We have been referring to this author as a homilist to acknowledge the sermonic nature of this letter. What literary devices or techniques does the author use in this portion of Hebrews that make the writing seem more like a sermon than a letter?
How does the image of the “new and living way” relate to what the homilist has been doing in his reflection on the death and exaltation of Christ?
Applying the Text:
In our pluralistic world, what might be other ways of explaining and honoring the gifts of our own Christian faith tradition without insisting that it is always better than everybody else’s? How can we (or do we) hold our scriptures in tension with the reality of other religious traditions?
Hebrews suggests that we already have a taste of God’s promises with a High Priest who intercedes for us. We also have hope of a fuller consummation yet to come, in the gift of God’s rest. How do you understand the relationship between the gifts we already enjoy as Christians and the gifts for which we hope—even beyond our own history?