Running the Race

August 17, 2025 homily on Hebrews 11:29-12:2 by Pastor Galen

“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 faith” – Hebrews 12:1-2a

Completing a Marathon

How many of you think that you could run or walk a marathon? Most of us probably couldn’t compete in the Boston Marathon, but my guess is that if given enough time, many of us could eventually run or walk 26.2 miles. And if you use a wheelchair or walker, you could still be part of the race too—perhaps with an assisted push team, where friends come alongside to help you reach the finish line.

When one of my daughters was in third grade, she was part of a running club at her school that ran a marathon! Every week after school they would run or walk around the block a couple of times, and by the end of the year, they added up all the miles they ran or walked, and sure enough, each of them had run at least 26.2 miles! My daughter even received a t-shirt to prove it.

It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint

In Hebrews chapters 11 and 12, the author recounts the faith journeys of the Israelite people who “passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land,” (Hebrews 11:29) and who saw the walls of Jericho fall “after they had been encircled for seven days” (Hebrews 11:30). The author talks about some of the well-known heroes and lesser-known heroes of the faith, like Rahab, and Gideon, Barak, and Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel and the prophets, “who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight” (Hebrews 11:33-34)

The author then goes on to say in chapter 12, “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” (Hebrews 12:1)

As I think about the “race” that is set before us, I’m reminded of the saying that the “Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint.” And as I look at the list of the heroes of the faith that the author of Hebrews lists in chapter 11, I have to think that sometimes our journey of faith is more like the semester-long marathon that my daughter ran in third grade than the Boston or the Baltimore marathon. It involves persistence and perseverance. Sometimes we may not even realize how far we’ve traveled in our journeys of faith until we get to the end of the journey and consider all of the experiences we’ve had, and where God brought us from. Sometimes we may even just feel like we’re going around and around the block, rather than moving in any particular direction. And yet a journey of faith is often about faithfulness — consistency, showing up, taking the next step, even when we don’t know where all of this is heading.

Learning from The Great Cloud of Witnesses

And so I want to invite us to consider this “great cloud of witnesses” that the author describes here in Hebrews 11, to see what we might learn from them when it comes to our own journeys of faith.

1. Many of these heroes of the faith probably didn’t think they were “heroes” at the time. Many of them were just common, everyday people, who were following their leaders — like the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea and marched around Jericho. People like Rahab just did what she thought was right — providing a place for the Israelite spies to hide. Rahab would probably be surprised to know that we still remember her name to this day and that her name is included in Scripture. Each of these folks just did “the next right thing,” as the song from Frozen says. They didn’t know that they were a part of something bigger — they just simply did the thing that they knew was right. They simply put one foot in front of the other, doing the next right thing, until eventually they had run the whole race.

2. These heroes of the faith were certainly not perfect. Each and every one of them had character flaws and made mistakes. Rahab’s occupation was not exactly upright. Samson certainly had his flaws. Even King David, who was described as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) and yet he messed up big time. 

This, of course, is not an excuse for us to live however we please. But it should give us some measure of comfort when we mess up, knowing that even our heroes of the faith didn’t get it right all the time. There is grace, there is forgiveness available. This is part of what it means to be a person of faith — admitting that we don’t always get it right, owning up to our mistakes, falling on our faces before God in repentance, humility, and trust, trying to make restitution when possible.

3. As we look at this list, and the description of the heroes of the faith that the author of Hebrews alludes to in chapter 11, verses 35-38, we see that they each experienced intense challenges — many were tortured or persecuted, or faced hunger or starvation. A life of faith is not a bed of roses — although perhaps that is an apt description, if we remember that roses have thorns! Life is full of ups and downs, and the Christian life is even more so. If our heroes of the faith, including most of Jesus, were persecuted, then how can we expect to experience anything less?

This doesn’t mean that we need to seek out or fabricate persecution, as if we will somehow be more righteous if we can point out how we’ve been persecuted. But it does mean that if we are facing challenges or difficulties in life we are necessarily doing something wrong. Jesus himself said that in this world we will have trouble (see John 16:33).

4. And lastly, the faith journeys of these people listed here remind us that the Christian life is about the journey and the destination. Many of the people that the author of Hebrews lists were literally on a journey — heading to the promised land, for example. For them, they were heading to a destination that they knew would be wonderful and life-giving and fulfilling. But they also experienced God’s presence with them along the way, teaching and training them to have faith in God, leading them to deeper trust and dependence on God.

For us as Christians, we know that our destiny — our destination — is eternal life with God in heaven, and this is certainly something to look forward to! We know that in heaven there will be no more sickness, or death, or mourning or grief. 

Jesus said in John 14, 

In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:2-3).

Because of this, we can have hope, knowing that this life is not all there is. We are heading someplace better than we can ever imagine. And that should certainly encourage us to keep going when things are difficult, to keep putting one foot in front of the other, knowing that if we continue on in faith we will one day reach our final destination!

But it is also about the journey, because even here and now, we can experience God’s presence with us, walking with us each step of the way. Even here and now God is refining us, perfecting us, making us more and more like Jesus. The Christian life is both about the journey and the destination. 

The Author and Perfector of our Faith

Of course, our ultimate hero, the perfect example of faith, is Jesus. No one else in this world can compare to Jesus, and there is no one else that we should seek to pattern our lives after than Jesus. 

This is what the author of Hebrews seems to be alluding to in verses 39 and 40 when the author says, 

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 (Hebrews 11:39-40).

The author then goes on to say, 

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 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 12:1-2).

We have something that the heroes of our faith in the Old Testament didn’t have — we have the model and example of Jesus — the perfect human — 100% God and 100% human, who manifested God’s presence among us showing us who God is and who we are supposed to be.

Moses and the prophets tried their best to tell the people who God is and what God wanted of them. The people of faith in the Old Testament looked forward to the day when they would see God face to face. But we have the honor and the privilege of being able to read about and look back on the life and teachings of Jesus, who set the ultimate example, and perfectly demonstrated the heart of God.

The heroes of our faith in the Old Testament are certainly people that we can admire and learn from, but Jesus is our ultimate example, our perfect role model. Jesus is indeed the author and perfector of our faith.

Laying Aside every Weight
The challenge for us, then, is to cast “every weight and the sin that clings so closely” to us (Hebrews 12:1) so that we can run this race that has been set before us with perseverance, looking to Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.

Sometimes this means moving on from people and relationships that might be toxic to us, as we talked about last week. Sometimes it means sacrificing or laying aside our fleshly wants and desires for the sake of following Jesus. Sometimes it means seeking help and healing from addictions. Sometimes it means setting aside physical possessions so that we can more easily focus our time and attention on Jesus.

The Christian life is not a “once and done” sprint. It truly is a marathon. Sometimes it feels like endless laps around the block, often it’s marked by unexpected challenges. Like my daughter’s school marathon, it’s not about speed or competition, but about faithfulness—showing up, persevering, trusting that each mile matters. And we do not run alone. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who cheer us on. Most importantly, we run with our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. 

So let us keep going, one step at a time, until we too can say, along with the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  

Amen!

Questions for Personal Reflection in Response to Today’s Sermon:

1. In what ways does my faith journey feel like a marathon rather than a sprint? What “weights” or distractions might I need to set aside in order to keep moving forward in faith?
2. Where in my life am I simply being called to take “the next right step,” even if I can’t yet see the destination?
3. Who are the “cloud of witnesses” in my life—those who inspire, encourage, or cheer me on in faith? How can I honor their example by living faithfully in my own context?
4. How have challenges or hardships shaped my trust in God? Do I sometimes confuse struggle with failure? How does remembering the struggles of biblical heroes change my perspective?
5. How does the promise of eternal life with God shape the way I persevere through difficulties now?