Let us pray: Almighty God, although we are scattered in different locations, you are One. Heavenly Father, send us your Holy Spirit to unite us and open our ears to hear your preached Word. Help us to know your presence as we follow in your steps. Comfort us by your Word and presence to life everlasting. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
During this time of pandemic and lockdown, my wife and I have been encouraging our kids to write letters to various people: family, friends, and those in our community here in Walla Walla. This has been really fun! It’s been a great way to stay connected while being separated. Conversations have gone back and forth about favourite board games, lockdown birthday experiences; and there’s been plenty of jokes and laughs.
This time of lockdown may be unsettling and new for us. But it’s not entirely new for the church. The church has faced pandemics before. The church has been scattered and isolated in the past. One of the ways the church survived was through letter writing. Letters provide a way of staying in touch and remaining somewhat connected, even while being scattered and apart.
The book of First Peter is actually a letter written to Christians scattered across the region of ancient Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). Peter addresses his letter: ‘To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.’ (1 Peter 1:1).
In our times we have technology like telephones, Zoom conference calls, and YouTube videos on the Internet to help us stay connected. But the early church had the technology of letters: thanks to the recent invention of papyrus (a material like paper), and the construction of roads and trade routes by the Roman Empire, they could write and send letters to connect with each other while being scattered. Copies of these letters were then circulated among the small but growing churches. Some of these copies have survived to this day. And this is exactly how First Peter came to our hands. So today we get to eavesdrop on this ancient conversation. I always find reading New Testament letters a bit weird! It’s like the NSW Bishop having a Zoom video call with various people across the state, and we all Zoom-bomb the call, secretly joining in to listen in! (“Zoom-bombing” is when an uninvited guest drops into an Internet video call).
The part of the letter we heard today is addressed to ‘slaves’ — we might better understand if we think of employees or workers. We can kind of piece together the situation of these workers from the rest of the letter:
- They were scattered all over a rural region of the Roman Empire (1 Peter 1:1). Because the recipients lived in a rural area, there’s some agricultural language in the letter: seeds, growing, sheep, shepherds, etc.
- Peter encourages the recipients to do good deeds, and live ‘holy’ lives (1 Peter 1:14–16; 2:12, 20; 3:8–13). ‘Holy’ just means ‘set apart.’
- As followers of Christ, they lived differently to those around them. They wouldn’t participate in some of the Roman cultural events e.g. feasts in honour of Roman gods. This made them stand out. Therefore they were persecuted, accused, insulted, and suffered (1 Peter 2:12, 19–20; 4:3).
I wonder: in what ways is your life ‘holy’ and set apart from the world around you? Can others tell that your life, as a follower of Jesus, is different? What actions or words makes you an ‘outsider or temporary resident’ (1 Peter 2:11) in this world? Here’s a challenge for you this week: tell someone you are a follower of Jesus. If you’re at work on Monday and someone asks you what you did on the weekend, tell them you joined with other Christians scattered around the world to listen to God’s voice. If you’re on social media, perhaps share a link to this service and comment on something that stood out to you. Write a letter to someone encouraging them with a Bible verse. Or notice an activity you already do that sets you apart from the world. But be warned: doing this may cause others to accuse or insult you.
In the midst of such suffering, Peter tells his recipients that they are following in the steps of Jesus. ‘To this [suffering] you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.’ (1 Peter 2:21). Peter is saying: “Because you follow Jesus, you will follow in his steps. What happened to him, will happen to you. He did good deeds, so you do good deeds. He was holy, so you are holy. He lived differently, so you will live differently. He suffered, so don’t be surprised when you suffer.”
Peter says that ‘Christ suffered for you.’ People hurled insults at Jesus, but he didn’t open his mouth. Instead, Jesus willingly went to the cross to die for you. Citing Isaiah chapter 53, Peter says, “By his wounds you have been healed.” (Isaiah 53:5). Amazing good news!
Have you ever played that children’s game where you walk in the footsteps of someone else? You can play it on the beach, or in long grass or muddy dirt. The idea is that one person marks out footprints, and a second person has to follow in their steps, only placing their feet in the existing footprints. You can make it really hard by jumping long distances!
You are following in the steps of Jesus. He has gone before you and marked the way. As you travel through life, you search for his footprints. Sometimes the footprints are close together and easy to find. Sometimes the footprints are further away and harder to spot. Sometimes you may go off the path, like a sheep gone astray (1 Peter 2:25). But the path is still there. And Jesus, your loving Good Shepherd, always invites you back.
Sheep follow a shepherd because the shepherd leads them to food and water, a safe place to rest. Sheep follow a ute with hay on the back because they know, when it stops, there’s going to be a feast. It’s the same with Jesus your Good Shepherd. He leads you to quiet waters and green pastures. When you listen to his voice, he promises to lead you to life everlasting.
Yet sometimes the shepherd needs to lead the flock down a deep ravine, take them through a dark valley, in order to reach green pastures. The ute might have to drive across rocky ground before the hay is kicked off in the right spot. Likewise, there are times that following Jesus means going through a dark valley or traversing rocky ground. There might be insults, suffering, pain, even death. But you have promise that Jesus is walking near to you. He’s with you, leading you through these dark and rocky places. And he comforts you with his word and presence.
So this week, may you follow in the steps of Jesus. May you do good deeds and live holy lives. May you live differently, set apart from the world. And as you suffer, as you walk through dark valleys and across rocky ground, may the Good Shepherd who has gone before you give you comfort and rest. And grace and peace be yours in abundance. Amen.
