Hebrews
10:24
‘And
let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.’ (NRSVA)
‘And
let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.’
(NIV)
‘And
let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.’ (KJV)
Recently
Jo and I went away for a couple of nights to celebrate our silver wedding
anniversary. The weather wasn’t great, and we spent some of the time sitting in
the hotel lounge reading novels. Every so often a member of the hotel staff
would come in, poke the fire into life, and go away again. After a while, the
fire would die back down and, before it went out completely, the member of
staff would appear again, prod it back into flame, and disappear once more.
We
live in a time when our collective anger is regularly poked, lest it should die
down and go out. We know what it is to be provoked by the sight of other
people, whom we are trained to see as a threat. All the necessary conditions
are in place, that lead us into conflict; past, present, or future. But the
writer of the Letter to the Hebrews employs the striking image of provoking to
love and good deeds, or, literally, to making something beautiful. What might
that look like?
The
word translated ‘to provoke’ means to jab, such that the person being jabbed
has no option but to respond. The NIV expresses it well with the image of spurs.
The King James Version draws out another aspect: not, let us consider how we
might provoke one another to love and to making something beautiful, but let us
consider one another, not as threats to provoke anger but as examples to
inspire us to love and to make the world a more beautiful place. When we look
at one another, let us do so through eyes of love that see beauty.
Many
of you know that Jo and I are members of the Sunderland Strollers running club.
We run in packs, according to ability. But sometimes we have whole-club
sessions. Once a month through October to February we run the Winter Handicap,
a whole club 5km (or just over 3 miles) along the sea front between Roker and
Seaburn. Runners set off at 30-second intervals, the slowest starting first and
the fastest, last (the first shall be last and the last shall be first). We set
off from Sue’s Café and run along to Grannie Annie’s, then turn back on
ourselves and head up the steep bank to the Bungalow Café on the road above.
There, we turn right and head down the long gradual hill to Seaburn and the
House of Zen restaurant. By the time I get there, I don’t feel very Zen. There
we turn round and retrace our steps, up the long drag to the bus stop opposite
the entrance to Roker Park, and on to the Bungalow, sharp left turn and down
the steep bank, keep going to Grannie Annie’s and then turn back on ourselves
for the final effort back to Sue’s Café.
Because
we set off at a stagger, and because it is an out-and-back, for the whole of
the run, runners are passing one another, catching up or being caught, slower
runners passing you on their way back as you approach half-way, faster runners
approaching that mark as you are now making your way back up the hill. And
whenever we pass one another, we call out encouragement. Faster runners say
something like, “Well done! Keep going!” to the slower runners; and slower
runners say something like, “Keep going! You’re flying!” to the faster runners.
No-one
says, “Huh, they’re not very good; they shouldn’t be in our club” or “They are
so much better at this than I will ever be, I’m thoroughly discouraged”. As we
consider one another, we choose to be inspired by one another, to share in love
between us—and these really are some of the best friends I have—and together to
create something of beauty (albeit not obvious beauty at the end of the run, as
I gasp to draw breath).
That
might seem like a very small and insignificant illustration, but it is the repeated
small habits that train us, over time, to be provoked to anger or to be
provoked to love; to view others as threat or as persons whose presence in the
world makes it a more beautiful place.
Who
can you recall who by their life inspires you to love better, and to strive to
make the world more beautiful?
And
is there anyone in your life who is, in turn, inspired to love more fully by
your example?
Why
not contact them today, and so encourage one another?
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