When I was serving in North Dakota, we had our annual meeting on the Ft. Berthold Reservation and the President and General Minister of the United Church of Christ, Rev. John Thomas, came out to join us. I remember one line from his sermon and message to us, "Every time I look back at our ancestors, I see them looking forward into the future." I think that part of that message is not to get caught up in nostalgia, but more important than that, is that those who went before us sought a better future for their children and grandchildren, many even worked for a better future for all around the world.
There is a Reinhold Niebuhr quote like I like:
“Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.
Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.”
There are many challenges, or problems if you like, that our world faces right now, however, but, nonetheless, we aren't the only generation that has faced them and we aren't the only generation that has worked on solving them.
The letter of Hebrews written in the early days of the church, probably sometime after Paul died in Rome, lays out some of the basics of theology and church structure for those who are beginning to be the church. In there time period, they didn't have much wisdom and tradition to lean upon, so they were basically making it up as they go along, trying to do it right. The author of Hebrews recognizes this gap of knowledge but then turns it on its head and proclaims it is not knowledge or wisdom that is most needed in that moment, it is faith. They go to show how many people in the history of the Jewish people followed God without a lot of knowledge or wisdom and weren't even able to complete what they set out to accomplish, but what they started was completed or done with those who followed. It was by faith, that they went forward, tried something new, and heard a calling and followed it. Not only did they have faith, they were surrounded by their ancestors, those who have gone before, who started the journey, who moved forward, and followed the vision of God's kingdom and continue to be present in spirit, encouragement, and courage to do the hard work.
There are two ways in which we can take this, one is metaphorical, but grounded in history, and the second is embracing the spiritual and mystical side of creation. To begin in the historical side of this proclamation, we can look at our country. Though many conservatives are lifting the the Constitution as the original and ultimate document and the Founding Fathers as some sort of Apostles for Democracy which can do no wrong. This document also put in its mechanics to correct itself and to change the laws and understandings of what this country is founded upon and what it can become. Because of the ability to Amend the Constitution, women can now vote, as well as minorities, and basically any citizen who is 18 and older in our country. Because of the ability to amend the constitution and change society, there is no longer segregation for minorities and more and more LGBTQIA are getting rights and they are becoming normalized in our time. Is there still much to do, absolutely, but we aren't starting from scratch, because each generation advanced the cause in their time and in their day and we can stand on their shoulders and see that the finish line is closer and go forward. Their work, their words, their actions are carried with us and push us not to stop, not to give up, and continue the work that they have started and that they have done.
The second way to consider this passage, "We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses" is maybe harder for us to contemplate as Protestants because we left behind the smells, bells, and saints when our spiritual ancestors broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. We may consider that to be outside our 'religion' as something more akin to Native American religion when they do sweats and the lights appear showing the presence of their ancestors with them or Eastern religion that honors their ancestors with shrines in their houses. But, however, nonetheless, it is a part of our faith, though not much talked about in present day and fully worked out in theology and prose. We do believe in a soul and that death is not the end. Many do believe in angels and there is a debate of whether or not a person becomes an angel when they die, or do are angels a separate type of being. But is it so hard to believe that those who have died and gone before, maybe our parents, grandparents, spouses, friends, and sometimes even children are not just with us in our hearts, but also with us as we continue to live and journey in this world; that even maybe the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr is still helping us with the struggle to accomplish. "The Dream" that the Apostle Paul is still working to help us realize that "love, faith, and hope never ends and the greatest of these is love." Is it possible that Aretha Franklin is still inspiring musicians around the world and encouraging them to find their voice?
There are many things that aren't going completed in our lifetime, there are many challenges that aren't going to be solves in our lifetime, and there are many pieces of art, whether painting, music, or writing that haven't been created yet in the generations to come. The world will go on, life will continue, and there will still be challenges to overcome in the future. One day, we will maybe join that great cloud of witnesses to cheer, guide, and strengthen future generations to continue, to begin again, and keep moving forward in having God's kindom come, God's love be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
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