Notes from the speakers: Eileen Lindner and Jon Brown
Our life stories do not begin at our birth, nor do they end when we die. Our stories reflect our ancestors, perhaps for many generations, our culture, and our faith history. Older folks know that the older we are, the more we can see in the rearview mirror of our lives. If we only look backward, we can lose our way because we also need to keep looking forward.
The book of Hebrews, especially chapters 11 and 12, outline for us the faith story we belong to. The letter looks backward at the history of the people, and forward into the future. Using the refrain, “by faith” the author of Hebrews reminds us that we have a long history of people who stepped out in faith and did sometimes irrational acts. Noah built a boat on dry land; Abraham left home with his wife and family; Moses confronted Pharaoh.
At the time of the writing of Hebrews the people to whom the letter was addressed were experiencing torture and death because of their faith. The author encourages the people of this community of faith to remain faithful and remember the long history of the people of faith to which they belong, and to continue to pass on the faith to the next generations.
How do we remember the past and look forward to the future at the same time?
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