Hello everyone, my name is James and welcome to Thursdays podcast. Today our passage is 1 Peter 2:11-25. Today and tomorrow we are looking at the rest of 1 Peter chapter 2 and the start of chapter 3.

REFLECTION:

In your Bibles, like mine in front of me, you might spot the title “Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society”. In other words, how do we practically live as Gods people in the world today? Peter goes on to describe 3 examples… here’s how you relate to the government. Here’s how you relate in the workplace… Here’s how you relate to your other halves within marriage. We will finish the week with husbands and wives tomorrow. Before he gets to the nitty gritty… Peter needs us to remember we are called by God. 

We do right to remember verse 9 from yesterday… it sets the scene again for today and tomorrow, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

 

What does it mean to be called? I remember getting my first phone. I asked for one when I started high school. We are talking 2001 so they are starting to become increasingly common but not everyone had one like these days. If you know you know. Now to earn my phone I had to prove myself worthy of one to my mother. I was tasked to remember 20 numbers off by heart to show her I had use of a phone. She did not entertain my plea that phones had contact lists built in.  She insisted, I still had to complete the task. Prove myself worthy of the indestructible Nokia 3210. The point of that is this, when you get a call it disrupts you to take notice and respond. If we notice that is. My phone has been largely remained on silent since 2001. But the design is there. When we are called – we are disrupted from what we are doing – we take notice and we respond.Before we start to think about our topic for the next two days together, “how do we live as a Christian in todays world?” We need to answer the question, “Are we a Christian?”… “have we been called?”

 

Because the pitfall before us – is that we can see these next examples of living life better… relating to the government, relating to the workplace and relating within marriage and think if I act like that does that make me a Christian? Is a Christian someone who pays their taxes, works hard and loves people sacrificially? If I act like a Christian does that make me a Christian? No. A Christian is someone who has been called. Disrupted so-to-speak. And made a decision to submit to Jesus, recognising He gave his life for us so we can live our lives for Him.  

 

This might have already happened to you or it might be happening to you right now. The times we are in are a disturbance in many ways. I mentioned it yesterday, as Christians we believe that God did not send COVID-19 but he can use it. Perhaps the change in usual rhythms has made you aware of God trying to reveal himself to you? How will you answer? Are you a Christian or not? Now looking at this letter this way, we are going to focus on the two aspects included in our verses today that talk about living Christianly towards government and workplace. In many ways, this letter connects us with Christianity’s origins story. We need to remember this is not just an intellectual exercise. These are real people, in a real part of the world at a real time in history. These are our forefathers and mothers of the faith. And they are living under the Roman Empire. Facing hostility and harassment. To make a connection to the present day (that I’ll admit is not perfect but helpful) – it feels like we are under the rule of something right now… A different kind of global empire, this disease called COVID-19, and in many ways this thing over us does not bless us but opposes us. But it was in those environments and those limitations that the Jesus movement grew.