Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12     NT p. 203 or 1491

1:1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,

1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.

1:3 He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

1:4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

2:5 Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels.

2:6 But someone has testified somewhere, "What are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them?

2:7 You have made them for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honor,

2:8 subjecting all things under their feet." Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them,

2:9 but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

2:10 It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

2:11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,

2:12 saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you."

NRSV (ComLec) (c) 1989 NCC

INTRODUCTION:

While at his babysitter's, little Kenneth made a "WWJD" bracelet. Kenneth said, "I know what it means. It means, 'What DOES Jesus do?'" (1)

That's a pretty good question. And that's the question the writer of this letter was answering for a community of faith. What DOES Jesus do?

After my tour of duty in the Coast Guard, we moved to the farm with Mary's grandparents. Grandpa and I started designing and then built our house. We drew it all out on butcher paper. We measured, figured, moved walls, Cussed and discussed until we had the plans for a good solid, livable farm house. Then we went to cutting the lumber and building it.

Grandpa was an excellent carpenter. And he taught me some very valuable lessons. One of the things I remember is really quite simple when you think about it. Grandpa taught me the importance of having a pattern. Whether it was cutting 2 X 4s for studs or cutting rafters or living the faith, you have to have a pattern. If you use a pattern and cut on the line, then everything will be the same length. If not, each piece will be a different length and the wall or roof won't be square or level. A pattern is important.

Just ask our Quilters group. They keep trying to get me involved and learn how to quilt but they'd just have to repair whatever I messed up. Anyway, they use a pattern as well. All the squares have to be the same size. And the intricate thread work designs all have to be the same or it takes away from the beauty of the quilt. So they use a pattern. They trace the pattern and mark the quilt so all of their stitches will be in the right places.

As we look at this letter to the Hebrews, the author describes Jesus as: "the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being." (1:3) For whatever reason, the first thing I thought of when I read that Jesus is "the exact imprint of God's very being" was this idea of Jesus being our pattern. Our Pattern for both life and faith. Let's look and see how Jesus is our Pattern for both life and faith.

I. PROCLAIMED, PRESENTED, AND PERSONAL:

A. In making Jesus our Pattern, we find out that God's word has been and is PROCLAIMED, PRESENTED, AND PERSONAL.

The author reminds us that from the very beginning of time and creation God's word has been Proclaimed. At first it was simply proclaimed through the beauty of nature. All of creation points to a loving, caring and creative God. It speaks of order and daily nurture. Nature shows us the beauty of God.

But after awhile, that didn't seem to be enough. It sort of became like that box we set down in the garage or office, that has been in the same spot for the last month. We don't even notice it any more. It's become like furniture, just part of the place. The same thing happened to our perspective of nature. It became ordinary, every day and we no longer noticed it.

So God chose another way of getting the Word out. God called the Prophets to Proclaim the Word of God. To tell God's story. To be spokespersons for God to the people of God. These Prophets became the voice of God. But again, after awhile, the people no longer heard the Word. It was just that noise in the background. It was just another one of THEM, talking about God. It was the Same-ol', same-ol' stuff that they had heard a hundred times.

B. So, once again, God Presented us with something else. Actually, God Presented us with SOMEONE else. God looked at our sinful nature and our indifference to Him and took it Personally. He let it get under His skin. And in so doing God made the Word Personal by making the Word a Person, Jesus, the Word made flesh.

God made it Personal. And in so doing, made it so Personal that anyone, anywhere can come to God with any need.

Zach, age 4, wanted to call his grandmother, MiMi, one night, but his mother told him it was too late. She promised they would call her the next day. Then she told him it was time to say his prayers. Zach fussed for a few minutes, but finally closed his eyes and began his prayer: "God, Thank you for this day, and thank you for letting me be loved. Thank you, God, for giving me a Mommy and Daddy and a MiMi and a Pop and a Granny and a Poppie to love me 'cause today Tyler telled me he didn't have no grandparents and he didn't have no daddy. He telled me that he didn't have no church. But God I telled him that just 'cause he didn't have no church he still had a God. He said O.K., but I don't think he thinks so. I pray you will make his heart know about you and Jesus. Oh yeah, and God when you talk to my MiMi tonight, will you tell her I love her and Mommy wouldn't let me call?"

The next day when he called his grandmother Zach's first words were, "Hey, MiMi, did God give you my message?" (2)

That's how Personal God has become, that even a four year old can come to God as a loving friend. God's Word was Proclaimed and Presented through both Creation and the Prophets. But then God made the Word Personal through Jesus, the one through whom and for whom everything was created. Jesus stepped down from heaven becoming lower than the angels so that we might be able to take it Personal, too.

II. PARDONED AND PERFECTED:

A. Our Personal Savior walked where we walk, lived as we live and died on the cross so that we could be PARDONED AND PERFECTED.

You see, Jesus IS the perfect one, the Perfect Son of God. You and I are imperfect. Ever since the Garden, ever Adam and Eve first disobeyed God, we have been imperfect. Everything about us is imperfect. We live in an imperfect world that calls good bad and bad good. The sad result of that imperfection, is death. That was the sentence for our disobedience.

To top it all off, we try to disguise our imperfections or cover them up with clothes and jewelry and success and things of this world. Or we simply deny our imperfections and try to hide from God.

I've probably told you the story of the little boy who knelt beside his bed one night to say his prayers. On this particular night he had a paper bag over his head and he prayed, "Dear God, I'll tell you what I did today, but I won't you tell who I am."

We are all like that at times. We live in a broken world of broken relationships, broken homes, broken promises, broken spirits, broken bodies and broken dreams. That brokenness is a result of our sin and disobedience. And we are all guilty. Everyone of us. Even Preachers. Preachers are just guilty and imperfect people called and set aside to tell other guilty and imperfect people where they can find Pardon and Perfection. And where we find Pardon and Perfection is through Jesus, the Perfect Son of God.

B. Jesus was and is the perfect Son. You see, He was everything we were created to be. He was perfect in every way and never sinned.

There was a little girl who received stars on a chart if she was good and did all her "chores." One night while they were unloading the car from a trip to Grandma's, the little girl was told to stay next to the car while her mother got something from the trunk. While clutching her blanket and looking up at the sky, the little girl said, "Boy, Mom, I must have been really good today!"

When Mom looked up she saw there wasn't a cloud in the summer sky. Just thousands of stars! (3)

If He had one, and you were to look at the "chore chart" of Jesus, for whom and through whom all those stars were created, you would see that He received every star imaginable, every day of His life. Because He was perfect and ALWAYS did the will of His Father.

And yet this Perfect Son, this sinless, guilt free Son of God, willingly died on the cross. It dawned me that death came as result of our sin. It was punishment our disobedience. So, the sinless Son of God wouldn't have ever been punished. He never disobeyed. And as a consequence He never would have experience death. And yet He willingly subjected Himself to OUR punishment. He took it for us, so that we wouldn't have to. The Perfect Son of God offers us Pardon and Perfection.

III. PROMISED AND EMPOWERED:

A. Having been Pardoned and Perfected, we are Promised and Empowered. We are Empowered to become like Jesus, who is the Pattern of our life and faith. Our Personal Savior Empowers us to fulfill and receive the Promised blessing of God.

Without Jesus, without His presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit, we have no real power to move ourselves toward perfection or truly change anything about our lives.

One of my favorite stories is about a particular Church and one particular guy in that Church. It seems that every time there was an invitation, he would come down the aisle, hands raised to the heavens, tears running down his cheeks and crying out for everyone to hear, "Fill me Lord, Jesus, fill me." This went on Sunday after Sunday but it seemed to have little effect whatsoever on his life. He was a curmudgeon who treated everyone like dirt. And he tried to take advantage of everyone in his business.

One week they had a revivalist come and preach. At the end of his sermon, the revivalist gave a stirring invitation. And sure enough here came this guy down the aisle, crying out, "Fill me Lord, Jesus, fill me." When all of a sudden a voice from the back hollered, "Don't do it Lord! He leaks!"

Without Jesus, we ALL leak. Without Jesus, none of us can be what God wants us to be. But WITH Jesus as the Pattern for our lives and faith, the Holy Spirit can and WILL lead and perfect us.

That's the Promise of God. That's the Promise from Jesus Himself.

CONCLUSION:

A woman and her husband were in the process of adopting a baby girl from China. As part of the adoption process she and her husband had to have their fingerprints taken to be processed by the FBI and the Department of Justice. They took their four year old daughter, Waverly, with them for one of the fingerprinting appointments. After a lengthy wait it was finally Dad's turn to get his fingerprints taken, and Waverly asked why they were there doing that.

Mom explained that it was part of the paperwork they needed to do in order to get a baby sister in China. "The U.S. government and the Chinese government need to know that we are a nice family and we will take good care of the baby."

Pretty soon they all saw Dad's fingerprints come up on the computer screen and Mom said, "Look, Waverly, we can see your dad's fingerprints on that screen."

Waverly said, "Yep, they take pictures of Dad's fingers just to prove to the people in China that baby Amberlyn will be in good hands!" (4)

When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we place our lives in Good Hands, in Perfect Hands. In the hands of Jesus, our Personal Savior, the Word is Proclaimed, Presented and made Personal. Through Jesus, the guilty and imperfect and Pardoned and Perfected. Once Pardoned and Perfected we are Promised and Empowered.

Jesus becomes the Pattern of our lives and our faith and each day we become more and more like Christ, adding to the Pattern of Grace that God has woven throughout all of Salvation History.

Let Jesus be the Pattern of your life and faith.

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Bibliography

1. Grace Witwer Housholder, The Funny Kids Project, http://www.funnykids.com, from Bob Braley of Avilla, Ind.

2. Ibid., from Zach's mother Shanna Prather of Cartersville, Ga.

3. Ibid., from Theresa Lewis of Wrightstown, Wis.

4. Ibid., from Dart Rhoades of San Diego, Calif.