Daily Devotion – September 29, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison

Hebrews 1:1-4
1:1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,
1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.
1:3 He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
1:4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

This short passage that begins the Letter to the Hebrews defines God’s ongoing relationship with humans and defines God’s Son, the heir of all things.

God has been speaking and having a relationship with human beings across the millenia. Sometimes the communication was direct, as when the Lord spoke and walked with Abraham or Moses. Sometimes the Lord spoke to humanity through prophets, who shared the messages the Lord gave to them. Over  hundreds of years, the Lord was in communication with Israel through good times and bad times, whether the people wanted to hear from God or not; some prophets paid with their lives.

But not long before the writing of the Letter to the Hebrews (“in these last days”), God spoke directly via a Son. This Son had been appointed heir of all things by God. But this Son was also present and a part of the creation of the universe. This son was from the beginning but was also a contemporary of the writer.

And then comes the description of Jesus’s essence: the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being. And, like God the Creator/Father, the Son sustains all things by his powerful word. God creates by a word: “Let there be light.” The Son sustains by a word: “I am the Resurrection and the Life,” for example.

So God has been providing a link to God’s creatures, human beings, over the centuries: the prophets. And God has provided a living, breathing reflection of God’s own glory and being, to live with us in a human life on earth: the Son of God. This God is not kidding around. God wants to be connected to us. God loves us. Me. You. Your mother. My grandson. God creates and sustains us. Praise be to God.

Gracious God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for continually connecting with human beings, from the time of creation to this very moment. Thank you for being with us and loving us forever.  Amen.