This world is a strange one, so familiar and lovely, so full of joy and also sadness. I think all of us have ancestors who died without receiving the promises. Great-great-grandpas who lost their farms. Great-aunts who just didn’t quite fit assigned roles. Young couples who didn’t ever learn to live together. Every family has sorrow they don’t know what to do with. We all know people who live wondering if they will see the promises. We all have days in which we, too, wonder what the promises are. But somehow, in spite of this, these lovely words of Hebrews are so true.
There are people who simply know in their hearts that God’s promises will be kept; from a distance they see and greet the promise. They rest at ease, rise with hope and live in love, knowing that God’s promises are always kept, eventually kept. May such a person be your teacher.
God of vision and promise, help us wait for your promise, not just for ourselves, but for all of creation. Teach us to strain our eyes, looking for your vision. Let us settle here as your people, people who love your earth, but people who live in tents, waiting for the next surprise and the fulfillment of hope yet to come. Amen. — VF