Matthew F. Leighty
Executive Director
When I read Hebrews 12:1-2, I think about the many people we have served throughout the generations — this community that we represent are faithful followers of Jesus who have been running this race for decades. Some of you have been part of the Worship Anew family since our earliest days. You’ve weathered life’s storms, celebrated its joys, and through it all, kept your eyes fixed on Jesus.
You are living proof that faith is not a sprint but a marathon.
I also think about my daughter Reagan, who recently chose this passage as her confirmation verse. Her love for track and running drew her to this verse. The imagery spoke to her heart. In her eighth-grade graduation speech, she talked about this specific passage and how her classmates are “each other’s witnesses, encouraging each other to make good choices and keep our faith front and center.”
Whether you’re just beginning the race or you’ve been running for decades, we all need the same thing: witnesses to encourage us, Jesus to sustain us, and endurance to keep going. That’s what makes this passage timeless. It’s as true at a teenager’s confirmation as it is at age 90.
Martin Luther understood this well. He wrote: “This life, therefore, is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not yet finished, but it is actively going on. This is not the goal, but it is the right road. At present, everything does not gleam and sparkle, but everything is being cleansed.”
We’re all on the way. The race isn’t over. It’s actively going on.
Recently, a woman wrote to us with news that her mother had gone to be with Jesus. “She loved your services,” she shared. “Without this ministry, she would have been without regular worship for four years.” Four years. That’s not a short sprint. That’s sustained endurance in the race of faith. And now, her mother has finished her race and joined that great cloud of witnesses, having kept her eyes fixed on Jesus until the very end.
This is what Worship Anew has been doing, year after year. Creating space for faithfulness to endure even when circumstances threaten to isolate us from the body of Christ.
Another woman called our office recently to tell us about a Vietnam veteran who received one of our dearly loved care packages. He was overwhelmed and overjoyed, especially touched by the customized details like the red, white, and blue prayer wrap. But what struck me most was she said next: She’s in her 80s and no longer drives. It is hard for her to gather gifts and to care for others directly. “I’m especially blessed,” she said, “that I can use your ministry to help me.”
This is a woman who refuses to let age or mobility stop her from running her race. She’s still serving, still encouraging, still bearing witness to Christ’s love. Worship Anew makes it possible for her to keep going. She’s running with endurance, laying aside the weight of physical limitations, and continuing the work God has given her to do.
Every Sunday, when you tune in to “Worship Anew,” you’re joining thousands of brothers and sisters in Christ across the country. You’re not isolated. You’re not forgotten. You’re part of a great company of believers who are running this race together. When circumstances make it difficult to gather in a church building (whether because of distance, mobility, health, or simply the challenges that come with aging), our ministry endeavors to ensure you still have that connection, that fellowship, that reminder: You are not alone.
We’ve been proclaiming the Gospel that keeps you running. We’ve been pointing you, again and again, to Jesus. He is the founder and perfecter of our faith, the one who is both the reason we run and the finish line we’re running toward.
Looking to Jesus means remembering that He ran His race perfectly on our behalf. When we stumble, He has already crossed the finish line for us. When we grow weary, His grace carries us forward. When the weight of sin or life’s burdens threatens to slow us down, His forgiveness lifts those burdens and sets us free to run again.
As we continue this journey together, know that Worship Anew remains committed to running alongside you. We’re providing worship, devotional resources, practical magazine articles, care packages, and reminders of God’s faithfulness. The race is long, but we have endurance through Christ. The way can be difficult, but we’re surrounded by witnesses. And most importantly, our eyes are fixed on Jesus, who will bring us safely home.
Keep running, dear friends, with your eyes fixed on Jesus. We’re in this race together.