I hope everyone had a wonderful and peace-filled Christmas! Now we look forward to the New Year…and that time of great resolutions! If there were one thing about yourself that you’d like to reform, what would it be (you may not want to answer that publicly – heh)? What about in the world at large? If there were one thing you had the power to reform, what would it be?

What about the church and religion?What, if anything, would you love to see re-formed?

This Sunday we’ll be talking about God’s intention to reform us, and all creation, as we continue our study in Hebrews, chapter 9.

This section is pretty dense – it will probably make a lot more sense to you if you read it in The Message version first. Don’t let its complexity scare you off.

I sort of think that the argument the writer is making was probably more effective in the ancient world – but the main point he’s making is still wonderful truth nonetheless. He’s moved from contrasting the ancient high priest of Levitical Judaism with Jesus to the ancient sacrificial system and how it was simply a picture of Jesus’ death on the cross for us.

V5 is interesting to me. At the end of it, he either means he doesn’t have time to talk about all the different things that were in the holy of holies in the temple…or that he can’t. Can you think of a  few reasons why, at that period in time, he didn’t know how to describe the things in there in detail? What would they be?

This passage talks a lot about blood, which can be really offputting to modern readers. It’s quite understandable. What does the writer indicate that those sacrifices were standing in the place of?

The writer sets the stage for the “coming reformation” – God’s intent to make all things new. It begins, as the writer insists, with Jesus’ death on the cross which paves the way for a new covenant (a way of relating to God) and will conclude with a new world (v28). In what ways does the author argue that a greater reform is possible under this new covenant in Christ?

Hebrews is a challenging book – but our faith grows more robust as we take the time to explore it! Hope to see you Sunday!