In this week's lectionary epistle passage, the author of Hebrews takes us on a mini-tour of the Old Testament faithful's "hall of fame," and points out that because we can draw strength from being "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" in addition to the example of Jesus ("the pioneer and perfecter of our faith") it is our duty to "lay aside every weight and sin" and "run with perseverance the race that is set before us." The use of the "witness" image is striking -- not only does it convey the testimony of the travails experienced by our forebears in the faith, but it also (analogous t
