Do you ever skip reading the opening and closing sections of some of the letters in the New Testament? You know, the parts where we see lists of names, greetings, and other details that seem irrelevant to our lives? That’s a mistake because these opening and closing sections give us insight into the way the early church understood their life as a community. The institutional structure of the church existed only to serve the organic relationships forged by the Holy Spirit. The New Testament does not recognize “lone ranger” Christianity. We’re not reading old documents about abstract theology, but letters written by people who love one another. We’re reading prayers about real people in real time with real friendships facing real struggles. Hebrews 13 challenges our modern conceptions of church as an ‘event’ or ‘experience’ with a bold vision of God’s household. There’s not category for an individualistic Christian experience. We cannot know Christ without knowing his body. This is Understanding Hebrews.

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