Between those two memorable passages the author recounts the journey of faith through the lives and witness and suffering of the Hebrew tradition: Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others. Those who received this letter in the first century community of Christians must have been inspired to face the difficulties of their lot. They were rejected by the Jews and persecuted by the Romans. Faith is not something we can obtain as a commodity. It is a conviction-- an assurance that God gives us the resources for living life in joy and hope. This was not easy for the early Christians. Nor is it easy for us.

We may have an even more difficult problem in our modern and post-modern age. The early Christians lived in a pre-scientific era where reality was not confined to the measurable. Mystery and majesty were experienced beyond that which was measurable. Our science-influenced mind-set, in contrast, tends to push "the conviction of things not seen" to the periphery of our experience. With our contemporary knowledge we understand the process of childbirth in medical terms or know the reason for the various hues and colors produced at a sunset. But we also experience the mystery and majesty of the birth of a child or the magnificence of a summer sunset. These are not contrasting and opposing world views: science and faith-- but they compliment each other. They are forever evolving into new discoveries of reality and "the assurance of things hoped for." We are given new hope in faith by the remembrance of those who shared with us their assurance of faith: a Sunday School teacher, a loving pastor, a family loved one. All have taught us that faith is the assurance of things hoped for. Read this passage in Hebrews and thank God for the faithfulness of the cloud of witnesses who have given us a deeper conviction of faith.