28 November 2006

Reflections on portions of the letter called 1 Peter. Often the day's piece of scripture will simple be added to the one that was used for the devotion from the day previous so as to give more context to the passage.

Blessed be the God the 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, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

God sets us up. Not only that...the writer praises God for such a set up! Note that all the action takes place from God who acts through Christ, Jesus. Who are we? We are the recipients of this great gift of God's unending love being handed over to us forever. Now, forever may simple carry the sound of time, but we must look at that again. We are a part of this inheritance. We are part of the promise that God makes with humanity and it is such an action by God that it is untouchable. By that, I simply mean that it cannot be denied to us because of what we do...it cannot be suspended in front of us pending our appropriate actions or responses...it cannot be. Wait, maybe I should not use the word cannot. Rather let it be will not. The promise will not be pulled out from under us. It is and will be the foundation and the rock upon which we stand in any day and during any and all situations. That, is a living hope. Hope that abides with us and will be with us beyond what we we can imagine. Therefore, it is always the power for life. It is always life like it will be and yet it is available even now. What God has done let no one think they can put asunder.

Connection: Yes, everything is not in place. Yes, the day can become a stew pot of distress and frustrations. And yet, we have this treasure that is our wealth and our energy for new life. It is a promise today as much as in any other day past - present - and to come.

Blessed are you, O God whose promises feed us and sustain us. There can be too many ways that this day goes sour for us. And yet, we trust that your Holy Spirit is the power to move us to see things through the power of your hope-filled Reign. Praise to you, O God. Amen.