It was with great horror and sadness that I watched the news coverage on the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, MN a couple weeks ago. I didn't know anyone who died. I didn't know anyone who was injured. But, still, it shook me. It shook me because Minneapolis is one of my heart's homes. It shook me because I have driven on that bridge many times. It shook me because one of my dearest friends in the whole world drives on that bridge every week to and from work. So, for a few days last week, I was glued to my internet, watching live stream of my favorite Minneapolis news network - KARE11.
     As I searched the stories that were available to watch or read about, I found myself drawn to certain stories. Stories like, "Heroes emerge in the midst of chaos." Or, "Couple still amazed they survived." In the midst of this terrible tragedy, I wanted to read the "against all odds" stories. I searched out the miracle stories of those who walked away with just a scratch.
      The great thing was that those stories were there to tell and the media provided them. In the dark days in the aftermath or tragedy and horror, it's these stories that give us hope. They affirm our faith in God as well as our belief in the saintly side of humanity - the part that exists in each and every one of us that makes us do indescribably amazing things to help our neighbor.
     Our second reading for today is from the Letter to the Hebrews. Like the people of Minneapolis, the people to whom this letter was originally written were finding themselves in a difficult place in life. They hadn't experienced a bridge collapse, but, rather, were facing a faith collapse. You see, their faith in Jesus Christ was causing them to be stolen from, persecuted, imprisoned. Frankly, they were getting tired. They were questioning whether faith in Jesus Christ was really the way to go.
     The writer of Hebrews had to persuade them that their faith was warranted. He had to inspire in them confidence and endurance. So, this writer in the first century, A.D did something very similar to what our media does in the year 2007. He helped them remember the "against all odds" stories of their faith.
      The story of Abraham, highlighted in our first two readings today, is just one of them. Remember Abraham, the Hebrews writer implores. Remember how God made it possible for him as an old man, and his barren wife, Sarah, to finally have a child which led to descendents that numbered beyond the stars in the sky. It was a miracle - an "against all odds" occurrence. And Abraham wasn't the only one to experience this.
     Chapter 11 in the book of Hebrews asks us to remember the stories of many of God's people. Remember Enoch who never had to experience death before God took him to heaven. Remember Noah who built an ark in the midst of the desert. Remember Isaac who was nearly sacrificed and saved by the ram caught in the thicket. Remember Moses, raised in the Pharaoh's house, only to defy Pharaoh as he led God's people through the wilderness into the promised land.
     All of these "against all odds" stories happened by faith. These people couldn't see the ending when they took their first step. They moved forward in faith. It's these stories that gave the people something to cling to as they were feeling their faith begin to collapse around them. To this day, these stories affirm our own faith when doubt creeps in or we think we are beyond the place where God can reach us and bring us back. These stories build endurance in our own journeys of faith where things happen that are beyond our understanding and explanation - like bridges randomly collapsing, students shooting each other in schools, terrorist activity or the death of loved ones.
     Along with reminding us of the "against all odds" stories of our faith history, the other awesome thing the author of Hebrews does is help us remember God's faithfulness to us. It took me a long time to understand that. Whenever I thought of faith, I always thought of it in terms of my faith in God. It wasn't until after college that a friend in the small group I was a part of through my church helped me understand that faithfulness was a two way street. Yes, I was to try my best to be faithful and grow in my faith in God. But, at the same time, he taught me about being aware of God's faithfulness to me. Talk about an AHA! moment! That God is faithful to me!
      I suppose many people will wonder where God's faithfulness is on a day like August 1st in Minneapolis, MN. A day where so many people are needlessly injured and killed. Tragedies like this make us wonder what kind of a God would let something so horrible happen. Yet, tragedies like this also allow us to see God at work in the world - through miracles - through those "against all odds" stories that always emerge - through ordinary people who emerge as extraordinary heroes.
     Crystal Manning and Michael Stoner have a story of God's faithfulness. They lived to tell how they crashed into the Mississippi River and felt the jeep they were in literally settle on the floor of the River before they could swim through an open window and emerge on the River's surface. Fifty kids on a schoolbus also have a story of faithfulness to tell as their bus stopped before it could topple into the river and their counselors and several other witnesses moved quickly to get them all off the bus and to safety.
     One of the news stories in Minneapolis is about a collective feeling that many people have: "It could've been me." It could've been me on that bridge. It could've been me that dropped 60 feet into the river and died. It could've been me. The book of Hebrews tries to instill in us this same feeling: "It could've been me", while at the same time helping us recall our faith and God's faithfulness to us.
     It could've been me that fell 60 feet and walked away with mere scratches. It could've been me that was barren and then had a child. It could've been me that God used to help bring God's people to freedom. "Against all odds" stories have happened throughout history. God still has the power to made the impossible possible. By faith. By our faith in God. And by God's faithfulness to us. Amen.