Read 1 Peter 2:9-17 (NRSV)

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
Live as Servants of God

11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. 12Conduct yourselves honourably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honourable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.

13 For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, 14or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. 16As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. 17Honour everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honour the emperor.

Questions for Personal Reflection from Jerry Tankersley
1. How long has it been since you read the American Declaration of Independence? Have you ever thought about the difference between Thomas Jeffersons words and the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5? "For freedom Christ has set us free." "You have been called to freedom, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh." Or 1 Peter 2:16, "As servants of God, live as free people, only do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil."

2. Could it be that Christian freedom may only be realized by being a servant of Christ? "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

3. Peter suggested that we live as free people by honoring everyone. Why should we honor others? Why does human nature honor others? What about honoring dishonorable people? How does spiritual freedom lead to honoring others?

4. Peter exhorts us to love our brothers and sisters as an expression of our spiritual freedom. What is the connection between honor and love? Why might it be more difficult to love than to honor? Jesus gave to us a new commandment to love one another as he has loved us. In what sense was his life, death, and resurrection the great model for freedom and love?

5. When you read the command to fear God how does it make you feel? How is the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom? How does the awareness that we live, move, and have our being in God affect what we do, think, feel, and do?

6. Honor the emperor. Wow! We suspect all authority. American history is filled with hate speech and literature. Technology has complicated this. Think about the loss of civility in our culture. We are grateful for the freedoms we enjoy, the freedom of speech, religion, and of living without fear of the governing authorities. We have the right to protest, to vote, to shape and form our governmental authority. Do these political, economic, and religious freedoms mean a Christian may support a revolution, abuse others, violate laws, or place others in danger? How about paying taxes and being honest in our dealings with others? What about speaking the truth? How about passing on derogatory emails that insult those with whom we disagree?

7.  Read Romans 13 and ask how this passage is an expression of Christian liberty. What does a Christian do when political authority becomes demonic, totalitarian, and oppressive of the rights of its citizens?
 

America the Beautiful
Words by Katharine Lee Bates,
Melody by Samuel Ward

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!

O beautiful for pilgrims feet,
Whose stem impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through
wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and twice,
for man's avail
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!

The Story That Is Ours To Tell

Read Luke 22:14-30 (NRSV)
The Institution of the Lord’s Supper
14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. 15He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ 17Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ 19Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ 20And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. 22For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!’ 23Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.


The Dispute about Greatness
24 A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25But he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. 27For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
28 ‘You are those who have stood by me in my trials; 29and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, 30so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Read 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NRSV)
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.

Questions for Personal Reflection from Jerry Tankersley
N.T. Wright suggested that the Bible’s story is like a five act drama. The chapters could be entitled: Creation; The Fall of Adam, The Story of Israel; The Jesus Story; and The Church’s Story. 

• In which act do we live? 
• Divide your own life story up into five acts and summarize the content of each act. Is your story the same story? Is there a progressive development from one act to another? 
• Did the story take off in another direction at any point that could not have been predicted? 
• If you could write the final act of your life story would it be a fulfillment of the whole story or a disappointing loss of all for which you have dreamed and worked?
• How do you think the big story of the Bible ends?

N.T. Wright wrote,“We who call ourselves Christians must be totally committed to telling the story of Jesus both as the climax of Israel’s story and as the foundation of our own.” Can you make a list of the central facts of the Jesus story?


Has the church’s story replaced Israel’s story? In what sense might 1 Peter 2:9-10 suggest this replacement theory? Compare this with Romans 11.


Peter argues that the Gentile believers were “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people or peculiar people”. See Exodus 19:1-6. How does the church that you know live out these elements of spiritual identity?


Consider the sermon’s quote of James Bryan Smith’s, The Good and Beautiful Community. He argues that the church is a peculiar community because our God is peculiar. How is our God peculiar?


On the basis of the 1 Peter 2:9-10, what is God’s mission through the church in our world?


How does the light of God shine through the life and work of our congregation? In addition to what the sermon suggested, what would you add to our allowing the light of Jesus to illumine the spiritual darkness of the human condition?


Prayer
Healing Grace
by Chisum/Sadler 1994
Merciful God and Father, loving us like no other,
Hear our prayer, the cry of our hearts, as we come to you;
We acknowledge our transgressions,
We confess to you our sins, show us mercy and compassion,
Touch our lives with your healing grace again.

Chip Off The Old Block

Read 1 Peter 2:4-8 (NRSV)

4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

6 For it stands in scripture:
‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ 7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe,‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner’, 8 and ‘A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.’They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

Questions for Personal Reflection from Steve Sweet

Think about how you might answer these questions:
Who am I?
Where do I get my worth?
What am I here for?
Why do I matter?

When you are going through the “thick and thin of life” who or what do you rely upon to get you through, and give you strength?

Peter tells us that we are living stones, part of God’s spiritual house, with Christ as our cornerstone. What difference has that made in your life? How does that bring you encouragement today?

How is Christ precious to you? Why?

Trinity Prayer by Richard Rohr

God for us, we call You Father,
God alongside us, we call You Jesus,
God within us, we call You Holy Spirit.

You are the Eternal Mystery
that enables, enfolds, and enlivens all things,
even us,
 and even me.

Every name falls short of your
Goodness and Greatness.

We can only see who You are in what is.
We ask for such perfect seeing.

As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be.

Amen

Glimpses of Grace

Read Luke 24:44-49 (NRSV)

44Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ 45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’

Read 1 Peter 1:10-12 (NRSV)

10Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, 11inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated, when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. 12It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look!

Questions for Personal Reflection from Jerry Tankersley

When you watch the evening news, which network do you choose? Is it because of the news content or the channels take on the news? 

Do you have a favorite author who writes with authority for you and whom you trust? Who might that be and what is there about the authority’s voice that draws you?

If you could get a glimpse into the future what would you like to see or to hear?

When you read the Bible do you feel spoken to by a voice of authority? Whose voice is it that speaks through scripture? Is there a central message that you hear from the voice?

Place yourself in the chariot with the Ethiopian in Acts 8:26-40. What did Philip say to him that influenced him to ask for baptism? What was it that opened his mind to the reality of God’s kingdom?

How would you describe the Holy Spirit in relation to the Father, and the Son?

Have you ever felt the presence of the Spirit in your life? Was it a positive feeling or frightening?

What impact did the Holy Spirit have upon God’s mission through the church?

Write your definition of grace.

Prayer of Confession

Holy Spirit of forgiveness, come to us again:

shake our hearts, set our souls on fire with your love.

We hold out to you all our particular burdens of guilt and sin,

and we ask for your help to live the way of your justice and love.

Fruit That Will Last

Read John 15:1-17 (NRSV)

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. ²He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. ³You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. ⁹As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

12 ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. ¹⁶You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. ¹⁷I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

Read 1 Peter 1:22-25

22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. ²³You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴For
‘All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls, 
²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures for ever.’
That word is the good news that was announced to you.

Questions for Personal Reflection from Jerry Tankersley

Have you every planted a garden for the purpose of growing vegetables or fruit?  How did it go?

We can learn a lot about life from observing the natural processes of nature.  Food gardens have predators.  Even the produce or fruit from a garden must be eaten in good time.  Is there a lesson about the transitory nature of all natural and human processes? 

Jesus said he had chosen his disciples to go and bear fruit, fruit that would last.  Is there some fruit, labor, investment of your time and energy, that you hope will last forever?

Peter quoted Isaiah 40:6-8, “the grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of the Lord endures forever. The people are grass.”  If we are impermanent, how can we get the living and enduring word of God into our lives?

What is the connection between the word of God and the love of God?  Can you name the fruits of the Spirit?  
Check out Galatians 5.

The sermon said God speaks, God transforms, God empowers mission.  Is the Word, Jesus Christ, calling you to be his living word to someone beyond your comfort level?  
Explore what that may mean for you today; how might that look?

Prayer, The Peace Prayer

St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is error, the truth;

Where there is doubt, the faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

From Piggish Ways to Holy Conduct

Read 1 Peter 1:13-22
Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. ¹⁴Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. ¹⁵Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; ¹⁶for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’

17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. ¹⁸You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. ²⁰He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. ²¹Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. 22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.

Read 1 Peter 3:1-8
Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct, ²when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. ³Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; ⁴rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight. ⁵It was in this way long ago that the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of their husbands. ⁶Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters as long as you do what is good and never let fears alarm you.

7 Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in your life together, paying honour to the woman as the weaker sex, since they too are also heirs of the gracious gift of life—so that nothing may hinder your prayers.

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

Questions for Personal Reflection from Jerry Tankersley

If you were to write a prayer based on 1 Peter 1:16 what would you pray?

Think about what you have inherited from your family.  Not just material things as important as they may be, but your spiritual inheritance.  Make a list of the good, beautiful, and precious gifts you have received that have made you into the person you are.

Did you read the May 30, 2011, issue of Time Magazine? Click HERE to view the article.  What do you make of Nancy Gibbs article about powerful people behaving like pigs?  What is the piggish behavior she describes and critiques?

If you could add some names and faces to the Misconduct Matrix in Time whose would they be.

What has God done to deliver us from the futile ways inherited from our ancestors?

What questions come to your mind about Peter’s exhortations to wives and husbands in chapter 3?

How can men and women nurture their common dignity and show respect for one another?

Do you want to be holy?  What would that mean?

Prayer 

“You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)
by Dr. M. Craig Barnes (blog posting April 22, 2011)

When you inspired Peter to write these words, you had to know that this is a pretty tough call for us to fulfill.  I would love to say that I want to be holy, but I wonder – is there some besetting sin, some socially appropriate addiction, that I am not about ready to lay down?  No, there is not one.  There are many.  Not only can I not obey the imperative to be holy, I cannot even succeed in honestly wanting it.

My only hope is that you never meant for this to be an imperative.  What if it’s a promise?  I shall be holy because Jesus Christ is holy, and by your Spirit, you are transforming me into his image.  You are not limited by either my sin or my addicted will. Make me holy, O God, for my soul will never rest with anything less.  I know in my best moments that my real desire is for you.  Amen.
 

Half Empty, Half Full, or...

Read 1 Peter 1:3-9

1Pet. 1:3   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,  5 who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  6 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials,  7 so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  8 Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,  9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

Questions for Personal Reflection from Steve Sweet

Do you tend to be a "half full" or "half empty" kind of person? 

What difference has Christ made in the way you look at life's challenges?

What promise from I Peter 1:6-9 gives you needed hope for the challenge or challenges that you face at this time in your life?

One point made in Sunday's sermon was this: "God has a way of putting the right person at the right time in our life to encourage us along".  

How has God done this for you, as you look back on your life?

Prayer, "The Prayer of St. Patrick"

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of the wind,

Depth of the sea,

Stability of the earth,

Firmness of the rock.

I arise today

Through God's strength to pilot me;

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's hosts to save me

Afar and anear,

Alone or in a multitude.

Against every cruel and merciless power

that may oppose my body and soul.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through the mighty strength

Of the Lord of creation.