A Better Hope

Hebrews 7:18-19
For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

After our Christmas Program built on the theme of Hope in a Mad World, the word "hope" keeps jumping out at me. So when I read these verses this morning, I had to pause and think how it all tied together.

This is what got me. There is a better hope than being perfect.

I like being perfect. I mean, I like the idea of being perfect. I am not perfect in any way shape or form, but I try to be good at everything I do and to do it without mistakes, without complaints, without sin, without badness of any sort. I try to be perfect.

And it gets exhausting. Mistakes play over again and again when I let my mind drift. Whether they are embarrassing moments, conflicts I can't resolve, old wounds, or "ought to do's", my unattended brain is harassed by the imperfections of myself, miring me down.

So I try harder to be perfect, to keep the law of God, to not complain so that I can be a light for Jesus, to love like Jesus loved, to show grace, to not yell at my kids, to be the person I ought to be.

But "on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God." There is a better hope than being perfect.

It is the hope of being near to God, not based on perfection. It is a hope of acceptance not because I did anything to deserve it. It is unmerited love. The Hebrews passage goes on to talk about Christ as our high priest - one who will stand between us and God, drawing us near to the Father. Hebrews 12:18-24 says it again. John Michael Talbot put it to music on his Living Water recording.

You have not drawn near 

To a blazing fire,

To untouchable mountains,

And gloomy darkness.

You have not drawn near

To a raging storm,

To trumpets blasting,

To words that make us fearful.

You have drawn near

To the Living God.

You have drawn near

To the new Jerusalem.

You have drawn near

To angels in holy attire.

You have drawn near

To worship Jesus.

This Living God has come near to us. He bridged the gap between our sinful failures, and God's holy perfection. He "who being in very nature with God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant..." He is Immanuel, the God who is with us. 

In doing so, he invites us to draw near to him. Isn't it interesting that we come to him on the same terms that he came to us - becoming nothing so that we might become Children of God? As long as we are holding onto the laws we have kept and our personal attempt at perfection, or as long as we hold onto our struggle in sanctification and our failures in that struggle, we are trying to be something. But he asks us to humble ourselves, just like he did. And in that nothingness, we draw near to Jesus, who became nothing for us.

Oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.