A few years ago I worked in retail and had to pull some Sunday shifts – usually every other Sunday. However, at one point, I worked four Sundays in a row and missed a whole month of church. I felt it. I felt my spirit shriveling up a little more each day. I felt the pull of sin getting stronger. I felt the weight of the world getting heavier. I felt disconnected and alone. The writer of Hebrews understood the need for Christian companionship when he wrote “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing” (Hebrews 10:25).
It sits in the middle of a passage that calls for perseverance. The Hebrew Christians were under extreme persecution from both the Roman government and the Jewish religious community for their faith. The entire book of Hebrews is a call to remain firm in the faith and one of the most dependable ways to do so is to stand together in one accord. The author says that Christian fellowship has several purposes: to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds,” to encourage one another,” and to hold each other accountable, (vs. 24, 25, implied in v. 26). Over the centuries, many martyrs of the faith were imprisoned, publicly tortured, and put to death. But they went through those abuses united in heart and faith, and they drew strength from one another. In 1555 two faithful Bishops, Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer we burned side-by-side at the stake for their testimony of Christ. As they embraced before the place of burning, Ridley told Latimer, “Be of good heart, brother, for God will either make the fire less painful or strengthen us so that we can endure it.”
Beloved, we may not be facing a fiery death for our faith (yet), but we still need one another to endure the struggles and challenges of our lives. I need you. I need your encouragement. I need your prayers. I need your witness. I need you to remind me to remain faithful. You need me for the same reasons. Church is not just something we do as long as the kids don’t have a soccer match or the beach isn’t calling our name. Church – Christian fellowship – is something we need for the sake of our spiritual lives. I hope to see you, Beloved, in church tomorrow.
Deeper Roots 