The ForeRunner

By Michael Pemberton

 "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus."  -Hebrews 6:20

 My younger brother and I took our dates out canoeing and hiking on a beautiful northern Michigan day.  And what a day!  The sun, the water, the picnic!  Late in the afternoon, as the shadows grew longer and the day shorter, we decided to take a hike.  We started down the Norway Ridge Pathway about two hours before dark, planning to get back before nightfall.  Planning to.  Oh, well.

 Deep in the forest, night falls fast.  Somewhere just after we turned back toward the trailhead, my date and I got lost, just as night fell. Now, I knew that we couldn't be all that lost.  Norway Ridge is several hundred acres of Michigan forest bounded by Werth Rd. on the South, the interstate on the North, the high school on the East and the State forest road on the West.  All we had to do was keep from walking in circles and we would reach a road eventually.  There were only two problems.  First, I had no flashlight and it was so dark that sometimes I couldn't see her standing next to me.  Second, Norway Ridge was famous for two things: cross country skiing, and bear hunting.

 As we made our way through the murky blackness, the forest got denser and denser.  I can't tell how many swampy marshes we waded through, knee to waist deep in water and muck.  All I know is that eventually, just as I was getting most discouraged; I looked up and saw a highway in the sky.  I could see a path of moonlight and stars about 40 feet wide stretched from one horizon to the other.  We had found a line of utility poles in a wide easement.  I have never been so happy that people went through the forest cutting down trees.  It was 2:00 a.m. when we followed that easement to the road, found a telephone and called my dad to pick us up.

 Sometimes we pass through times like that in our life.  Deep, dark, confusing times.  We know our life is bounded on one side by defeating failure, on the other by outrageous success.  Behind us is birth and before us is the unknown.  We press on.  We know that every decision is important, yet many just walk in circles hoping to avoid the extremes.

 Consider this: According to our text this week, Jesus is our forerunner through the veil.  Through the veil of death into the courts of God.  Now, "forerunner" means two things.  It means he's the first to go that way, and that others were expected to follow.  Not that nobody had ever gone through the veil of death before Jesus.  It's just that nobody could go through that veil, into the presence of God, AND leave the veil open for those who should come after.  Jesus did, and he cleared a path for us just like that easement in the forest: a highway in the sky.  The road ahead may be unknown, but it doesn't have to be uncertain.  We have a forerunner.  Do you trust Jesus for the road ahead through today, the rest of your life and after?  You can because he's gone that way before and left it open for you.  God anticipates that you will follow Jesus.

 One last thing, next time you meet someone walking in circles through their life, point them to Jesus.  Show them where that "easement" is.