"take hold of the hope offered to us" - Hebrews 6:18

Something I was reading in the book, "The Reformation", by Diarmaid MacCulloch reminded me of this verse from Hebrews that we'll be looking at during Bible study tonight.  The reference in Hebrews is to those who fled for their lives to the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, in order to physically take hold of the horns of the altar in hopes that their lives would be spared by those who pursued them.  It was an appeal to God's mercy that was sometimes granted, (as it was by Solomon when his older brother Adonijah fled to the alter in I Kings 1:49-53 upon hearing that Solomon had been made king; although Adonijah later tried to get the throne anyway and was killed) and sometimes it was not (as with the case of Joab who had conspired against Solomon with Adonijah and who also had the blood of two innocent men killed in cold blood on his hands; he was killed despite having his hands on the horns of the altar).  The whole point of the passage in Hebrews is that our hope in Christ is greater than taking hold of the horns of the altar.  We can truly seek a sanctuary that is secure against all storms.
How does any of this relate to the Reformation?  Simply enough, it was in 1414 that the Bohemian reformer, Jan Hus was given safe-conduct (a guarantee of protection) by the Holy Roman Emperor so that he would be willing to go before a church council and explain his grievances.  The council and the Emperor changed their mind, put Jan on trial for heresy (Jan's reforms?  He wanted the Mass given in the language of the people, and the cup given to all so that they could fully participate in the Mass); they then had Jan burned at the stake.  The resulting uproar and civil war in Bohemia paved the way for the first Western Church that was independent of Rome, and example that would later influence Martin Luther.  Had these men been true to their word the reforms of Hus could have been debated and evaluated, but instead those in authority tried to crush dissent.  That such short-sighted and ungodly decisions led to the splintering of the Church is no doubt (more on MacCulloch's book as I work my way through it)
So how does this apply to me?  The hope that we have in Christ avoid all such human double-dealing and uncertainty.  God does not lie.  His Word will stand for all time.  When we flee and take hold of the Cross of Christ, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." -Hebrews 6:19