The epistle to the Hebrews is a sermon of the sort preached in the earliest Christian churches. The preacher is addressing an urgent problem, one that is still common today: the congregation is exhausted; it has gone through great distress; and it is having difficulty holding on to its faith. The people are weary and disheartened. Thomas Long shows how the epistle to the Hebrews combines theological teaching and advice about ethical action to speak to the church today as it confronts and responds to today's challenges