Easter Season 2026 – The First Letter of Peter
As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, St Peter’s amazing letter helps us put that hope into practice. Written in challenging times, its life-giving wisdom is just as relevant today!
Monday 27th April – 1 Peter 2:9 ‘What’s in a name?’
Important people have many titles. Indeed, the more important, the more titles. King Charles, for example, is not only Sovereign of the UK and 14 other Commonwealth countries, he is also Defender of the Faith, Captain General of the Royal Artillery and even Chief Red Crow – a title bestowed upon him many years ago by the Blackfoot indigenous people of Canada.
You may not possess a title like this, or think of yourself as very important. God, though, thinks very differently, as today’s passage tells us. Bear in mind that Peter is writing to small, largely powerless fellowships of Christians ‘scattered’ (his word, 1:1) across the eastern Mediterranean. Inconsequential, you might think – but not according to God, or Peter his apostle: ‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.’
Wow! There’s four titles every follower of Jesus carries – four things not even the king can match. Let’s look at each briefly in turn:
A chosen people: as we noted in our very first reflection, being chosen is a key theme of this lovely letter. Before we ever chose God, God chose us. Our inheritance is no accident.
A royal priesthood: I once had a friend called Bob, who worked as an evangelist. When people asked him if he was a priest, he said, ‘No, I’m a royal priest!’ But that’s not just for ‘professional Christians’ – Peter tells us that all followers of Jesus are royal priests. What does a priest do? They’re a go-between: representing God to people and people to God. That is our calling – not just within our church communities, but also with those currently outside them. We represent them to God i.e. we pray for them we ask God to be in their lives. And we represent God to them: we love them, we help them, and we share our faith with them.
A holy nation: the second half of chapter 1 focused on this, didn’t it? We are holy i.e. set apart, distinctive. Set apart from evil, set apart for just and right living, above all set apart in love.
God’s special possession: all of this is not just God being nice, even when he doesn’t feel like it. God treasures us: he delights in saving us, in making us his holy people. God doesn’t just love you – he likes you. You are his special possession.
If can really grasp these extraordinary truths, then the outcome is natural: ‘…that you may declare the praises of him…’ Who wouldn’t want to praise a God who showers these titles upon us?
As we begin our week, take a few moments to dwell with these titles. Which speaks most to you? How will you live as one who bears this honour? And as these reflections fill our heart, may we, too, declare the Lord’s praises, through our lips and our lives – today, this week, always. Amen.
Saturday 25th April – 1 Peter 2:4-8 (ii) ‘Living stones’
Living stones. It’s a striking image, isn’t it? And, picking up where we left off yesterday, today we return to these same verses, to see how Peter develops this idea: it’s not only Christ who is the living Stone: we are to be like him, ‘like living stones’.
Now we see the image in more detail, don’t we? Of what is Christ the cornerstone? God’s people. Here the image sharpens (in v5) to reveal the temple, the place where God dwells among his people. Only now it’s not the temple in Jerusalem anymore. We are the temple now. God dwells among us as his community – hence we are called ‘the body of Christ’ – and God dwells in us individually by his Spirit. So we, too, become living stones. What does that mean? Well, here’s some ways that Peter draws this out in the rest of the passage:
‘Chosen by God’ (v4b). Never forget that before you chose God, God chose you. He thinks you’re special, he didn’t make anyone else like you. What you do matters to him. But even more, who you are matters to him. He needs you in his wall, his temple.
‘Rejected by humans’ (v4a) – this is the hard bit, isn’t it? Not everyone will like us. We march to the beat of a different drum. We have to learn to find our security in Christ and not in others. Psychologists will tell you: ‘You are what the most important person in your life thinks you are.’ If that’s God, then you can withstand anything.
‘Offering spiritual sacrifices’ (v5) – for followers of Jesus, this is a life dedicated to the Lord. And Peter reassures us that this kind of offering is ‘acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’ Why? Because ‘the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’ (v6) God delights in our dedication of ourselves to him.
Like Michelangelo’s sculptures, none of us are the finished article; we are all works in progress, slowly but wonderfully emerging from the formless block of stone. But we are alive – living stones. Take a few moments today to reflect on what it means to be part of this great spiritual house being built by God. What is God chiselling in you? What will that mean for you? And may the Lord, the true living Cornerstone, fashion us all into living stones, building the Lord’s House, for his glory, and his alone. Amen.
Friday 24th April – 1 Peter 2:4-8 ‘The living Stone’
Many years ago, I studied Renaissance art. One of my favourite artists is the great Michelangelo – and of all his many amazing works, perhaps my favourite sculptures of his are a set known as the ‘4 slaves’ or ‘4 prisoners’, which you can see in the Accademia museum in Florence (you can see them here). Michelangelo was once asked how he created his wonders, and he said that inside each block of stone there was a person: all he had to do was to chip away the excess and reveal what was already there. The 4 slaves show this idea most profoundly, revealing themselves from the block of marble. It’s thought that Michelangelo deliberately left them unfinished, as if to show them in the midst of creation, trying to set themselves free. Living stones, in the process of formation.
This idea of ‘living stones’ is the central theme of today’s passage: (vv4-5) ‘As you come to Jesus the living Stone, rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house.’
Jesus is the ultimate ‘living Stone’ and we can imagine that this was a particularly special phrase for Peter – think about the name given to him by Jesus: Cephas, meaning ‘Rock’. But Peter recognises his authority rests on one much greater – he points us to The Rock, The living Stone, Jesus himself.
This image of the divine rock has a long history in scripture. Back in Exodus, God meets Moses directly on that great slab of rock called Mount Sinai. A few chapters earlier, God provided for his people by bringing water from a rock (another living stone). King David was first to use the name for God directly, in his song of praise in 2 Samuel 22: ‘the Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.’ It became a common phrase in Psalms – God as a rock. Secure, immoveable – something immense, powerful, something which protects us, something we can trust. So, the idea of God as our Rock was born.
And when Isaiah prophesies about the greater one to come, he uses this idea again, which Peter himself quotes in v6: ‘See I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone.’ Christ is our cornerstone – the one on which everything rests. Most church buildings have a cornerstone – the single most important stone in the building, the one from which everything else is built. Not necessarily the biggest, but most important. ‘Build your house on the rock,’ Jesus says in his famous parable – and as Peter tells us, Jesus is that rock.
But he takes the image further, doesn’t he? He adds a word. This rock is not just an inert block of marble. It is a living stone. Ultimately, Christ as the living Stone points us back to the resurrection: this great stone is alive! (And we can note the glorious irony that it was a huge, inert stone which rolled away to reveal the true and eternal living Stone.) Now we have come to him, and know him to be our Rock, our fortress and our deliverer.
Tomorrow, we’ll develop this image, as Peter does, by thinking about what it means for us to be living stones, following the pattern of our Lord. Today, however, let’s give thanks for our glorious, divine Rock – the one on which we stand, the one on which our dwelling is built, firm and secure. May the Lord be our Rock, our fortress and our deliverer today. Amen.
Thursday 23rd April – Psalm 16 ‘The Portion’
A brief break from Peter to enjoy a Psalm today:
‘Just a small portion for me.’ These are words I utter quite often at our family meals; I do love food, but I don’t have a particularly big appetite, so if there’s a pudding available, my desire to enjoy it is tempered by my modest appetite – so I’ll compromise with these words: ‘Just a small portion, please.’
The point is, it doesn’t matter what size the portion is: what you really want is enough. That might be a large portion, a medium-sized one, or a small one: if it’s enough, then it’s just right.
And that helps to explain this lovely, but slightly odd, phrase in today’s psalm, written by King David: (v5) ‘Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup.’ To our ears, we might find ourselves wondering: ‘well, we don’t know if that’s a good thing, because we don’t know if it’s large portion or a small one – what if David only gets a small slice of the cake?! More to the point, what if we only get a small portion from God, too?’
The point isn’t the size of the portion: the point is that it’s enough. God’s grace is always sufficient, and whatever he gives us is what we need. For David, God’s portion to him offered security: ‘in you I take refuge… you make my lot secure… I shall not be shaken’ (v1, v5, v8). It offered hope: ‘surely I have a delightful inheritance’ (v6). It offered wisdom: ‘I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me’ (v7).
This psalm is often read at a burial, because it is one of the first to acknowledge the reality of eternal life. Early Jewish tradition was agnostic about the idea as to whether there was life after death, or whether God’s blessings are only for this life. One of David’s most precious pieces of counsel from the Lord – right here in this psalm – is that God’s portion reaches beyond the grave, offering us eternal life: or, as he puts it, ‘eternal pleasures at your right hand’ (v11). Peter quoted Psalm 16’s promise of resurrection in his Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:25-28) – but it’s not only Jesus who receives the glorious promises at the end of this psalm; thanks to Jesus, it’s us, too.
Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow – as the great old hymn puts it – this is the Lord’s portion to David. This is also the Lord’s portion to us. The size doesn’t matter: what matters is that it is enough. God’s portion control is always just right. Great is his faithfulness!
Wednesday 22nd April – 1 Peter 1:23-2:3 ‘Milk of the word’
Those of you who are parents will probably remember those early months with a new-born baby – intense days, with great joy – and also great relief to have got through them! Babies are hard-wired to crave milk: they have to be, it’s how they live and grow. In fact, often the first sign something is wrong is if a baby doesn’t crave milk every few hours.
What’s true for babies is true for the spiritual life, too. Generally, in matters of faith, we tend to think negatively about ‘cravings’; but there is one craving which should absolutely indulge, as often as possible, as referenced by Peter today: (v2) ‘Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up.’
The translation doesn’t quite help us as much as it should here, because the word for ‘spiritual’ is ‘logikon’, which actually means ‘of the word’. We are to crave ‘pure milk of the word.’ In other words (pardon the pun), this text links directly to what Peter has been saying at the end of chapter 1 (and let’s not forget that we’ve added the chapter headings and breaks, they’re not there in the text of the letter). He’s just reminded us that we have been born again by this word, this glorious revelation of salvation through faith in Jesus, the Word made flesh.
This word (logos) is eternal – he describes it as, not just ‘living’, but ‘imperishable’ (v23). It can’t die, because it points us to the Author of Life, the Risen One who lives forever.
It is also enduring (v23) – unlike everything else in this world, it stands firm, forever (v25). It’s not erratic or unpredictable, we can rely on it: daily, in all circumstances.
Finally, this word is exquisite – it tastes good! Faith involves all our senses, and I love this description of the early steps of faith: (v3) ‘now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.’ When we taste something we like, we want more of it. What’s true with our food is true for our souls, too. If we want to keep growing, we need to keep feeding on this pure milk of the word.
This is what we aim to do every day with these Inspirations. But however you do it, the main thing is to keep doing it, to keep craving that daily diet of pure milk of the word; because through it we access life, resilience and joy – eternity, endurance and exquisite taste.
It’s not always easy, there are times when our reading may seem hard work, or dry. If that’s you, pray for grace to find that ‘craving’ return. And if you’re energised by your scripture reading at present, pray that this might continue. God always speaks – what is he saying to you through his glorious Word today? May it bring each of you life, resilience and joy. Amen.
Tuesday 21st April – 1 Peter 1:22-25 ‘Loving holiness’
One further reflection on holiness, as we close chapter 1 of this remarkable letter – and this is where we bring love back into the equation. Let’s pick up Peter’s wisdom in v22: ‘Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.’ Ultimately, holiness is made perfect in love. Too often we talk about holiness and love as things that are somehow are in conflict with each other. We have these parodies of ‘holy’ churches which are all rules and repression and fire and brimstone, and ‘loving’ churches which are all fluffy and anything goes and don’t really believe much at all.
Peter doesn’t see it like that – in fact, Jesus doesn’t. Holiness and love go together, hand-in-hand. Two sides of the same coin, they complete each other. Real holiness is seeped in love. We love because we are holy, we are holy because we love. Love which does not call people to live holy lives is not love at all – if God thinks something is wrong, we have to be brave and humble enough to trust God on that. Equally, holiness which is not saturated in humble, gracious, self-giving love is not true holiness, just a diet version of the real thing. Holy people love deeply, from the heart.
This is what the new, born-again life of a follower of Jesus looks like. We are born again to something eternal, imperishable, founded on the Word of God, which endures forever (v25). It’s interesting that Peter still refers to us in this passage, like he did earlier, as ‘foreigners’. This kind of lifestyle, this blend of love and holiness, is unusual. And, in a season when questions of nationality and identity dominate our news, let’s finish by reflecting that, according to Peter, the leader appointed by Jesus as the first shepherd of the body of Christ, all followers of Jesus are foreigners. That is our identity, and we should be proud of it, because it is the name given to us by the Lord, who brings people from all nations into his kingdom.
So as the global body of Christ, all of us strangers and foreigners here on earth, let’s recommit ourselves again today to loving holiness – to being holy because Jesus is holy, and to loving one another deeply, from the heart. And may the Lord grant us all grace to follow in the footsteps of Peter, and all the saints (the holy ones), who have gone before us, today, and always. Amen.
Monday 20th April – 1 Peter 1:17-21 ‘Holy awe’
Today’s passage is a challenging one, because it commands us to fear (v17). And that bothers us, because surely we’re meant to be free from fear? So, let’s tackle this head-on, because it’s worth reminding ourselves that there are two types of fear: healthy and unhealthy. Unhealthy fear is absolutely something from which Jesus sets us free; and it is instructive that one of the first things he says to his friends after his resurrection is, ‘Do not be afraid.’ (e.g. Matthew 28:10)
However, just as in life generally we need certain types of fear to help us avoid things that can harm us, so in the spiritual life, we retain a similar healthy fear – it might be better translated as ‘awe’. Our awe of God means that we stay clear of things which damage us or destroy us.
Part of the reason for this is what it cost God to make us holy. As the passage continues: if the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our living hope, the death of Jesus is the foundation of our holiness: (v18) ‘For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.’
Our salvation cost Jesus everything. The only truly and perfectly holy person who ever lived gave his life that we might be set free: not just from our sin, but from ways of life which have little value. Peter calls them ‘empty’, and such ways are not confined to ancient history; we all know the emptiness of much of modern living.
So, we are holy as a thankful response to what Jesus did for us. Awe is really the conscious presence of a holy God – may the Lord grant us that awe today, and may we live fruitfully, abundantly, as a result. Amen.
Saturday 18th April – Psalm 9 ‘The Judgment’
A brief pause from 1 Peter to conclude our week:
The modern church urgently needs to recover a healthy doctrine of judgment. Generally, it’s a word we avoid – and I think we lose a huge amount by doing so. Perhaps too often the word has been used only in negative ways, as something to create fear or as a stick to beat people with. And the ‘negative’ aspect of judgment is half right – but only half right! Which is the problem….
Judgment is – or should be – a completely neutral term. It defines God’s righteous decision-making in relation to the world, and his capacity to put those decisions into action. It is a glorious truth, because it reminds us that (a) God really is in control, and (b) that all things will be put right – sometimes in this life, and definitely in the world to come. This is something to celebrate: a doctrine of comfort and joy for God’s people! Not to be abused, or only applied to other people (which is very much a human trait) – but a foundation stone, if you like, that puts the chaos and troubles of our world into context, and promises hope to all who call on the name of the Lord.
As David declares in today’s psalm that, ‘The Lord… has established his throne for judgment’ (v7), he reminds us that judgment cuts both ways. On the one hand, the wicked get their just desserts (vv3-6, vv15-17) – though we should temper David’s approach to his enemies through the lens of the New Testament.
On the other hand, and positively, David affirms the Lord’s judgment in favour of two groups of people: first, those who are oppressed (v9), afflicted (v12) or needy (v18). The Lord is refuge for all who are vulnerable. Many such people may not get justice in this life – but, the psalm affirms, God has not forgotten them, and ‘the hope of the afflicted will never perish’ (v18).
Second, the Lord judges in favour of his people: (v10) ‘Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.’ This is good news! God has not forgotten us, either. He has not forgotten you.
I find it hard to know how to pray for the big conflicts of the world. But today’s psalm helps me to find a good perspective: the Lord knows the hearts, not just of individuals, but of nations, and he will ultimately be their judge. Take a few moments today to commend all these situations into the Lord’s hands – and, as we do that, let’s also pray for the vulnerable and followers of Christ caught up in them: for the Lord has never forsaken those who seek him.
Friday 17th April – 1 Peter 1:13-17 ‘Be holy’
If I was to ask you which quality of God’s character is mentioned most often in the New Testament of the bible, what would you guess? It’s obvious, isn’t it? – it’s agape love. This is the word invented by Christians in the middle of the first century to describe love as Jesus showed it. It’s the word Paul uses in his great hymn to love: love is patient, love is kind, and so on.
And then we get to John’s great insight, the amazing distillation of over a thousand pages of divinely inspired scriptural revelation into this one simple phrase: God is love. It stands to reason, therefore, that the two great commands given to human beings – who are made in God’s image, the God who is in his very being love – are these: love God and love your neighbour. Even the Pharisees knew that.
But you’d be wrong. Yes, the word agape is mentioned a lot – 259 times – in the New Testament. But there’s another word mentioned even more, 261 times – and that is the word ‘holy’.
Funny isn’t it, that we all know that God is agape, God is love, but even in the New Testament, there are more references to holiness. That’s primarily because the word used to name Christian believers in the New Testament, which most bible translations translate as ‘saints’ is in fact the word hagioi – which means holy ones. Not agapoi – loving ones – but holy ones. In other words, the single most compelling characteristic used to define Christians in the New Testament, i.e. the first and original generation of the church, is that we are holy.
And perhaps that’s something that we feel a bit unsure about. Unlike some Christian words like hope, joy, peace, and of course love, which have almost universally positive connotations, the word holy or holiness gets more of a mixed press. In part that’s because we’ve all heard the sort of lazy theology which contrasts the ‘holy’ God of the Old Testament with the ‘loving’ God of the New. But it’s also because we carry images of the word ‘holy’ which aren’t flattering: we think uptight, sanctimonious, po-faced, a whole list of ‘oughts and can’ts’.
But the thing is, Jesus was the holiest person who ever lived – so maybe the problem is with our definition? So, let’s go back to basics – what does the word holy mean? It means set apart – particularly set apart for God. That is why God’s very essence is defined as holy, because God is uniquely set apart from all of his creation – yes, creation is good, but only the Lord God is perfect.
As scripture unfolds, we learn that God’s name is holy, the law is holy – and also, God calls his people to be holy: ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’ is how God describes them to Moses just before the giving of the Ten Commandments. That was 1,200 years before Jesus, but his great friend Peter is still working with the same frame of reference when he introduces our passage for today quoting God’s words from the Old Testament law: ‘Be holy because I am holy.’ If the fundamental call of the Christian life is to become more like Jesus – then we grow not just in love, or joy or peace or hope, but in holiness too.
Today, take a few moments to reflect on your calling to be holy. Where is God setting you apart? How can you live out that calling today? And may the Lord grant us all grace to be holy, as he is holy. Amen.
Thursday 16th April – 1 Peter 1:10-12 ‘Hope which saves’
As we continue our reflections on hope, we see a third outcome, our theme for today: this hope ‘concerns our salvation’. You see, we don’t just need hope for a better life – we need to be saved from something first. What Peter calls the sufferings and glories of the Messiah served a purpose. They dealt with our greatest enemies: sin, evil and death. Our hope is not self-help – it is restoration to our true selves, and only God can accomplish it in us. Perhaps that’s why so many young people are coming back to faith. We now have a society which apparently offers us everything, but very little of it actually helps. Much of it makes things worse. Our phones are full of precious metals… but people want something of greater worth than gold.
This quest is nothing new. As Peter attests, the Old Testament prophets ‘searched intently and with the greatest care’ – they were primarily seeking the Messiah, but of course we only need saving because things are not as they should be. What was true 2,500-3,000 years ago is just as true now, and even the angels long for the answer (v12)…
…In Jesus we find it! We find a hope which concerns our salvation, carries us through trials and can never perish spoil or fade. The long peace in Europe after the Second World War, almost unparalleled in human history, has come to an end. Times are anxious again. How we need Peter’s words today.
As we reflect on these things today, let’s close with the final responses used during the service at Westminster Abbey on 8th May 1945, and may be our prayer, too:
‘O give thanks to the Lord, for He is gracious: and His mercy endures forever. Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name we give praise: for your loving mercy and your truth’s sake.’ Amen.
Wednesday 15th April – 1 Peter 1:3-9 ‘Hope in dark times’
As we continue this amazing start to Peter’s letter, the second thing we see is that this living hope carries us through the dark times. And it’s clear from Peter’s letter that his readers were experiencing plenty of those – he talks of them suffering ‘grief in all kinds of trials.’ (v6)
When life forces our head down, we need to look up – up to our true and living hope. And this is one of those passages which must have inspired the famous ‘Footprints in the sand story’. (If you don’t immediately recognise that name, you can read it here)
While writing this reflection, I was struck by a quote I came across in an article by Sheila Hancock about what VE Day (the end of the Second World War in Europe) was really like for much of the population: ‘Yes, in 1945 we were relieved that the bombs and doodlebugs and rocket weapons had stopped, and we heard there was fun going on in the West End of London – but where I lived it was less jubilant. The war there felt far from over: we were still waiting anxiously for the return of the young lad next door from the rumoured horror of a Japanese prisoner of war camp, and many of my friends were trying to accept as fathers strange men they barely knew… I imagine the grownups were utterly exhausted and often grief-stricken.’
It’s easy to look at the photos of central London on 8th May 1945 and assume everyone was just having a big party. But actually, many people were just exhausted; and there was still a long, hard road ahead. As Peter observes in our text, even gold perishes – we need something to hold onto which goes deeper. And here is where it might be useful to notice that Peter talks about our inheritance being one that not only doesn’t perish, it doesn’t spoil or fade either. Even our best experiences of life are usually diluted in some way. But our living hope doesn’t spoil or fade.
80 years ago, the generation that survived the war had a much stronger grasp of these realities than their children or grandchildren. But maybe, their great-grandchildren are starting to appreciate those more again. Since 2018 the number of 18-24s who connect with church regularly has increased from 4% to 16%, and to 21% among young men. That’s a four- or five-fold increase in 7 years! A new generation is looking for living hope – and in Christ they find it.
Today, dark times seem as vivid as ever, especially on a global level. Let’s pray for grace to hold on to hope, a hope that carries us through all things. And may that hope make itself known to ever more people across our troubled world. Amen.
Tuesday 14th April – 1 Peter 1:3-4 ‘Hope which can never perish’
Picking up where we left off yesterday, Peter continues the start to this motivational letter with the most important reason to keep going: (v3) ‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’ The resurrection is the ultimate gamechanger. A radical new power has broken into the world. Death is no longer the final end: Jesus has conquered it. Jesus is our living hope – living forever, glorified forever, the Word made flesh, who reigns over all. Nothing can defeat him now – his will be the victory.
Wow! That’s not a bad place to start, is it? This is why we’re doing this short series after Easter, because this little letter roots everything in the good news of the resurrection. A resurrection which Peter himself had witnessed, of course. He speaks of what he knows, what he has seen.
So what are the consequences of this unbreakable hope? The rest of the passage gives us three amazing outcomes, the first of which we’ll look at today: this hope ‘can never perish spoil or fade.’ In fact Peter calls it an inheritance. Usually inheritances are only released by someone else – uniquely this one is released by our own death! We inherit at that point, because this inheritance is ‘kept in heaven for us’.
Heaven is real, and when you think about it, you’ll spend a lot more time there than the few years you get on this earth. When life is good, that attitude seems a bit po-faced. But for people facing real crises, relentless challenges, even the steady decline of their own health – isn’t it good news to know that this isn’t all there is? That there is something way, way better than even the best of what we have now.
Today, give thanks that our living hope can never perish spoil or fade. Hallelujah!
Monday 13th April – 1 Peter 1:1-2 ‘Elect and exiles’
Here’s a question to begin: what do you hope for? No doubt that question would generate a range of answers: maybe for yourself or a loved-one to get well, a good holiday, a new or better job. Or maybe it’s for something bigger: for more peace in the world, less exploitation, for our planet to survive.
Today we start a new series in the wonderful first letter written by St Peter. It’s not a bad effort for a fisherman, with little formal education! That’s the effect that Jesus has on someone. And it reminds me of that lovely encounter on the beach after the resurrection, when Jesus restores his friend and says: ‘Feed my sheep.’ Peter is certainly doing that in this amazing little book.
And as we begin, our main theme is hope. Hope is much misunderstood word in our society, often reduced to wishful thinking. But hope is not just wishful thinking: it is the confident expectation that one day things will be better than they are now. Whatever you hope for, hope is something inspirational, motivating – it gets us out of bed in the morning, puts unexpected peace and joy in our hearts during the day, and enables us to sleep at night.
So, knowing where to find hope is like knowing where to mine for gold. Think of all the gold rushes that sent hundreds of thousands of people migrating across continents, creating whole new communities and industries because they thought they could find gold there. We need a ‘hope rush’ at present – to know where we can find true hope, and to invest heavily in that.
And Peter is writing to these small, hard-pressed Christian communities precisely to offer that real hope. It’s fascinating how he starts – to whom does he address the letter? Christians are described using two words, 2 ‘e’s – elect and exiles. Both words are laden with meaning, they really define two great themes of the Old Testament: first, God’s people are chosen, by God himself – we don’t earn it, God lavishes his favour on us because he loves us. So we are ‘elect’ i.e. chosen – but we are also ‘exiles’ (old translations use ‘strangers’). This was the fate promised to Israel if they abandoned God, but as the history of God’s people wore on, it also became the way they saw themselves.
That image of being strangers, exiles in the world, became the dominant one for the early church, too, and by extension us as well – followers of Jesus are not like the rest of the world, we serve a different Master and learn to live out our faith in different, even hostile cultures. That’s not an excuse to disengage from the world, but rather to seek to transform it. And it’s clear from the rest of the letter that this is exactly what the Christians he’s writing to are doing. They are distinctive, and one of Peter’s messages is: don’t give up. Keep going.
As we begin our week, take a few moments to reflect on this dual citizenship we have: chosen, but also strangers. Peter’s greeting – ‘grace and peace’ – offers us inspiration in both dimensions: being chosen brings peace, being strangers requires grace. Praise be to God that we are given both, and in abundance! So let’s not give up, and live as citizens of both earth and heaven today. Amen.
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