As Christians we may suffer insults and hostility. We are to look to the suffering of Jesus who walks ahead of us and has brought us to God. We are to fear God, not people. And we are to be ready to tell people the reason for the hope we have.

Although people may associate Advent with Christmas and the birth of Christ, as Christians we wait for the return of Jesus for his Church. That is the advent we look forward to and the real reason to celebrate Christmas.

This Christmas we take a look at the Magi. These wise men who see a star. Who journey far and search diligently for a long-awaited king. To these astronomers God speaks via a star. To fishermen he reveals himself through a miraculous catch of fish. God speaks our language. He meets us where we are. But significantly, the star doesn’t lead the Magi to Jesus but to Jerusalem and the Old Testament scriptures. It’s the scriptures that ultimately lead us to God. This Christmas we have an invitation to meet the Jesus of the bible. A godly king we’ve all been waiting for and the one who is the end of all our searching.

Peter is writing to a group of persecuted Christians, and he is keen to help them maintain a faithful witness in hostile territory. This week we look specifically at wives trying to remain faithful when their husbands don’t follow Jesus. We look at both this challenging, isolating reality but also the joyful, life-giving hope we can have in Jesus. Similarly, husbands are called to honour their wives as co-heirs of the grace of life. This was revolutionary teaching. These timeless truths still speak to us 2 millennia on. We unpack what Christ like love looks like and how we submit for His sake, wherever we find ourselves. Doing so for His glory and because our trust in Him is ‘precious in His sight’.

Peter instructs domestic slaves how to respond if they have been unjustly punished because of their faith. In surprising advice he tells them to submit to it without seeking redress, not because they are Stoics or have a British upper lip, but because they follow the example of Jesus. Using Isaiah 53 he unpacks the way Jesus silently suffered an unjust crucifixion as an example to us but then goes on to spell out the benefits of his doing so in the salvation he brings to us. Jesus is more than an example. He is a saviour bearing away our sin and setting us on a new course in life.

The Apostle Peter reminds us of our high status in (2:9) we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. We do indeed have a high status in the sight of God. In our passage this week we discover that this privilege is the power we require for humble service. Following Jesus example, we look to the one who constrained himself, serving us, becoming human and dying for us. He served us that we might be free. Free to serve God. As we throw off sinful passions and endeavour to be model citizens, we testify to the world that God is good. Our witness even in the face of hostility is that we love this world and yet it is not our home. Ours is the kingdom. His kingdom and we wait patiently for his visitation.

The Apostle Peter lays out some amazing truths to describe the discouraged Christians in Asian Minor. They are a chosen race. A royal priesthood. A holy nation. A people for God’s own possession. Applying promises initially given to Israel Peter unashamedly says this is all now true for the church. And our response to this wonderful news is to proclaim His excellencies to one another and to the nations. We are God’s people. Set apart for Him. And we get to tell the world, ‘we were once in darkness but He has called us into his marvellous light!’

Peter continues to explain to his readers that they're the people of God by using three images: a foundation stone, the construction of a temple, and a stone that someone left on the floor for us to trip over.

God calls us to be holy as he is holy. This calling is a high bar, it is more than just being moral it is living a whole life set apart out of devotion to God. We are called not just to obey God but to do so out of love, awe and reverence. How is this even possible? We need to look up before we look in. We look to Jesus, the holy one, who became sin for us. The one who shed his precious blood more costly than silver or gold. Once we see what He has done it gives us power to go and live holy lives. Utterly devoted. Set apart for Him!

What does it look like to love one another? We often think deep community is impossible, we’re likely to get hurt, and our temptation is to give up. Or we assume true community is just ‘out there’ somewhere, and we just need to go out and find it. But the apostle Peter wants us to know that true community comes only through the transforming work of Jesus. First at work in our hearts and then overflowing into the lives of those around us. God invites us to ‘taste’ his goodness afresh. To be changed as we delight in Him. And He promises that as we delight in Him, He will transform us in to the loving church family He is calling us to be!