Easter 2
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
... By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
-- 1 Peter 1:3
First Peter is a letter to the early church. The daunting challenge of this new faith was to entrust their lives to this new revelation. "Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him...." The challenge for all believers is to trust in that which they cannot see. Christianity is not a formula for a protected life or a secret for worldly success. From the beginning of the church, believing in Christ often increased rather than reduced the challenges of life. "In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have to suffer various trials...." This was not a philosophy for comfort but a reinterpretation of the experience of living. In a way, it was similar to how Israel interpreted the wilderness experience as a way that God refined them as a people, so early Christians saw the trials of life as God preparing them for something better. Their suffering was "... so that the genuineness of your faith -- being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire...." It may be one of the significant challenges of the contemporary church to confront the cultural seduction of avoiding all discomfort and to recognize that a genuine faith not only experiences trials but is strengthened by them. Churches that do not shy from such challenges seek to receive "the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
-- 1 Peter 1:3
First Peter is a letter to the early church. The daunting challenge of this new faith was to entrust their lives to this new revelation. "Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him...." The challenge for all believers is to trust in that which they cannot see. Christianity is not a formula for a protected life or a secret for worldly success. From the beginning of the church, believing in Christ often increased rather than reduced the challenges of life. "In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have to suffer various trials...." This was not a philosophy for comfort but a reinterpretation of the experience of living. In a way, it was similar to how Israel interpreted the wilderness experience as a way that God refined them as a people, so early Christians saw the trials of life as God preparing them for something better. Their suffering was "... so that the genuineness of your faith -- being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire...." It may be one of the significant challenges of the contemporary church to confront the cultural seduction of avoiding all discomfort and to recognize that a genuine faith not only experiences trials but is strengthened by them. Churches that do not shy from such challenges seek to receive "the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
