1 Peter 1:17-21

1 Peter 1:17-21 

English Standard Version 

  This Black Friday, there will be lots of focus on reduced prices.  The idea is that you can get something of high value for lower price -- you're focused on the value you obtain for the price.  Something that was unappealing at higher cost is now far more interesting due to the lower cost.

  It's funny to think of God flipping through ads from the Sunday newspaper, each page displaying a different person, and God deciding what price to pay to ransom us.  Thankfully, that's not how the process went.  God didn't wait for us to go on sale.  God knew that the cost to ransom us was more than silver or gold, but God didn't hesitate, even though the cost was the life of Jesus Christ.  God was willing to pay any price, because God values you as worth it.  

  So this week, whenever you see an ad, think of God placing a supreme value on you, loving you enough to pay for you with the precious blood of Christ.  May the non-stop commercial bombardment of this season be a reminder to you of God's amazing love.

Entitlement

   I recently finished Entitlement by Rumaan Alam.  The review from the New York Times on the Amazon page calls it a 'psychological thriller'.  If you choose to read this book, I think the word 'thriller' is unlikely to be one of the words you use to describe it.  Given that it currently averages 3.3 stars out of 311 reviews, I'm guessing that it's unlikely you'll read this book.  I don't blame you.  There are plenty of other books out there that are actually thrilling.  I also finished Richard Osman's We Solve Murders, which was thrilling.  But if you want a book that makes you think, Entitlement will work for that, depending on how comfortable you are with subtle confrontation.  The book prods.

  It's a story about a woman, Brooke Orr, in New York who starts a new job in her mid-thirties working for a foundation.  The foundation is a newly formed effort by a billionaire who is looking to change the world.  Or manage his tax liabilities, depending on one's perspective.  What makes the book interesting is the way that being around the billionaire changes Brooke.  She begins to see the way wealth and power influences people, the way it changes the world they live in.  She begins to see herself as equally deserving of privilege and power.  She starts to demand things.

  It makes one think about how the Scriptures don't tell us that money is the root of all evil.  It's the love of money that is the root of all evil.  What we choose to love changes us.  As Tim Keller says, whether fundamentalism is good or bad depends on what your fundamental is.  If it's a self-giving God who pours himself out so that others may have life and have it abundantly, then that type of fundamentalism will drive you to fixate on serving others.  If we choose to love money and begin to expect the world to treat us differently based on the amount of it we have, then that changes us, too, and not in a good way.

  I also recently re-read C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce.  It's a tale of interactions between people choosing whether or not to go to heaven.  Those in heaven have come to implore them to choose heaven, to choose to grow into the people God has made them to be.  They talk about how the choices they make will color backwards, transforming the way they see all the choices beforehand.  If they choose grace and goodness, then that will trace its way back to the roots and everything before will be changed.

  The choices we make change us, often in subtle ways.  Our friends notice it, as Brooke's did in Entitlement.  But we often think it's our friends that have changed, not us.  We view it as part of maturation, and attribute things to our friends lack thereof.  But we're always changing, growing, picking up new things and setting others down.  Entitlement is a warning, in many ways, that the power and privileges that come along with money will twist the soul, despite our intentions and the thought that we can control it.  We must be careful around fire -- we cannot hold it without getting burned.  

1 Peter 1:13-16

1 Peter 1:13-16 

English Standard Version 

  I doubt that many of us think about God often enough.  We think about a lot of things -- the things we have to do, the things that are waiting once we are done with those, and sometimes we think about what we should have done or said.  I'm probably not the only one who often comes up with the perfect thing to say 10 minutes after the opportunity to say it arose.  What do you think about in your free time?  I heard a preacher once say that what you think about when you have nothing else to think about is your true god.  It's an interesting idea -- and one I try not to think about!

  Do you think about God as holy?  I imagine the elders gathered around the throne of grace, throwing their crowns down upon the ground and chanting holy, holy, holy.  They love to sing about the holiness of God.  The New Testament lays out the idea that the more we think about the holiness of God, we'll be inspired to live in a more holy way, because we're so grateful to God for giving us that holiness as a free gift through the grace of Jesus Christ.  

  God is holy.  Dwell on that for a time today.  Think of God on the throne, surrounded by unapproachable light.  Appreciate that for a time.  God is holy.  May that inspire us to make more holy choices in our lives.

Psalms 73:23-28

Psalm 73:23-28 

English Standard Version 

  I'm traveling for a bit, so I'll be taking the next two weeks off and will pick up later.  I'll leave you with these words of wisdom from the Psalms.  Whom in heaven do we have besides God?  Everything else around us may fail.  Everything else within us may fail.  But God will never fail nor forsake us.  God is faithful, and we can take comfort and peace knowing that God abides with us.  May we pray for the wisdom to make the Lord our refuge, that we may shelter in the grace of God and go forth to tell the world about the gracious God we worship.

1 Peter 1:10-12

1 Peter 1:10-12 

English Standard Version 

  I've always loved this concept in Scripture -- that we receive the good news into which angels long to look.  We take it for granted, because we've heard the good news proclaimed so many times, but it's a precious, precious gift, and we ought to treasure it each time we hear it.  It's not one taken lightly, for the prophets spent their time and energy inquiring carefully as to the heart of the message.  So may we receive it and give it the consideration it deserves -- to invest our time and attention into it, pondering it like Mary treasured the Good News that was delivered to her.

Endurance

  I'd heard about the exploration of Antartica in 1914 led by Shackleton, but I never had more than cursory knowledge of the trip.  I finished Alfred Lansing's Endurance last week, which is the full story of the incredible voyage, and it's one of the most remarkable true stories I've ever read.  I have absolutely zero interest in a polar expedition, due to my strong desire to not lose limbs to frostbite, but I admire the courage and determination of those who lead and participate in such journeys.  

  Shackleton's journey took a turn for the worse when he and the 27 members of his crew became stuck in the pack ice, drifting at the mercy of polar ice for months before their ship was eventually crushed by the ice.  Then they were left to try and hike as far as they could before taking to the boats, eventually landing on Elephant Island, an inhospitable spot in the midst of an angry sea.  Once there, 6 men set out in a small boat to navigate 800 miles across the violent Southern Sea, one of the most ambitious feats of navigation in recorded history.  Then, once they somehow landed on South Georgia Island, three of the six men had to hike 29 miles across mountainous/blizzard conditions to reach help.  

  Somehow, Shackleton didn't lose a single crew member.  Every time I turned the page, when I thought things were as bad as they could get, somehow they got worse, but the crew persevered.  It's amazing to think of the obstacles they overcame.  In the final voyage to South Georgia Island, it seemed like every minute brought potential calamity, but they solved each problem, one by one, and they were all rescued.

  It makes me think of Lamentations 3, when we're told that God's mercies are new every morning.  We so often have no idea what we'll face each day.  When they first got snared in the ice, if you'd told Shackleton and the crew what awaited them, they might have given up.  But they didn't know what awaited them, and they simply dealt with the challenges, day by day.  They found a way to manage.

  A very wise woman once told me that worry is negative prayer.  May we trust in God that we'll have the strength to manage what's in front of us, and let the future take care of itself.  We don't know what awaits and we'll only discover the resources when we get there.  

1 Peter 1:3-9

1 Peter 1:3-9 

English Standard Version 

  Our hope in Christ isn't simply static.  It's a living hope, which means that it's resilient.  No matter what happens in the world, our hope doesn't fall down in defeat -- it's alive, and it's adapting.  The despair you may face?  Our hope can adapt to that.  The fears you have in the world?  Our hope can show strength in the face of these.  

  Peter reminds the exiles that their inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.  No matter what the world threatens, the inheritance we have with Christ cannot be stolen away, even in the face of the gravest threats.  We often shrink back in fear, uncertain of what to do next.  In those moments, may we take a deep, deep breath and remember that we are guarded by God's power.

1 Peter 1:1-2

1 Peter 1:1-2

English Standard Version 

  Here we have Peter, writing to a number of exiles, spread across a region.  Imagine all these exiles have going through their minds,  everything they have going on in their lives... and the most important thing that Peter can remind them of is that they are the elect who have been sprinkled with the blood of Christ.  May the grace and peace of God fill them.

  In the same way, we as a country have a lot going on, and the people are very divided.  There will be countless emotions as America goes to the polls today.  People will be searching for their true identity.  In these times, may we remember that above all else, we have been sprinkled with the blood of Christ, claimed in the waters of baptism, and before anything else in the world, we belong to Christ.

Psalm 18:31-35

Psalm 18:31-35 

English Standard Version 

  The Psalmist gives us an image of God as protector, setting our feet secure on the heights, and teacher as well -- God prepares us and sends us out into the world to serve.  We don't go on our own, because it's God who supports us and God who protects us and God who enables us to take the next step.  

  So the question for each of us, the question for all of us -- do we make time to train with God?  Are we listening for the voice and guidance of God?  Are we intentional about thinking of building ourselves, of allowing God to guide as we grow?  I don't think this happens by accident, but rather by intent.  When we focus and dedicate ourselves to learn from God and grow in discipleship, then we draw closer to God and feel both the security and the sending of God.

Psalm 18:25-30

Psalm 18:25-30 

English Standard Version

  When I read this Psalm, which is my favorite, I always get pumped up.  I understand the Psalmist's words here -- with God, we can jump over walls and run against impossible odds.  We're so excited about who God is and what God is doing that it energizes our very souls.  God is perfect and true, and God opts to be for us.  God uses God's power and God's word to pave a path forward for us through opposition and through death.  There was a dead end, but God brought life, and it's all because God is pure love and grace.  None of it is deserved, and all of it is gift.  

  May we find our refuge in God, day after day after day, and let that powerful love be a shield around our weary and embattled souls.