THE STORY SO FAR ...

Hebrews 4:10-10

I imagine the writer of Hebrews to be an old storyteller by the wayside who beckons to weary and disiluusioned pilgrims. He starts with, "The story so far is like this…” So far, we have come to a point in history where we know God created the world in seven days. On the seventh day, He rested. And all creation was in God, and all were in His Sabbath rest. But it was marred by sin. A curse was placed on us:

"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life." Genesis 3:17

The aged narrator continues with the history of Israel, a nation with a whole generation who did not enter the Promised Land. They fell away from that promised rest through disbelief and disobedience, but the storyteller hopes that his listeners will not do the same. He reminds us that God has already “spoilt” the ending of His own great story: He’s given it away since the beginning of creation, for “on the seventh day God rested from all His work.” The ending is recorded in a less cryptic way here:

"On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse.” Revelations 22: 2-3

Will our individual chapters end with God’s given ending, or will we give up and drop out of the story? The storyteller’s audience are all badly wounded. Each person is living out his own story, his own set of conflicts—each one a chapter in the grand tale of Creation. The storyteller urges us to listen to His voice Today and combine our listening with faith.

Reflection:

How can we hear and obey the Lord today? Will we give him authorship over our lives, or will we attempt to write an alternative ending for ourselves? It is clear which path leads to the Sabbath-rest.