Our Small Town Summits theme for 2024 is “Our Extraordinary Christ.” All six Summits in the New England states will include expositions from Hebrews as we see together that the supremacy of Christ is rocket fuel for a joyfully tenacious life and ministry. In light of this theme and goal, our Small Town Summits Articles for 2024 will highlight one chapter of Hebrews each month.
Were we created to be noticed? From an early age our parents noticed and celebrated our first steps.
We also have a Father who loves his children. He’s not a distracted parent. His children’s small deeds of trust in his good instructions don’t go unnoticed. It would be impossible for the Father in Heaven to miss anything!
Oh yes, we are immensely flawed. It would seem that every good impulse is tainted, even poisoned by the maniacal tentacles of selfishness, laziness and rebellion. Add to this the unseen but always lurking Liar,. Do we really want our deeds to be scrutinized and recorded? I mean really, it doesn’t look good for team “Christians.”
Ah, but Hebrews 11 gives us hope. Perhaps not in the way we typically think. As a young believer, I remember reading this “hall of faith” as sort of a list of super stars. They were the unattainable ones. They were out of our reach and somehow in a special category of their own. They must be special because they made it into God’s book.
Several points surface now as I reread Hebrews 11. First, while this chapter contains extraordinary examples of faith, they really are ordinary, sinful people who simply believed God.
This passage assumes God records acts of faith while forgiving and forgetting all of their failures. In verse 11 it says, “By faith even Sarah…” Even Sarah? What is that all about?. When you read about Sarah in Genesis she’s really not that impressive. There are questionable things she does that aren’t necessarily a model of faith and virtue. But when God chooses to recall her life in Hebrews 11, he does so pointing explicitly to her act of faith, communicating that it deserves notice and appreciation.
Second, while this chapter records impressive displays of faith, it really is only the beginning of how God will brag about his children’s faithful deeds. In 11:32 it says, “Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who by faith…. “ The author of Hebrews didn’t have time to record all the acts of faith done by the saints. And no earthly author could possibly accomplish this even if he had all the time in the world. But there is no shortage of time in the eternal paradise. Could it be that there every deed of faith will have been recorded and on display forever?
I’m reminded of Psalm 56:8 which says, “You yourself have recorded my wanderings. Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” Does this mean God is with joyful pleasure keeping track of our struggles, successes and steps of faith? What about when Jesus said, “For nothing is concealed that won’t be revealed, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known and brought to light” (Luke 8:17). Hebrews 11 is a motivational record that says to God’s people, “Keep at it! ” “Don’t give up! I’m watching!”
How does this relate to small—town New England ministry? Well if you haven’t noticed, almost all you do gets no notice. You are like those that are described this way: “They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword…” (11:37). Their names are not recorded here. There wasn’t enough time or ink. The same is true of you. What you do in your small place goes unrecorded in human history. Unseen and forgotten by mankind.
But not forgotten by our Father. As it says in verse 39, “All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised.”. God may choose to use the memory of your life here as an inspiration to a few dozen saints. But that isn’t the promise. The promise is something better. A perfect ending. A collective rejoicing over all that God allowed us to do, though unseen, for his great fame, by the power of his Spirit.
I’m sure that nothing escapes the Father’s notice. Unknown birds die in the Amazon forest with only God noticing. Galaxies perhaps never to be seen by human eyes are delighting the Father. If these created marvels have the Father’s attention, how much more does your life and ministry in remote, forgotten, isolated places delight him? A day will come when like those people of faith listed in Hebrews 11, you will be honored. There will be no lack of time. There will be no ability to mistranslate what the Father is honoring. This will be better than being noticed here. There will be a shared display of perfected faith. The Father will be proud of what we did trusting his Word and ways. And we will all be amazed that he noticed, and that our obscure service mattered to him.