Sermon from 22nd April
This week our Vicar, Cameron Barker's sermon is based on the reading from
1 Peter: 1-9
I wonder what seeing one of these (key) does for you? Does it bring back memories of your 18th, or 21st birthday, perhaps? As you can tell, these items were once all the rage for such occasions! Or perhaps it reminds you of the day when you first got your very own set of house keys? Hopefully you can still recall the significance that you felt at those moments – even if they are now far behind you, doubtless as a key-wielder of many years' standing now!
Many of us will take them for granted now; but keys do play an important role in our lives. It's not just what keys do that matters: it's also what they signify. Having our own keys says things about what independent, mature, responsible people we are. And so, how we use the keys that we have is equally important. It shows how mature and responsible we truly are. Most of us do like to think that we are mature and responsible people. Be careful though! Today's Bible passage is going to test that claim to the full!
You see, as we begin this new series, from Peter's first letter we have been given nothing less than a whole bunch of keys! How we use these keys in the coming weeks – and then beyond this series – will show whether we really are the mature, responsible, mission-shaped, people that God wants us to be. What we've been given are keys to unlock the meaning of Easter. More than that, these keys unlock the past in God. They're also keys to unlock the present in him. And they are even keys to unlock the future in him! They are also keys for us to understand how God wants us to live for him now. And, just for good measure, these keys unlock this whole letter too. But I won't pursue that line any further now, because I don't want to put you off right at the start!
So, let's pick up instead on how this passage is the key to us understanding Easter. After all we are just 2 weeks past that greatest event in the Christian year. And if we don't understand Easter properly then we're in serious trouble. If we don't understand Easter we won't grasp how the past, present, and future changed in that one instant! That is what happened on the first Easter Day. The past, present, and future were changed for all time, and with huge implications! At that moment, as Peter wrote here, the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his great mercy gave us new life and / birth into a living hope, by raising / the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death / the dead.”
It is a truly staggering thought. Through that one event, the resurrection of Jesus, we see the nature of God's mercy. In it we see how God put an end to death, and gave us life in its place. This new, God-given life changes and shapes our life, in the present and in the future. It's a life full of hope. It's hope for the present, and hope of an eternal future to spend with God himself! God has given us a living hope, one in which we can trust, and on which we can build our lives. And this is all a free gift from God! It's not because we deserve it, or have earned it – but just because God loves us! That is the definition of mercy – that we are given for free what we don't deserve, and haven't earned!
No wonder Peter got so excited about it: “Let us give thanks / Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!”, he wrote. Peter knew very well what it was like to have been given this new life, and a new hope. Peter of all people knew he didn't deserve God's mercy. He was the one who had deserted Jesus in his hour of greatest need, despite his bold promises never to do such a thing. But because of Jesus' resurrection Peter had been given not just a second chance but a whole new life! Easter had transformed his present and future! And he couldn't wait to share this good news with other people – like those he wrote this letter to.
But Peter also knew that this good news didn't just impact the present and the future. There will be more on the future in a moment, and more on the present later too. But first let's think about the impact of Jesus' resurrection on the past – which is even more staggering in some ways! Later in this chapter Peter also told his readers how this had been God's plan since before the world began! This had been the moment that the OT prophets had looked forward to, but hadn't seen! The angels had wanted to know what was going to happen, and when – but even they hadn't known! Yet God knew – as he also knew all along that we were going to accept this offer of new life / birth!
Jesus' resurrection was the moment that all history had been building up to! Easter – and this new life of hope that God has given people through Jesus' resurrection – was an event that had literally been tens of thousands of years in the planning! That truth invites us to read the OT – and to understand human history – in a whole new way. And then consider this. All along, God knew that we were going to respond to it! It's truly mind-blowing – and it surely must impact how we live for God in the present.
Before we get to the present though, let's look to the future that Peter describes here. Because of Jesus' resurrection our future is guaranteed too, by God himself. He's keeping it safe for us in heaven, Peter assures us – where it can never decay, or spoil, or fade. God's blessings – which are even richer than these we already know about – are there waiting for us in heaven. They're safe, and are being looked after by God until he gives them to us in person. And, even more than that, God is keeping us safe until we are ready to receive all these blessings from him! What an amazing future has been assured for us by Jesus resurrection!
These are quite some keys we've been given today! They have unlocked the significance and meaning of Easter. They have set out the new life and hope that God gave when he raised Jesus from death. They've also unlocked the most important secret of history. And they've unlocked the future that is guaranteed for all who believe in Jesus. So, what about the present? Well Peter has already said that it is to be filled with thanks and praise to God for this gift of life and hope. Not surprisingly, Peter had more to say about how we're to respond to all God has given us through Jesus' resurrection. Our present is also to be filled with a great and glorious joy that's almost too vast to put into words!
That doesn't mean we're not to try to express this great and glorious joy we now experience. Peter, and many other NT writers, have set the example of how we can and must try to make our response to all that God has done for us through Jesus' resurrection. We do have to recognise, though, that no human words can ever fully express what we want to say in response to such a gift. Even if we can't express it, we can live in the present with this absolute assurance of what awaits us in our eternal future – no matter what may happen to us between now and when we get there.
And that brings us neatly on to the other key we've been given today – the key to unlock the whole of Peter's first letter. All the scholars are agreed that the one verse which explains why and how Peter wrote comes in this passage. There was a good reason that Peter reminded his readers first about this sure hope they now had. He wanted them to express their joy at it, and to hold firmly onto their assured future – because life was very unsure for his readers! There's every chance that Peter himself was in prison when he wrote this letter. And he wrote it to people who had been scattered to the furthest outposts of the Roman Empire – because of their faith in Jesus!
That list of towns where Peter wrote to probably doesn't mean much to us. History tells us they were in modern- day Turkey – but even that wasn't a safe distance from the persecution that had scattered the early church by 60AD. Peter wrote to remind his readers of the essential facts of their faith as they prepared for more of the same kind of treatment. He wanted them to express their joy in the new life they now had. He wanted them to be sure of the future Jesus' resurrection guaranteed them – and then to face up to the coming persecution with the right, godly perspective!
Peter told them how they were to see what had already come their way, and whatever was about to come their way. Whatever trials they faced, whatever griefs, only acted to test and purify their faith! This was how they could prove that their faith was genuine. It would be proved genuine if they could face those trials and griefs while still rejoicing in their new life of hope, and holding onto that assured eternal future that God was keeping safe for them! And that's essentially why he wrote this letter – to say just this!
Now of course those aren't circumstances that we have to face! There are plenty of Christians around the world today who do face persecution for their faith, though; and we must remember and pray for them. There could even come a time when our situation changes – however unlikely that may seem. But even if it doesn't, many of us do face trials and griefs of other kinds. Some of us face the challenges of illness, bereavement, unemployment, or family break-down – to name a few. Peter's words still speak loud and clear to those have to endure such things. They do test our faith – but they also give us the opportunity to prove it is genuine. At those times we too need to remember the new life of hope that Jesus' resurrection has given us – and all those blessings God is keeping safe for us in heaven!
This letter speaks to us just as much if our life is easier, though. It certainly never hurts to be reminded of all that God has done for us through Jesus' resurrection – of the life of hope that we can now live, and of what awaits us in heaven. We can all do with remembering the vast scale and scope of God's plan, and the only right way to respond to that – with thanks and praise and inexpressible joy!
These are the keys that we've been given today. So will we take and use these keys in a mature, responsible, and mission-shaped way – today and in the time to come? Will our lives be filled with thanks and praise, and great joy because of what God has done for us? Will we face griefs and trials on the basis of this sure hope that we have, and see them as a way of proving that our faith is genuine? And will we go on unlocking this letter, and learning how to live for God in all circumstances? We now have these keys. It's up to us to use them. So let's pray that we will ...
1 Peter: 1-9
I wonder what seeing one of these (key) does for you? Does it bring back memories of your 18th, or 21st birthday, perhaps? As you can tell, these items were once all the rage for such occasions! Or perhaps it reminds you of the day when you first got your very own set of house keys? Hopefully you can still recall the significance that you felt at those moments – even if they are now far behind you, doubtless as a key-wielder of many years' standing now!
Many of us will take them for granted now; but keys do play an important role in our lives. It's not just what keys do that matters: it's also what they signify. Having our own keys says things about what independent, mature, responsible people we are. And so, how we use the keys that we have is equally important. It shows how mature and responsible we truly are. Most of us do like to think that we are mature and responsible people. Be careful though! Today's Bible passage is going to test that claim to the full!
You see, as we begin this new series, from Peter's first letter we have been given nothing less than a whole bunch of keys! How we use these keys in the coming weeks – and then beyond this series – will show whether we really are the mature, responsible, mission-shaped, people that God wants us to be. What we've been given are keys to unlock the meaning of Easter. More than that, these keys unlock the past in God. They're also keys to unlock the present in him. And they are even keys to unlock the future in him! They are also keys for us to understand how God wants us to live for him now. And, just for good measure, these keys unlock this whole letter too. But I won't pursue that line any further now, because I don't want to put you off right at the start!
So, let's pick up instead on how this passage is the key to us understanding Easter. After all we are just 2 weeks past that greatest event in the Christian year. And if we don't understand Easter properly then we're in serious trouble. If we don't understand Easter we won't grasp how the past, present, and future changed in that one instant! That is what happened on the first Easter Day. The past, present, and future were changed for all time, and with huge implications! At that moment, as Peter wrote here, the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his great mercy gave us new life and / birth into a living hope, by raising / the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death / the dead.”
It is a truly staggering thought. Through that one event, the resurrection of Jesus, we see the nature of God's mercy. In it we see how God put an end to death, and gave us life in its place. This new, God-given life changes and shapes our life, in the present and in the future. It's a life full of hope. It's hope for the present, and hope of an eternal future to spend with God himself! God has given us a living hope, one in which we can trust, and on which we can build our lives. And this is all a free gift from God! It's not because we deserve it, or have earned it – but just because God loves us! That is the definition of mercy – that we are given for free what we don't deserve, and haven't earned!
No wonder Peter got so excited about it: “Let us give thanks / Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!”, he wrote. Peter knew very well what it was like to have been given this new life, and a new hope. Peter of all people knew he didn't deserve God's mercy. He was the one who had deserted Jesus in his hour of greatest need, despite his bold promises never to do such a thing. But because of Jesus' resurrection Peter had been given not just a second chance but a whole new life! Easter had transformed his present and future! And he couldn't wait to share this good news with other people – like those he wrote this letter to.
But Peter also knew that this good news didn't just impact the present and the future. There will be more on the future in a moment, and more on the present later too. But first let's think about the impact of Jesus' resurrection on the past – which is even more staggering in some ways! Later in this chapter Peter also told his readers how this had been God's plan since before the world began! This had been the moment that the OT prophets had looked forward to, but hadn't seen! The angels had wanted to know what was going to happen, and when – but even they hadn't known! Yet God knew – as he also knew all along that we were going to accept this offer of new life / birth!
Jesus' resurrection was the moment that all history had been building up to! Easter – and this new life of hope that God has given people through Jesus' resurrection – was an event that had literally been tens of thousands of years in the planning! That truth invites us to read the OT – and to understand human history – in a whole new way. And then consider this. All along, God knew that we were going to respond to it! It's truly mind-blowing – and it surely must impact how we live for God in the present.
Before we get to the present though, let's look to the future that Peter describes here. Because of Jesus' resurrection our future is guaranteed too, by God himself. He's keeping it safe for us in heaven, Peter assures us – where it can never decay, or spoil, or fade. God's blessings – which are even richer than these we already know about – are there waiting for us in heaven. They're safe, and are being looked after by God until he gives them to us in person. And, even more than that, God is keeping us safe until we are ready to receive all these blessings from him! What an amazing future has been assured for us by Jesus resurrection!
These are quite some keys we've been given today! They have unlocked the significance and meaning of Easter. They have set out the new life and hope that God gave when he raised Jesus from death. They've also unlocked the most important secret of history. And they've unlocked the future that is guaranteed for all who believe in Jesus. So, what about the present? Well Peter has already said that it is to be filled with thanks and praise to God for this gift of life and hope. Not surprisingly, Peter had more to say about how we're to respond to all God has given us through Jesus' resurrection. Our present is also to be filled with a great and glorious joy that's almost too vast to put into words!
That doesn't mean we're not to try to express this great and glorious joy we now experience. Peter, and many other NT writers, have set the example of how we can and must try to make our response to all that God has done for us through Jesus' resurrection. We do have to recognise, though, that no human words can ever fully express what we want to say in response to such a gift. Even if we can't express it, we can live in the present with this absolute assurance of what awaits us in our eternal future – no matter what may happen to us between now and when we get there.
And that brings us neatly on to the other key we've been given today – the key to unlock the whole of Peter's first letter. All the scholars are agreed that the one verse which explains why and how Peter wrote comes in this passage. There was a good reason that Peter reminded his readers first about this sure hope they now had. He wanted them to express their joy at it, and to hold firmly onto their assured future – because life was very unsure for his readers! There's every chance that Peter himself was in prison when he wrote this letter. And he wrote it to people who had been scattered to the furthest outposts of the Roman Empire – because of their faith in Jesus!
That list of towns where Peter wrote to probably doesn't mean much to us. History tells us they were in modern- day Turkey – but even that wasn't a safe distance from the persecution that had scattered the early church by 60AD. Peter wrote to remind his readers of the essential facts of their faith as they prepared for more of the same kind of treatment. He wanted them to express their joy in the new life they now had. He wanted them to be sure of the future Jesus' resurrection guaranteed them – and then to face up to the coming persecution with the right, godly perspective!
Peter told them how they were to see what had already come their way, and whatever was about to come their way. Whatever trials they faced, whatever griefs, only acted to test and purify their faith! This was how they could prove that their faith was genuine. It would be proved genuine if they could face those trials and griefs while still rejoicing in their new life of hope, and holding onto that assured eternal future that God was keeping safe for them! And that's essentially why he wrote this letter – to say just this!
Now of course those aren't circumstances that we have to face! There are plenty of Christians around the world today who do face persecution for their faith, though; and we must remember and pray for them. There could even come a time when our situation changes – however unlikely that may seem. But even if it doesn't, many of us do face trials and griefs of other kinds. Some of us face the challenges of illness, bereavement, unemployment, or family break-down – to name a few. Peter's words still speak loud and clear to those have to endure such things. They do test our faith – but they also give us the opportunity to prove it is genuine. At those times we too need to remember the new life of hope that Jesus' resurrection has given us – and all those blessings God is keeping safe for us in heaven!
This letter speaks to us just as much if our life is easier, though. It certainly never hurts to be reminded of all that God has done for us through Jesus' resurrection – of the life of hope that we can now live, and of what awaits us in heaven. We can all do with remembering the vast scale and scope of God's plan, and the only right way to respond to that – with thanks and praise and inexpressible joy!
These are the keys that we've been given today. So will we take and use these keys in a mature, responsible, and mission-shaped way – today and in the time to come? Will our lives be filled with thanks and praise, and great joy because of what God has done for us? Will we face griefs and trials on the basis of this sure hope that we have, and see them as a way of proving that our faith is genuine? And will we go on unlocking this letter, and learning how to live for God in all circumstances? We now have these keys. It's up to us to use them. So let's pray that we will ...
posted by Parish Administrator at 6:08 pm
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