God’s Promises
I was struck by how many readings we had from St Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews in August. The beginning of Hebrews is read on Christmas Day;
“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,“
and Hebrews 2 at Candlemas;
“It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
Hebrew 4 is read on Good Friday;
“Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.”
and there is one lectionary year where we get a couple of readings from Hebrews, but the readings we heard in August don’t have any overlap with these more familiar readings.
My heart sinks when I see that a reading is from Hebrews. The author is unknown, who they are writing to is unclear, and the language is very convoluted. So, I read the whole book this week; it didn’t take long and it was worth it. The writer is concerned to present Jesus as our only direct way to God, as the one who offered himself once for all.
Our readings in August talked about trusting in God’s promises, urging the readers of the letter to persevere with their eyes on Jesus, reminding them that they belong to God’s kingdom, and were called to live faithfully in love, hospitality, integrity, and praise.
Susan Patterson
21 September 2025
