Jesus' followers: living in a strange land
Daily Scripture
1 Peter 1:13-19, 2:9-11
13 Therefore, once you have your minds ready for action and you are thinking clearly, place your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 Don’t be conformed to your former desires, those that shaped you when you were ignorant. But, as obedient children, 15 you must be holy in every aspect of your lives, just as the one who called you is holy. 16 It is written, You will be holy, because I am holy [Leviticus 19:2]. 17 Since you call upon a Father who judges all people according to their actions without favoritism, you should conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your dwelling in a strange land. 18 Live in this way, knowing that you were not liberated by perishable things like silver or gold from the empty lifestyle you inherited from your ancestors. 19 Instead, you were liberated by the precious blood of Christ, like that of a flawless, spotless lamb.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession. You have become this people so that you may speak of the wonderful acts of the one who called you out of darkness into his amazing light. 10 Once you weren’t a people, but now you are God’s people. Once you hadn’t received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Dear friends, since you are immigrants and strangers in the world, I urge that you avoid worldly desires that wage war against your lives.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
“1 Peter was written to encourage Gentile Christians to embrace their identity as Christ-followers…. The letter is addressed to ‘God’s chosen strangers… (1 Peter 1:1)…. The letter also uses words like … “immigrants” (1 Peter 2:11; see 1 Peter 1:17; Genesis 15:13; 23:4) to tell the audience they are…. God’s chosen people living as strangers [or aliens] in their current context.” * Peter said, “Let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness.” **
- Scholar William Barclay said of 1 Peter 1:14-16, “The word for ‘holy’ is hagios whose root meaning is ‘different.’ The Temple is hagios because it is different from other buildings; the Sabbath is hagios because it is different from other days; the Christian is hagios because he is different from other [people]…. There is laid on the Christian the task of being different.” *** How do you react to Peter’s call to live differently by God’s light in a dark world? Are you willing to say, “Count me in”?
- Barclay also said, “The Christian… is a stranger and a pilgrim. The words are paroikos and parepidēmos. They are quite common Greek words and they describe someone who is only temporarily resident in a place and whose home is somewhere else.” **** We don’t do that alone. As God’s children, we are not solitary individuals, but a “kingdom” where God reigns. How are you growing with other Christians in actively serving God’s kingdom and will?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, because you were willing to be different, my life and my world are different. Give me that willingness to be different, not for my own sake but to make the world more like your kingdom. Amen.
GPS Insights
Kaitlin Green
Kaitlin Green is a returning intern this summer at Resurrection, working in Public Relations. She is a junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia, studying Journalism with an emphasis in Social and Audience Strategy and minoring in English. When she's not cheering on the Tigers as a Golden Girl dancer or hanging out with her Alpha Delta Pi sorority sisters, she loves to spend her time reading, taste-testing KC coffee shops, and finding new TV shows to watch from start-to-finish with her parents.
You are the sum of your five closest friends.” I’ve been reflecting on this quote as I approach the halfway point of my second summer interning with Resurrection. It’s become clear to me that my time here has been about so much more than just building a resumé. The internship program is built upon helping young adults grow in their faith and demonstrating how our work can bring God’s light to our community. When this summer is over, I know I will be a different Christian than when I arrived–in the best ways possible.
The greatest contributor to this revival and growth in my faith has been the presence of meaningful friendships with my fellow interns. I can confidently say that I would be honored to be the sum of my intern friends, because rather than only being the culmination of my “five closest friends,” I get to surround myself daily with the influence of 10 wonderful and brilliant humans. They are intentional, empathetic and supportive. They are hilarious, passionate and authentic. Best of all, they are encouraging and push me to be better every day.
As Christians, the task of trying to live differently than the darkness of the world can be daunting. However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned as an intern, it’s that having a community of people to back and support each other in this mission makes all the difference. When we surround ourselves with even just one person to work alongside, we gain the bravery to fully embody Christ’s light and unabashedly shine. Taking the world as it is and bringing it closer to the world as it should be becomes easier when we decide to do it together.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Jeannine K. Brown, introduction to 1 Peter in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, pp. 461-462 NT.
** 1 Peter 1:15 in Peterson, Eugene H. The Message Numbered Edition Hardback. Navpress. Kindle Edition.
*** William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 188.
**** Ibid., p. 200.
