, moving. God’s people have never been very good at sitting down and smelling the roses. We are always moving, studying, and working toward the goal of knowing God more intimately and doing God’s will.
Now Sharon and I are moving on toward the next leg of our journey. The only thing that I know for sure is that I am glad to have spent time with you. You are important partners in my journey and I feel as if I have a stake in your future. I will be watching closely as you begin the next part of your journey and my prayers will be with you.
In the 11th chapter of Hebrews the writer tells us of the faith journey of Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Gideon, Samson, David, and Samuel. When we read about these giants of faith we discover that they are terribly flawed. They struggled to be faithful and that makes them examples for us. “Therefore” says the author of Hebrews, “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses … let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
When you were experiencing some of your major difficulties over the years, you probably felt as if you were alone and no one else had ever had these problems. But in fact you have always been surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses whose lives stand as example for you. Some of these witnesses are Biblical, but not all. Other witnesses may include family, friends, and other churches. This “great cloud of witnesses” inspires and strengthens us so that we can run with perseverance the race that is before us. Of course our main inspiration for the journey is Jesus himself. He is the One whom the writer of Hebrews calls the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
I have a favorite story that is found in a book entitled, “In Pursuit of the Great White Rabbit” by Catholic priest, Edward Hays. The story is supposed to have originated in the third century Egypt. This was a time when many believers were moving out of the cities to form monasteries, convents, or hermitages in the desert. They believed that the wilderness was the home of Satan and his evil genies. And those who ventured into the desert believed they were forming a prayer shield to protect the cities from Satan’s power. This is the context of Father Hay’s story.
"One day a young seeker after holiness approached a holy man who was sitting in his doorway as the sun went down. The old man’s dog stretched out across the threshold as the young man asked the holy man a question. 'Why is it, Abba, that some who seek God come to the desert and are zealous in prayer but leave after a year or so, while others like you, remain faithful to the quest for a lifetime?'
"The old man replied, 'Let me tell you a story: One day I was sitting here quietly in the sun with my dog. Suddenly a large white rabbit ran across in front of us. Well, my dog jumped up, barking loudly and took off after that big rabbit. He chased the rabbit with a passion. Soon other dogs joined him, attracted by his barking. What a sight it was, as the pack of dogs ran barking across the creeks and up stony embankments and through thickets and thorns! Gradually however one by one the other dogs dropped out of the pursuit, discouraged by the course and frustrated by the chase. Only my dog continued to hotly pursue the white rabbit.
"'In that story, young man, is the answer to your question.' The young man sat in confused silence. Finally he said, 'Abba, I don’t understand. What is the connection between the rabbit chase and the quest for holiness?'
“'You fail to understand,' answered the old hermit, 'because you failed to ask the obvious question: Why didn’t the other dogs continue on the chase? And the answer is that they had not seen the rabbit.'"
My prayer is that you have seen the rabbit and will pull together in pursuit of the One who is the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” If you have caught a glimpse of Jesus running ahead of you, you will have both the incentive and the perseverance to journey on toward the goal. In reality, there is no destination important for the church if we are not following Jesus.
In the 1992 Summer Olympics, athletes were competing in the finals of the 400 meter dash. As they approached the finish line it was almost anyone’s race, but the front runner was a young man from Great Britain. Coming out of the final turn he stumbled and fell. He lay on the track for an agonizing moment clutching his knee, his eye on the finish line. Then slowly he got up and began limping toward the goal, even though the race was over for everyone else. As the world watched in stunned silence, the young athlete’s father jumped from the stands and ran to his son’s side. Arm in arm the father and son finished the race together.
There may have been times in your past when you lost sight of the goal or when you stumbled and fell. And it may happen again. But the promise of faith is that when we stumble and fall, the One whom we call Father gathers us into his arms and crosses the finish line with us.
So my friends move out boldly as you continue your faith journey, and “run with perseverance the race that is before you, looking to Jesus who is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
Copyright © 2008 by Dwight R. Blackstock
Hebrews 12:1-6
Farewell Sermon - First Presbyterian Church, Lakewood, Colorado
“Let us run with perseverance the race that is before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
It has been a real privilege to be with you these last fifteen months. You have shared yourselves with us, and Sharon and I have shared ourselves with you. And I would like to believe that each of us is stronger and more faithful because we have been together. Now I am excited for you as you look forward to the next stage in your faith journey.
The faith journey is a major theme in scripture. Abraham and Sarah journeyed toward the land that God promised. Moses led the Chosen People out of Egypt and kept them moving toward the Promised Land for forty years. Jesus, it seems, was always on the move from one place to another. He and the disciples walked the length and breadth of Israel educating, feeding, and healing the people. And Paul, who sounds like the most athletic of the Bible’s authors, speaks of life as a race.
The common theme in each of these stories is movement: moving toward the goal of achieving the promise; moving toward self discovery; moving, moving, moving. God’s people have never been very good at sitting down and smelling the roses. We are always moving, studying, and working toward the goal of knowing God more intimately and doing God’s will.
Now Sharon and I are moving on toward the next leg of our journey. The only thing that I know for sure is that I am glad to have spent time with you. You are important partners in my journey and I feel as if I have a stake in your future. I will be watching closely as you begin the next part of your journey and my prayers will be with you.
In the 11th chapter of Hebrews the writer tells us of the faith journey of Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Gideon, Samson, David, and Samuel. When we read about these giants of faith we discover that they are terribly flawed. They struggled to be faithful and that makes them examples for us. “Therefore” says the author of Hebrews, “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses … let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
When you were experiencing some of your major difficulties over the years, you probably felt as if you were alone and no one else had ever had these problems. But in fact you have always been surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses whose lives stand as example for you. Some of these witnesses are Biblical, but not all. Other witnesses may include family, friends, and other churches. This “great cloud of witnesses” inspires and strengthens us so that we can run with perseverance the race that is before us. Of course our main inspiration for the journey is Jesus himself. He is the One whom the writer of Hebrews calls the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
I have a favorite story that is found in a book entitled, “In Pursuit of the Great White Rabbit” by Catholic priest, Edward Hays. The story is supposed to have originated in the third century Egypt. This was a time when many believers were moving out of the cities to form monasteries, convents, or hermitages in the desert. They believed that the wilderness was the home of Satan and his evil genies. And those who ventured into the desert believed they were forming a prayer shield to protect the cities from Satan’s power. This is the context of Father Hay’s story.
"One day a young seeker after holiness approached a holy man who was sitting in his doorway as the sun went down. The old man’s dog stretched out across the threshold as the young man asked the holy man a question. 'Why is it, Abba, that some who seek God come to the desert and are zealous in prayer but leave after a year or so, while others like you, remain faithful to the quest for a lifetime?'
"The old man replied, 'Let me tell you a story: One day I was sitting here quietly in the sun with my dog. Suddenly a large white rabbit ran across in front of us. Well, my dog jumped up, barking loudly and took off after that big rabbit. He chased the rabbit with a passion. Soon other dogs joined him, attracted by his barking. What a sight it was, as the pack of dogs ran barking across the creeks and up stony embankments and through thickets and thorns! Gradually however one by one the other dogs dropped out of the pursuit, discouraged by the course and frustrated by the chase. Only my dog continued to hotly pursue the white rabbit.
"'In that story, young man, is the answer to your question.' The young man sat in confused silence. Finally he said, 'Abba, I don’t understand. What is the connection between the rabbit chase and the quest for holiness?'
“'You fail to understand,' answered the old hermit, 'because you failed to ask the obvious question: Why didn’t the other dogs continue on the chase? And the answer is that they had not seen the rabbit.'"
My prayer is that you have seen the rabbit and will pull together in pursuit of the One who is the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” If you have caught a glimpse of Jesus running ahead of you, you will have both the incentive and the perseverance to journey on toward the goal. In reality, there is no destination important for the church if we are not following Jesus.
In the 1992 Summer Olympics, athletes were competing in the finals of the 400 meter dash. As they approached the finish line it was almost anyone’s race, but the front runner was a young man from Great Britain. Coming out of the final turn he stumbled and fell. He lay on the track for an agonizing moment clutching his knee, his eye on the finish line. Then slowly he got up and began limping toward the goal, even though the race was over for everyone else. As the world watched in stunned silence, the young athlete’s father jumped from the stands and ran to his son’s side. Arm in arm the father and son finished the race together.
There may have been times in your past when you lost sight of the goal or when you stumbled and fell. And it may happen again. But the promise of faith is that when we stumble and fall, the One whom we call Father gathers us into his arms and crosses the finish line with us.
So my friends move out boldly as you continue your faith journey, and “run with perseverance the race that is before you, looking to Jesus who is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
Copyright © 2008 by Dwight R. Blackstock
posted by Dwight Blackstock | 7:00 AM
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