There seems to be a Hall of Fame for everything. In New York City, there is the Stickball Hall of Fame. Canal Winchester in Ohio has the Barber Museum and Hall of Fame (what kind of criteria does that require?). There is an Insurance Hall of Fame in Tuscaloosa, Arizona, and in Appleton, Wisconsin, there is the Paper Hall of Fame. Little Eveleth has the American Hockey Hall of Fame. There seems to be a hall for everything. Should we be surprised to hear that there is a Faith Hall of Fame? No, not at all. Where is located? Hebrews 11. Today, we come in half-way through the Hall of Fame tour, and the guide welcomes us in. As the author of Hebrews takes us on the tour, we learn about different aspects of our faith, which is a gift from Jesus.
I once had the chance to study John Calvin’s most famous work of theology, his Institutes of the Christian Religion; it is essentially the Reformed version of the Large Catechism on steroids. What always stuck out to me in reading his book was his definition of faith. For John Calvin and his spiritual descendants, the emphasis is placed on knowledge of God, rather than trust in God. Certainly, there is a dimension to that, right? You need to know what you believe in. However, as Lutherans, we place the emphasis on trust. Faith is a trust in God and in His promises. That is why infants and the mentally handicapped can have faith. It is a trust and not just knowledge. The tour guide points to Abraham’s section as he says that.
As our eyes look over to where he pointed, we see a panorama (or action scene) of him at Mount Moriah. Abraham is ready to sacrifice Isaac, his only son, and the son of promise. Isaac was the promised heir and the one through him the promised blessings would come. He waited 100 years for Isaac to be born, but he is to kill him? Isaac is the promised heir, but he is to be sacrificed? How could he do that? Verse 19: “He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” Abraham trusted God in the face of such a contradiction! He trusted in His promise, even though it looked like it would be shattered into a million pieces! Abraham reasoned that even if he killed the heir, God would somehow keep His promise. He believed that God could raise the dead. Faith is a trust in God and in His promises. It really is as Lutherans teach.
Faith is a trust that God forgives us for Christ’s sake, a trust that He provides for you and me just as does the ravens and lilies. Faith is a trust that in the chaos of life that Jesus sits on the throne, reigning, for the benefit of you, me, and the Church. Faith is a trust that when I will one day die, Jesus will take me to be with Him and one day raise my body when He returns. It is a trust that He will still be good and gracious to me, even when I sin against Him much, and daily. Faith is a trust in God and in His promises. It is grounded in the death and resurrection of Jesus, which is the basis for it. Faith also provides the foundation for the hope that we have.
With that, the guide takes us down a dark hallway. The feel is somber, but hopeful. The lights are dimmed, and the walls dark. We see a different panorama this time. It is of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. They are moments before death. Isaac and Joseph are in a bed, surrounded by loved ones. Jacob is leaning on a staff. As they took their dying breaths, they departed in hope and with a blessing for each of their children. By blessing them, they gave them much more than a place in the land of Canaan; by faith in God’s promise, they gave them a place in the heavenly homeland as their future inheritance. But, there is something significant about the place of death, and their graves. And with that, we see their faith in action. Only one dies in the Promised Land: Isaac. Jacob and Joseph don’t.
Jacob dies bending on his staff. If you remember Jacob, you would remember he was a schmuck if there ever was one. He scammed his father-in-law, brother, and father, and schemed with his mother. He made it evident who the favorite son was. He was willing to leave Simeon in prison because he didn’t want Benjamin to go to Egypt. Yet, Jacob bowing on his staff recalled how he left the land so long ago with nothing but a staff in hand to take on his way to Haran. When Jacob had come to the end of his earthly journey without reaching the promised heavenly homeland, he bowed down over that staff in a faithful act of submission and entrustment to God, Who had promised to bring him to that place. Jacob put himself and his future destiny in God’s hands. Jacob gets it, even though he was schmuck. His faith was the foundation for that hope. Joseph foretold how God will deliver His people, and how he wants his bones to go to his real home: Canaan, even if he only lived there for 17 years. Their faith in God provided the foundation for the hope that they had: a real home and inheritance awaited them. Their life with God showed that.
Jesus provides the foundation for the hope we have. He has immense faithfulness, an undying loyalty, unbelievable patience, amazing grace, a fierce love, and a calming presence. He gives power in temptation, strength in suffering, direction in chaos, wisdom in the midst of confusion, joy in tragedy, and life for the future. All this gives hope, and is the foundation for it. Faith provides the foundation for the hope we have because it is grounded in Jesus, and His death and resurrection for us.
As the tour continues, the guide takes us to Moses, who has a strange section and exhibit. It isn’t panoramas, but a series of optical illusion paintings that contain hidden images. For faith provides evidence of things unseen. The first picture in the exhibit is of him as a newborn, and he looks ordinary. He has a few hairs, crunched nose, and toothless smile, yet, by faith, his parents saw he was beautiful; they somehow knew God had a special purpose for him, and God certainly did! He would use Moses to deliver His people! The picture next to his baby one is a picture of the house he grew up in: Pharoah’s. What a life that must have been! He lived in Egypt’s most stunning and luxurious home. Whatever he wanted, he could certainly get. There was no shortage of food, wine, and the finer things of life. However, by faith, Moses sees what those things really were: the fleeting pleasures of sin. He rejects that life and claims his true heritage with God’s people. Next to it is a picture of Egyptian gold and treasures. They are bright, shiny, and sparkling. However, by faith, Moses sees the reproach of Christ, the suffering that comes with following Him as bigger, greater, brighter, shinier, and more valuable. At the end of his exhibit is a picture of Amenhotep II, the Pharoah in Moses’ day, who was one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. However, by faith, Moses could see the God Who stands behind and over Him. As verse 27 says, “By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing Him Who is invisible.” Faith provides evidence of things that are unseen: a beautiful baby boy, the fleeting pleasures of sin, the wealth of Christ’s reproach, and the God Who is over all.
Faith is still like that today. The word “sacrament” appropriately means “mystery.” By faith, we see how the water of baptism is death, burial, and rising with Jesus, not just a simple sprinkling. By faith, we see in the wafer and wine the true body and blood of Jesus that won for us salvation. By faith, we see the Holy Spirit living and dwelling in us, clothing us in the robe of Christ’s righteousness that covers all our sin. On the outside, we see the sinner, but faith in Christ tells a different story and reality! By faith, we see the dangers of sin, and the God Who guides, provides, and reigns for us! Faith provides evidence of things unseen. Things are not what they seem. It is quite appropriate that Moses’ exhibit is a hall of optical illusions! What we see doesn’t tell the full story.
The tour guide now leads us past some pictures of group triumphs, judges, prophets, and kings to the end of the hall, and to the last exhibit. This is what it all leads, and builds to. At the end is a picture of Jesus. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher (KJV) of our faith, (Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.)”
As the author of our faith, He is the One who bestows it, guides it, refines it, and crafts it to its desired end. As the finisher of our faith, He supplies all that we need: the Spirit, forgiveness, and new life. We lack nothing. He bestows a saving faith that receives His work. He strengthens a trust in Him and His promises. His death and resurrection provides the foundation for the hope we have, and through His Holy Spirit, He provides evidence of things unseen: His work in us and His work for us in the world around us. The faith we see in the Hall of Fame is the same faith He has given to us, and work in us. Its goal, source, and focus is in Him. With that, we end our tour in the Faith Hall of Fame.