During the Season of Easter, we have been going through 1 Peter. The Christian’s addressed in this letter are Gentile Christians who live in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Peter calls them “God’s chosen strangers living in the world of the diaspora”. That is, these converts to Christianity have given up status in the Roman Empire. They have turned away from worshipping the Emperor to worshipping Jesus Christ the Son of God.
This week, we are in 1 Peter 2:1-10. Peter has been encouraging these Christians across the Roman Empire because they feel isolated. They have been shunned by many friends and family members. Yet, Peter tells them “You are God’s People”. At one time, he tells them, they were not a people. Now, they are indeed God’s chosen people. They are a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession” (1 Peter 2:9).
Even during these times when we feel isolated and hopeless as we navigate through an unprecedented global crisis, this passage encourages us. We can be certain that we, too, are God’s people even if we feel like strangers in our world. Our hope is not put into the buildings where we once met or hope to meet again, but in our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is the Cornerstone, the Living Stone, of our faith. He is the foundation of our faith that cannot be shaken.
Beloved in Christ, believe this Good News!
Christ’s Peace,
Pastor T. Wes Moore