Genesis 12:1-7; Hebrews 11:1-12; John 6:35-42, 48-51
In 1965, a Motown group called The Impressions scored their biggest hit with a song titled “People Get Ready.” Curtis Mayfield, the song’s composer begs his hearers “People get ready, there’s a train a coming…all you need is faith to hear the diesels humming…you don’t need no ticket, you just thank the Lord.”
The author of Hebrews teaches us that faith is much more than belief. Faith is that gift from God that assures us that God’s promises are true. The Hebrews text recalls the faithfulness of Noah and Abraham. Their hope for life and communion with God was made real through faith. Even as Abraham did not realize in his lifetime, the promise of many descendants, he saw the reality of God’s promise just over the horizon of his life. Abraham was convicted by the things he could not see but understood to be true.
Through faith, Christians today have hope. Through faith, we know that Christ is with us each and every day. Faith is more than belief; it is the assurance of God’s love forever. Faith is the conviction that, even as we continue our pilgrimage on earth, God’s kingdom is real. Through faith, we can see heaven just beyond the horizon of this life.
Prayer: Holy God, grant us faith that we may be steadfast in hope and realize even today those promises of your kingdom yet unseen. Amen.
In the Beginning 