Confirmation Devotion: Running Your Race
Text: Hebrews 12:1-3
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him 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 sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
If you’ve studied the book of Hebrews before, you might remember that it was written to people who were on the edge of leaving Christianity. There was pressure from their family and friends to return to Judaism. Their lives would soon be threatened by those who were seeking to crush the Christian faith before it became too big. That sounds pretty tough, right? So when the writer used the picture of a race to help make his point, he chose a Greek word that is very similar to our word “agony.”
The life of a Christian is very difficult; anyone who promises you something different is lying. We will be using the picture of a race today as we study this text; but it’s not a sprint. Our entire life is a Christian marathon. Envision a race winding through the streets of a city. What’s at stake is not our dignity or a medal but an eternity: with or without God. As we imagine running our race, we’re going to encounter 4 groups of people who have stopped their race for different reasons. Each of these groups will as a warning for us.
Imagine we’ve been running for maybe a mile or two when we round a corner and see 10-15 people lying face down in the road. Our heart skips a beat; are they okay?!? As we get closer, however, we realize they’re fine. They’re just casually lying there. Then you notice that each one of them is wearing big baggy warm-up track pants, which have gotten tangled in their feet as they ran. This is group 1: those who refused to throw off the sin that so easily entangles.
Sin is totally unnecessary by definition. God wants me to get rid of it. I know that, but that doesn’t stop me from keeping some sins around. Each of us struggles with holding on to things we know are hurting our relationship with God. We shouldn’t be carrying them along on our race. Sometimes we carry anger around with us, frustration at the people in our lives for ways they have hurt or disappointed us. Sometimes we carry around a nasty thing we saw on the Internet. Sometimes we carry around words that have no business coming out of the mouth of God’s children. Sometimes we carry around lies about someone else. As I run my race, I should be getting better at setting these things aside, but I don’t. It feels like they make my race more enjoyable. In reality, my legs are already tangled; I’m already tripping, I’m inching closer to smashing face first into the ground.
What the people in group 1 need to hear is that Jesus has already taken away all those things that trip them up. God has freed us from carrying along all those things that only put our race in jeopardy. Think about the way that Jesus ran his race, the obstacles he so forcefully pushed away. Anger got in front of him? He dodged it. Nasty words? He ran right past them. Lies? Not a problem. He cleared them without breaking a sweat. Jesus ran the race perfectly for us. This means we are free to throw off sin and run our own race free and clear. No smashing into the ground for us. We help group 1 to their feet and get moving.
As we crest a hill, we see that a whole group of runners has veered off the road. They’re all staring at a giant billboard for iPads with their mouths open. This is Group 2, the people who have stopped their race because they got distracted.
On our race, only two things truly matter: our relationship with God and helping others build their own relationship with God. And yet it feels like are lives are FULL of things that are ALL SUPER IMPORTANT. On our race we can get distracted by work, by school, by extracurricular activities like sports, even by ourselves. I can distract myself from running my race by being selfish. Imagine a billboard with your boss on it. A billboard with your book report that’s due. A billboard with a soccer ball. A billboard with your own face on it. Sometimes we’re running a great race, focusing on God, but then we notice one of those billboards, and God gets a little less attention, not on purpose, it’s just this billboard over here looks really interesting. I never meant to turn away from God. It wasn’t this big, rebellious thing. It just sort of happened. God became whatever.
When our spiritual sight grows dim, when we’re distracted by billboards, God’s Word guides us back. To stay on course we must fix our eyes on Jesus, the one who was never distracted from his mission. The devil gave it his best shot, tempting Jesus in the wilderness, hounding him in Gethsemane. The people of Israel could have distracted Jesus by their hatred. Yet Jesus was locked on to his Father’s mission like a fighter pilot.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus means daily repentance. It’s recognizing our sin and unworthiness before God, understanding God’s grace through Christ, and letting God’s Word guide us into making better choices. When the distracting billboards of this life make us start to veer off course, Jesus is like a good personal trainer, one who firmly but lovingly yanks us back on track. He fixes our eyes on his cross and empty tomb. As we head back on track, we gently take group 2 by the hand and lead them back onto the course.
As we head down into a valley, we see a group of runners who are sitting on couches someone has placed by the side of the road. There is a giant box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts sitting in the center of their little circle. You approach the group and ask why they have stopped their race. One by one they give you their reasons. “My lungs were ON FIRE!” “My hamstring LOCKED UP!” “I’ve got a stitch in my side. It feels like a KNIFE!” This is Group 3, the people who got too tired to continue on their race.
Did you know the devil is a liar? He’s really good at it. What kind of lies do you think he tells us when we’re running our race? I bet you know. I bet you’ve heard them all. “It’s too hard.” “It’s not worth it.” “Nobody else has it this bad.” When he’s convinced us that the Christian race is just too difficult, then the devil insists that we need a rest. We should out for a little while, a week, two weeks, a month, a year, we’ll get back at it in the New Year. These are lies we struggle with believing.
Think about what Jesus knew when he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He knew he was coming to the city for the last time. When he rode in on the donkey, the place where his cross would be hammered into the ground was not that far away. He knew the whip, the crown of thorns, the nails, and the grave were all waiting to swallow him up. And on Palm Sunday, Jesus said, “Bring it on.” He ignored the blood and sweat which would soon be flooding into his eyes. For the joy set before him, the joy of rescuing us from destruction, for that, Jesus endured the agony of the cross, taking all its shame right on the chin.
Gathering with fellow Christians for worship and Bible study is where we come to hear about Jesus and be refreshed. It’s our Gatorade station, a place to find the strength to carry on, when things seem too tough. This is a place where we band together and tell the devil to move it along and take his garbage lies with him. God rejuvenates us here so we can find that next gear, despite all of our pain, frustration, or sorrow, we can say, “I can handle the shame, the loss, all of it. And much more.” We kick over the Krispy Kreme box and help Group 3 to their feet. It’s time to go.
As our much larger group continues its run, we hear shouting ahead of us. There’s a large crowd on both sides of the course. We can see that a group ahead of us has stopped running to hear what the crowd is shouting at them. It’s insults, shouted so ferociously that faces turn red and spit flies out of mouths. The crowd is mocking this group mercilessly. This is Group 4, those who stopped when running the race when people made fun of them.
It’s annoying when someone makes fun of Christianity. When the stand-up comedian has a few jokes in his set about Jesus. When the talking head on some cable show dissects Christianity to the delight of his audience. When the kid in our class explains why the Bible is the dumbest thing he’s ever heard. When our co-worker talks about how close-minded Christianity is. It’s annoying. And over time…it’s convincing. If I’m not careful, every cynical accusation against Christianity starts to seem like the voice of reason, calling me to reality. The struggle is real; it should not be dismissed with encouragements to simply believe harder or pray more. We must deal with attacks to our faith head on.
We consider the Jesus who endured opposition from sinful people. The Jesus with a soldier’s spit running down his cheek. The Jesus with the imprint of a soldier’s open palm on his face. The Jesus who stood silently while his fellow Israelites screamed for his blood. This is the Jesus who heard it all, the filthiest accusations and kept running forward. It was worth it. More accurately, we were worth it. Jesus even prayed that those mocking him would join him in running the race. We put a hand on the shoulders of Group 4, we point ahead, and they begin to run with us.
This year’s confirmands have a race to run. God intends that their families would be there to help. God has blessed them with the privilege of bringing these young people to this point. What a gift that is! Yet this is only the beginning. These confirmands need them to keep them focused on the course ahead of them. Sometimes they’re going to need to be pushed back on course. They need love and guidance.
Dear confirmands, God has blessed you in many ways. One of those blessings is the realization of how much you need Him. You must find strength outside of yourselves. You need your Jesus, and he is there for you, every. Single. Step of the way. There is no shame in needing him. In fact, I pray you realize that the world’s greatest strength is recognizing how much you need God’s grace day after day. Will your race be tough? Yes, of course. But who cares? For every temptation to skip church, do drugs, or go too far on a date. For every teacher who makes fun of what you believe. For every broken heart. For your burning lungs and weary legs. For your mind that begs you to quit…you have a mighty God on your side. Who can stand against you? No one, young runners, no one.
There are going to be days where you fall, and fall hard. But don’t give up! The message God has for you is not: run alongside Jesus. No, Jesus has already run the race perfectly for you. He is the author and perfecter of our faith. Now he runs back again to help us along. All our strength comes from what Jesus has already done. Picture Jesus sprinting into Jerusalem to the cross. To the empty tomb. To the upper room to tell the disciples to throw open the locked doors. He’s rescued them; it’s safe to come out and run their race. Keep pushing. Keep fighting. Fix your eyes on Jesus and know that victory is yours. Amen.
