Hello Friends,
This week we are
taking a break from the lectionary to engage in a Wesley Covenant Renewal
Service. Our text for this week is 1 Peter 1:13-2:10, which is below. Also on this blog site is a copy of the covenant we will be using this Sunday.
1 Peter 1:13-2:5
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. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to
the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you
is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall
be holy, for I am holy.’
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. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways
inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,
but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or
blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed
at the end of the ages for your sake. Through 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.
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. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of
imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. For ‘All flesh
is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers,
and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures for ever.’ That word is
the good news that was announced to you.
Rid yourselves,
therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.
Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may
grow into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Come to him, a
living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s
sight, and 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.
STARTER THOUGHTS
1.
There’s a lot to chew on in this passage of
scripture. What stood out most to you as you read it? Were there portions you
found easier or harder to read?
2.
1 Peter is a letter of encouragement that
celebrates the eternal inheritance enjoyed by those who are born anew. However,
this rebirth is the springboard for transformation. Reread verses 13-16. What
does it mean to you to prepare your mind for action? To discipline yourself? To
set all your hope on Jesus? What “desires that you formerly had in ignorance”
are you being called to relinquish?
3.
This text contains many admonishments but little
practical advice. For example the command to “be holy” is great, but how does
one go about doing that? Peter tells us to “Rid [ourselves] of all malice, and
all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.” This is easier said than done. Societal
pressures to envy others are everywhere and malice is commonplace in our
culture. How do we go about becoming spiritual houses? What are some of the
practices that you think are essential for us to be holy people?
4.
The Wesley Covenant Prayer (also on this webpage)
will be at the center of this Sunday’s worship. As you read over this, are
there portions that seem questionable to you? Are there parts you disagree with
or have a hard time accepting? Why?
5.
From an outsider’s perspective, how do you think
those who have put their lives in God’s hands appear or act differently from
those who have no faith? Or how should we act differently?
As always, I look forward to your thoughts. Feel free to
email me or post here.
Peace,
Amee
No comments:
Post a Comment