Daily Readings: Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26; 2 Samuel 6:1-11; Hebrews 1:1-4
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, 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. 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, having become as much superior to angels as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs. Hebrews 1:1-4, NRSV
The words of Jesus are prophetic: the prophets said much the same to the people of their times that Jesus said to the people of his. What sustains doesn’t change because our deepest needs and longings haven’t changed. The words of Jesus sustain us because the words his faith provided for him sustained him.
But words are meaningless unless they point beyond themselves to something, Someone. What sustains isn’t a what but a Who. It’s getting to the Who behind the words that counts. Whatever words God is behind are holy words because they come from the Holy Word. And Christ will meet us at the doorway they create.
I know that Hebrews passage well, but hearing it a few days before Christmas gives it a new sense of meaning.
And I like that emphasis on the Who. Jesus came as a Word–but a Word Incarnate. So now all the What Where When How questions are answered in the Who. I often preach this message at funerals–when we almost always read John 14, where in answer to Thomas’ question about Where and How, Jesus says, I AM the way, the truth and the life.
Hebrews isn’t the easiest book in the New Testament, but it has its shining moments. Who behind all the other W’s we seek in our questions. Thanks, David!