Daily thought for Wednesday 16th April 2025
Connor MacFadyen
“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart”.
Hebrews 12:1b-3 (NRSV)
It’s okay
My late grandfather was a man of very few words. But etched in my mind, always there when I need it, is one of his key phrases: “Keep the peace son, just keep the peace”.
I think the same can be said for the passage we are reflecting on today. The writer of this letter instructs us to throw off the hinderances of life, with Jesus as the end point of the “race marked out for us”. Great, that’s sounds easy. We can do that. Actually, that’s really hard – almost impossible in fact.
Surely the writer knew that. Life isn’t as simple as waking up one morning and deciding that I am going to throw off all the things that drag me down. We all know that isn’t the case. Yet, as people of faith we should always be exploring and questioning. We aim to keep Jesus as that fixed point at the forefront of our lives.
Jesus and all those mothers and fathers of the faith before us knew that this is okay. The passage shows us that. That final line tells us that if you hold Jesus in your sight, you “will not grow weary and lose heart”.
In our time and place there is so much to distract us, to bring us down, to make us try to cut corners as we seek to win the game of life. People of faith absolutely get caught in that. And so through this passage we see ourselves: human beings caught in the unavoidable. We are set a challenge: to get rid of that which keeps us from Christ. And in attempting to do this, as long as we keep him clearly in our line of sight, we will get to the finish line. That is the true goal.
Shall we pray?
God of the journey, although there are hurdles and few straight roads in this race of life, the end point is you. And for that we thank you. Amen.
Connor MacFadyen is an RE Teacher and Elder at Tranent Parish Church in East Lothian.
Thinking it through:
Do we as a church give ourselves the permission to not be perfect, to be human and have human risks and emotions?
If Jesus is the end goal, how do we keep him in our sights, even in the most difficult parts of the race?
Does God expect us to get it right all the time?