The Mystery at the End of This Book--October 15, 2021
"But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect...." [Hebrews 12:22-23]
I can remember my childhood bookshelves included a classic that I've now passed along to my own kids--the Sesame-Street-inspired picture book, "The Monster at the End of This Book." The premise is simple: our lovable blue-furred Muppet friend Grover has seen the cover of the book itself, and is afraid of getting to the end of the book and meeting the "monster" from the title. He pleads with the reader, warns the reader, and attempts to nail, board, and brick the pages shut so you won't be able to get to the end, because he is so afraid of this monster. But alas, when you get to the final page--after a great deal of drama from Grover--everyone discovers that Grover himself was the "monster" at the end of the book. Grover is a "monster" only in the sense that the other furry puppet creatures on Sesame Street are all classified as "monsters," like other dear friends Telly, Harry, Elmo, and Cookie Monster.
In other words, the title of the book gets both the reader and the fictional character Grover all worried that the "Monster at the End of This Book" will be something terrifying, when in reality it is our lovable furry old pal Grover... the very same one who has been with us all along as we read the book.
There's something of a reveal like that here in Hebrews, too. The author started last time with the imagery from the appearance of God up on Mount Sinai back in the Exodus story. He said, "We haven't come to something like Mount Sinai was--you know, the blazing fire, the darkness and gloom, the storm and the blaring sound of the trumpet that made all the people quake in fear." With that as a lead in, we're kind of worried about what it is we ARE being brought face to face with. After all, the ancient Israelites had to endure all of that frightening stuff in order to come into the presence of the God who freed them from slavery--we might well expect that we'll have to go through something at least that intense, right? It's rather like we're being told, "There's a Mystery we are being led to in this life of faith, and it's even more awe-inspiring than the fire and storm and spectacle of Sinai."
It's hard not to react like Grover in a moment like that--what are we being led into? Will we be safe? Will we be able to bear being in the presence of the Almighty God? Will we tremble with fear? Will our hearts melt within us to be seen as we truly are? The tension is immense!
But at long last, here's the big unveiling. We have been brought, not to something meant to make us afraid, but to the party in all its raucous fullness. We have come to the bustling city of God, full of all those ancestors in faith we have heard about and those we have known and loved. We have come to the dwelling place of the One who sees us, just as this same God first saw Hagar in her distress long ago. We have been welcomed to the resurrection feast that has no end, at God's table where there is room enough for all. We have been drawn face to face with the Mystery who is the goal of all of history--and it turns out to be the same God who has accompanied us all our days, through all of our life stories.
All that Grover-like worrying, and it turns out we've been in the company of the One we've been waiting for all along.
If all of the universe's history is a story, it's easy to wonder whether we are living in a tragedy or a comedy--whether there will be a happy ending or a tragic one, when all is said and done. Well, for the days when that wondering becomes a panicked worrying, the writer of Hebrews reminds us where we are being led.
We are going home.
Home, not because we are coming to a place that is familiar, but because wherever God dwells is our truest home. The Mystery for which we have been waiting all our lives has a face we'll recognize. Now, perhaps we'll open our eyes in the day in front of us to recognize that face at our side for today's part of the journey.
Lord God, all our journeys find their destination in you--help us to see you along the way as well.
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