I’m a sucker for sports metaphors, but you have to be careful not to overdo them. But Hebrews 12 is arguably the best sports metaphor in the Bible, so we’re going to let it rip. It’s all about running, which I appreciate, because that’s the only form of athleticism I’ve made much progress with. It’s good for me because it doesn’t take a lot of coordination. You just have to not fall over, which I usually don’t, and not run into a pole, which I’ve only done like twice. I’d also claim that a footrace is the simplest and purest form of athletic competition there is: we’re going to start here and the first one to get to there, wins!
St. Paul likes running metaphors. 1st Corinthians 9:24 - “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run so as to win.” 2nd Timothy 2:4 - “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Galatians 5:7 - “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?”
The most extended running image, though, is here in Hebrews, possibly from a different author or possibly from Paul again. We’re just going to go through a few verses, so just to recap:
This is no cheesy shallow sports metaphor; this is deep water. Let’s take it one point at a time. The first thing Hebrews mentions is the great cloud of witnesses. This is referring to the verses that came before in Hebrews 11, which praises Abel, Enoch and Noah, Abraham, Isaac Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, the Judges and Prophets… all the great history of faith is invoked in Hebrews 11. And then Hebrews 12 begins with, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses….”
In Catholicism we call this the Communion of Saints, and it’s one of the pillars of our faith. We’re in this together. Following Jesus isn’t something you go off and do on your own. You couldn’t, and you don’t have to. I’ll tell you that this verse means something very specific to me since October of 2006 when my sister and I ran the Chicago Marathon - hard to believe it’s been a decade! It wasn't something I ever thought I’d do, but there we were, trained up and ready to go. So here’s the thing about Chicago and the big races… the crowd support is incredible. Can you picture 26.2 miles of people lining the streets and cheering? That’s what it was. Sometimes just a few, sometimes packed several rows deep. Some hold signs, some ring bells, some set up bands or cheerleading routines. We took some advice and wrote our first names on the front of our shirts. Lots of runners do that, and that was really good advice! So many people would see the shirts and shout at us. When it got tough, it meant so much to hear some stranger shouting “Go Steven!”
Crowd support matters, and there’s no cheering section like the Communion of Saints. Athletes take inspiration from the heroes of their sport. Christians take inspiration from the heroes of faith. But it’s even better for us, because we run our race in living relationship with those heroes. They aren’t just examples and stories, they are our living friends. Keep them close. Learn their stories. And remember when it gets tough that all the angels and Saints, and all our family and friends who’ve gone before us to the Lord — they are with you, and they are cheering you on.
The verse continues, “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us.” If you want to run well, you have to throw off whatever is holding you back. As our training progressed, part of what made it easier in that I wasn’t carrying as much extra weight. That helps! In the spiritual life, we can pick up baggage and even chains. The sin that we tolerate and embrace in our lives — it’s like strapping a ball and chain on your ankle before starting a race. It doesn’t have to be that hard. We even have a guaranteed way to limber up and cut off our chains in our spiritual race. Going to confession can feel like taking a big weight off!
Moving on: “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us.” This phrase is about endurance. Endurance is a very particular kind of competition. You take one approach to a sprint, another to middle distance. Endurance running calls for its own approach, and the spiritual life is most definitely an endurance race. That’s important to know, and I can share a personal lesson about why it matters.
When we started training way back then, I’d never been further than three miles. I knew that the second mile was a lot tougher than the first, and the third tougher than the second. The fourth mile was harder yet, and of course that made perfect sense. But there was a time of terrible discouragement because I thought, “this can’t go on for 26 miles… it’s just going to get worse and worse and I can’t do it!” But as you train longer distances you find out that long runs have phases. They don’t just get worse and worse until you stop. Mile 12 might be easier than mile 4. Mile 17 might be easier than mile 8. Mile 7 might be the toughest one. You just don’t know. So just because you’ve got a long way to go and you’re hurting, doesn’t mean it’s only going to get worse. We need to know that in our spiritual lives! Maybe it’s hard now. Maybe it’s getting harder. And it seems like there’s too far to go. You have to believe that it can get better, that if you just push through this moment and hang in there, it’s not just going to get worse and worse. There will be easier times ahead if you can get through this rough patch.
OK, one more phrase: “keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.” That’s the only way this works. You can only finish a long run if you have a goal you really care about, and you can only persevere in discipleship if you remember the reason. It isn’t a medal, or bragging rights, or a 26.2 sticker for your car… it isn’t a thing at all. It’s Jesus Himself. There comes a time in every long run, maybe several times, when it’s very hard to remember why it’s worth it, why you’re doing this, why you were so enthusiastic when you started on this path.
At those times, it takes a sheer act of will and faith to believe that it is worth it. When the devil sits on your shoulder whispering in your ear that “you can’t, you can’t, you can’t,” give him the finger and say “watch me.” When lesser goods and fleeting pleasures tempt you — things that will feel great but ultimately hurt your real goal — you can turn away from those things and find that strength because you are focused and committed — you’re obsessed! — with that finish line. When you fall again and again and you think “I'm never going to get this together, I’m never going to work this out, I can't believe I'm confessing this again,” you remember that none of that will matter as long as I get to the finish line, as long as I get up one more time, as long as I stay in this race. When you're just tired and it's hard to remember why this matters and motivation is hard to find you think about quitting… that path is wide and many take it. Fix your eyes on Jesus and say, “Not me. Not today.”
“I’m running this race. It might not be a result that’ll make the history books. It might not be pretty. I might stumble many times on the way. But I’ve got the world’s greatest cheering section. I’ve got confession any time I need to drop what’s holding me back. And I’ve got my eyes fixed on Jesus, and I know that the hurt and the stumbles and the discouragement and all the rest of it won’t matter one bit in the end, because… I’m going to make that finish line.”
St. Paul likes running metaphors. 1st Corinthians 9:24 - “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run so as to win.” 2nd Timothy 2:4 - “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Galatians 5:7 - “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?”
The most extended running image, though, is here in Hebrews, possibly from a different author or possibly from Paul again. We’re just going to go through a few verses, so just to recap:
Brothers and sisters:
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
This is no cheesy shallow sports metaphor; this is deep water. Let’s take it one point at a time. The first thing Hebrews mentions is the great cloud of witnesses. This is referring to the verses that came before in Hebrews 11, which praises Abel, Enoch and Noah, Abraham, Isaac Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, the Judges and Prophets… all the great history of faith is invoked in Hebrews 11. And then Hebrews 12 begins with, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses….”
In Catholicism we call this the Communion of Saints, and it’s one of the pillars of our faith. We’re in this together. Following Jesus isn’t something you go off and do on your own. You couldn’t, and you don’t have to. I’ll tell you that this verse means something very specific to me since October of 2006 when my sister and I ran the Chicago Marathon - hard to believe it’s been a decade! It wasn't something I ever thought I’d do, but there we were, trained up and ready to go. So here’s the thing about Chicago and the big races… the crowd support is incredible. Can you picture 26.2 miles of people lining the streets and cheering? That’s what it was. Sometimes just a few, sometimes packed several rows deep. Some hold signs, some ring bells, some set up bands or cheerleading routines. We took some advice and wrote our first names on the front of our shirts. Lots of runners do that, and that was really good advice! So many people would see the shirts and shout at us. When it got tough, it meant so much to hear some stranger shouting “Go Steven!”
Crowd support matters, and there’s no cheering section like the Communion of Saints. Athletes take inspiration from the heroes of their sport. Christians take inspiration from the heroes of faith. But it’s even better for us, because we run our race in living relationship with those heroes. They aren’t just examples and stories, they are our living friends. Keep them close. Learn their stories. And remember when it gets tough that all the angels and Saints, and all our family and friends who’ve gone before us to the Lord — they are with you, and they are cheering you on.
The verse continues, “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us.” If you want to run well, you have to throw off whatever is holding you back. As our training progressed, part of what made it easier in that I wasn’t carrying as much extra weight. That helps! In the spiritual life, we can pick up baggage and even chains. The sin that we tolerate and embrace in our lives — it’s like strapping a ball and chain on your ankle before starting a race. It doesn’t have to be that hard. We even have a guaranteed way to limber up and cut off our chains in our spiritual race. Going to confession can feel like taking a big weight off!
Moving on: “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us.” This phrase is about endurance. Endurance is a very particular kind of competition. You take one approach to a sprint, another to middle distance. Endurance running calls for its own approach, and the spiritual life is most definitely an endurance race. That’s important to know, and I can share a personal lesson about why it matters.
When we started training way back then, I’d never been further than three miles. I knew that the second mile was a lot tougher than the first, and the third tougher than the second. The fourth mile was harder yet, and of course that made perfect sense. But there was a time of terrible discouragement because I thought, “this can’t go on for 26 miles… it’s just going to get worse and worse and I can’t do it!” But as you train longer distances you find out that long runs have phases. They don’t just get worse and worse until you stop. Mile 12 might be easier than mile 4. Mile 17 might be easier than mile 8. Mile 7 might be the toughest one. You just don’t know. So just because you’ve got a long way to go and you’re hurting, doesn’t mean it’s only going to get worse. We need to know that in our spiritual lives! Maybe it’s hard now. Maybe it’s getting harder. And it seems like there’s too far to go. You have to believe that it can get better, that if you just push through this moment and hang in there, it’s not just going to get worse and worse. There will be easier times ahead if you can get through this rough patch.
OK, one more phrase: “keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.” That’s the only way this works. You can only finish a long run if you have a goal you really care about, and you can only persevere in discipleship if you remember the reason. It isn’t a medal, or bragging rights, or a 26.2 sticker for your car… it isn’t a thing at all. It’s Jesus Himself. There comes a time in every long run, maybe several times, when it’s very hard to remember why it’s worth it, why you’re doing this, why you were so enthusiastic when you started on this path.
At those times, it takes a sheer act of will and faith to believe that it is worth it. When the devil sits on your shoulder whispering in your ear that “you can’t, you can’t, you can’t,” give him the finger and say “watch me.” When lesser goods and fleeting pleasures tempt you — things that will feel great but ultimately hurt your real goal — you can turn away from those things and find that strength because you are focused and committed — you’re obsessed! — with that finish line. When you fall again and again and you think “I'm never going to get this together, I’m never going to work this out, I can't believe I'm confessing this again,” you remember that none of that will matter as long as I get to the finish line, as long as I get up one more time, as long as I stay in this race. When you're just tired and it's hard to remember why this matters and motivation is hard to find you think about quitting… that path is wide and many take it. Fix your eyes on Jesus and say, “Not me. Not today.”
“I’m running this race. It might not be a result that’ll make the history books. It might not be pretty. I might stumble many times on the way. But I’ve got the world’s greatest cheering section. I’ve got confession any time I need to drop what’s holding me back. And I’ve got my eyes fixed on Jesus, and I know that the hurt and the stumbles and the discouragement and all the rest of it won’t matter one bit in the end, because… I’m going to make that finish line.”
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