Running the Race Together: The Cloud of Witnesses

Second Reading

A READING FROM THE LETTER TO THE HEBREWS

By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace. And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented - of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

HEBREWS 11:29-12:2

Sermon By The Rev. Dr. Maryann Amor

If you were at worship last Sunday, we each received a small card. On one side it read: “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you all good things,” a verse from that Sunday’s Gospel that I modified slightly.

In the sermon we reflected on how hard it is to believe those words. Life is so full of challenges that it is difficult to trust that God loves us deeply and delights in giving us good things. And when the race of life feels uphill, that trust can be even harder to hold onto.

So I presented a tangible practice to address this. On the back of our cards, we wrote down the burdens we carry. This was done anonymously, so nobody would know whose card was whose. Then we placed our cards in a basket and each of us took someone else’s card at random. Our invitation for the week was to pray for the person whose card we received, asking that they would know God’s love and goodness in the midst of what they carry.

After worship, I found two cards left in the basket, which I took… and one of them really touched me. It expressed a concern about not having enough money. As I read it, all I wanted to do was reach out to that person—offer reassurance and support. Let them know they weren’t alone in this stretch of the race, and that if things got hard we would be there for them.

If last week’s exercise taught us anything, it’s that we all carry a lot. Some of it is visible to others; much of it is not. It may be money worries, health concerns, a complicated relationship, a loss we are grieving, or a new stage of life. All of this can feel very isolating…like nobody truly understands, nobody cares. It can make us feel like we’re running the race alone.

But that is not the truth.

Some of you may have picked up a card last week and realized that what you were reading could have been your own words. I know this happened for me. That card about money struggles…I know those worries now, have known them all my life. And that connection reminded me: even when we think we are the only ones facing a particular challenge, there are often others right here who know exactly what we are going through, running alongside us as we journey through life.

And this brings me to our second reading from Hebrews, which speaks right into this reality. I don’t often preach on Hebrews, partly because it contains complex and heavy theology about the nature of Jesus.

But this morning, I felt drawn to it. Because what we heard isn’t dense theology—it’s real life. The author acknowledges that life is hard. That we can become weary and discouraged. And into that situation comes this powerful image: the “great cloud of witnesses.” A reminder that we are always surrounded by those who have gone before us in faith, who are with us now, encouraging us to keep going, to stay in the race.

We don’t know exactly who wrote Hebrews, but most scholars place it between the years 50 and 90 CE, written for a community of Jewish-Gentile Christians. They were possibly being persecuted because of their faith in Jesus and were tired, doubtful, tempted to walk away.

The writer responds by taking them on a journey back through the Hebrew Scriptures, naming people who endured hardship for their faith:

• The Israelites at the edge of the Red Sea… water on one side, the Egyptian army on the other. They stepped forward into the sea, trusting the path God made for them.

• The Israelites marching around Jericho, with just the sound of trumpets and the faith that God’s promise would endure when the walls came down.

• Rahab, hiding spies on her roof—choosing to trust the God of Israel over the power of her own city.

• Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets—leaders, warriors, judges, kings, flawed people who put their faith in God’s power. They conquered kingdoms, pursued justice, shut the mouths of lions, walked unharmed through fire, escaped the sword, found strength in weakness.

But not all stories ended in triumph—others suffered imprisonment, beatings, torture, and death. These accounts aren’t meant to tell us that suffering is somehow holy, or that we must suffer because Jesus did. Rather, they assure us that when hardship comes, we are not abandoned in it.

This is what the writer means by the great cloud of witnesses…as the persecuted Christians struggled through the race of their faith, the cloud shouts, claps, calls out: "We’ve been where you are. We know it’s hard. Keep going. We are with you!"

We may not face persecution like the early Christians, but that cloud calls out to us too. As we navigate our own trials—many captured on our cards last week—Hebrews tells us that we are not alone; the great cloud of witnesses surrounds us, cheering us on in this long-distance run of faith and life.

Who has been part of your own great cloud of witnesses? A parent, a friend, a mentor… someone you never met… maybe someone in this congregation. For all of us, at the heart of that cloud of witnesses is Jesus himself—who has gone ahead of us, and who runs beside us now.

So if you are feeling weary, if the weight you carry feels heavy: you are not alone. You are surrounded—by saints, by friends, by family, by those who love you and want you to flourish. By the presence of Christ, who never leaves your side. And we are called to be part of that cloud of witnesses for each other—to show up, to encourage, to pray, to accompany, to carry one another’s burdens when we can. Because the race we run is not easy. But we do not run it alone.

Amen.