Monday 11 September 2023

 Background

Peter’s letter was sent to Christians who were facing undeserved hostility and persecution in the Roman provinces in Asia Minor. They were accused of disloyalty to the governing authorities and of living immorally. He urges them to remain steadfast in their faith while expressing their loyalty to Rome and to live demonstrably good lives.

Peter reminds them how Christ’s suffering led to salvation being on offer to sinners past and present. An 18th-century Methodist lay preacher called John Nelson recounted a dream about baptism that helped him grasp the immensity of that salvation. In the dream, he was bidden to wash in a river. Though he could not swim, the water bore him up. He saw all the filth drop away from his body and yet the water remained completely unsullied and crystal-clear, such was its purity. He was then carried above the clouds to heaven.

Verse 17 is about choosing the right option even if it causes us to suffer. Of his failure to speak out against the Nazis in the 1930s, the German pastor Martin Niemöller said: "First they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me." Niemöller was saying you can suffer if you try to avoid suffering.

In this passage it is worth reflecting on ‘the hope’ that Peter felt was the anchor of his faith and the manner in which he thought that hope should be expressed.

To Ponder:

• Do you feel that you face persecution sometimes as a Christian and how do you deal with that?
• Do you feel Jesus is washing you clean of your sins? What difference does that make?
• ‘All our hope on God is founded’ says the hymn. What is your hope?

Prayer

Father, we thank you for being prepared to wash away my sins and I ask that you give me the strength to say and do what is right, even if that causes me to be persecuted or ridiculed. Let me live in hope and not fear. Amen.