June 21, 2009 1 Peter 1.3-9
Camping & Storms
It has been a stormy couple of weeks hasn’t it? It’s a little ironic that today’s sermon title is “When Storms Come our Way.” Last weekend my family took a little vacation and camped at a KOA at Bear Lake.
We were really excited but I was a little embarrassed to share with others that we were going because I am used to “real” boy scout camping which involves lots of hiking to a remote place and sleeping in a tent. And on this trip, we were renting out a little KOA cabin. But with the weather like it is been, we ended up being REALLY happy to have cabin. We could sit out and watch the clouds gather and could almost time when the storm was going to come. Then we would sit on the front porch or inside and watch the clouds pass us by and the blue sky appear once more. We were reminded last weekend that we have no control over storms and that being protected from the rain is a really good thing.
In 1 Peter, Peter is writing to a group of churches undergoing increased persecution. The churches had to be asking questions like, “When will Christ return? Why is God allowing this to happen to his chosen people? Is following Jesus worth the price?” 1 Peter addresses the storms plaguing these followers of Christ and it also provides us some answers and comfort for the storms that plague our lives as well.
The 5 W’s
I don’t know about your English class but I know that each year in mine we learned about the “5 W’s.” Whenever we were going to summarize what we read we needed to include them: who, what, where, when, and why. Sometimes other questions were thrown in like “how” or “to what extent” but the 5 W’s were always included. These are questions one needs to ask to really get to the bottom of some event.
And so when storms or bad stuff go on in our lives it makes sense why when end up often focusing on the questions “who” and “why.” Think back to the last “storm” in your life. You knew WHAT was happening right? You knew WHEN it was happening…. right then!! You knew WHERE it has happening…. wherever you were!!! That only leaves 2 questions left.
In the midst of the mess, if you are like me, you may find yourself focusing on who is at fault. WHO did this to me!! Last week, I replaced my cell phone, and just a few days after I got it, a crack began to appear on the screen. It is obviously a manufacturing issue. I didn’t drop the phone. I didn’t bump it. But I’ve spent hours on the phone talking to different levels of management, all of whom assure me that my warranty is good for anything BUT outside physical damage. I know WHO did this to me… I’ve written down their names; “Sam” and “Chuck” and all those other managers who didn’t give me the time of day. And as I focused on who’s at fault I got more and more and more angry. Focusing on who caused the storm in your life tends not to help… but it can sure make you mad.
The other question we sometimes end up asking is WHY…. why me God? Why is this happening to me? Then we wait and wait for an answer. Sometimes God does tell us why we have had to go through the mess we’re in and those are great moments. But more often than not, we are just left waiting. Focusing on the who and the why can get us into a depressing cycle that can be hard to get out of.
I have heard 1 Peter 1.3-9 preached several times and more often than not the pastor ends up focusing on these 2 questions. He or she tries to explain “why bad things happen” or “why do the storms come” or “why did God do this?” In all of these cases the pastor focuses on verse 7 and discusses how bad things happen so that God can refine our trust or faith in God. God is testing us. Isn’t it great bad stuff is happening! We’re growing closer to God!!
Frankly I think this is bad scriptural analysis. First off, verse 7 and 8 are really an aside. They could be completely cut out of the text and the main point would not be lost. You could read verses 6-9 as follows, “In all this you greatly rejoice, with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” I always worry when someone preaches on a side note of scripture… it makes it easy to lose sight of what the author intended.
But even more importantly, just because something causes something else to happen does not mean that this is the reason for its existence. For example, if you’ve been following the news you know that there is an ongoing problem in the south end of the valley with mudslides. It is clear that one of the consequences of all the rain we’ve been getting is mudslides. But we would be crazy to suggest that the purpose of the rain is to cause mudslides. In the same way in verse 7, there is a good consequence for storms, it refines our faith, but this does not mean that this is the purpose for storms.
You see, the purpose of today’s passage is not to explain WHY bad things happen or WHO causes them. This passage does not deal with the 5 W’s at all. Instead, it gives us some new questions to ask when we are going through troubling times.
Where am I Connected?
The first question this text asks is “where am I connected?” Notice the opening verses of this passage. Peter is convinced that Jesus is the reason why we need to praise God. It is the cross that brings us salvation. Peter wants us to know that we are not praising God for something he did for some other people long ago. We are not praising God because he created the world (which is a good thing) or because he delivered Israel from Egypt long ago. We are praising OUR deliverer.
In verse 3 and 4 we see that not only is God the father of Jesus but that his act of mercy saves us and makes us his children. In verse 4, Peter uses the word inheritance to describe what we will receive from God. It is a word used over 200 times in the Greek Old Testament not to describe an inheritance you get from your parents but for an inheritance (like a family one) that comes through belonging to God.
Further we learn in verse 5 that we shielded by God in times of trouble. The storms will come but we can have some protection through Christ. Maybe in times of trouble we would do better if we stayed away from the question “why me” and focus on “where am I.” We can remember that we are rooted in God through Christ and rooted to the community of faith.
What’s Coming Next?
Not only does 1 Peter talk about where we are connected but it also focuses on “what is coming next.” This passage is all about having us look forward to Christ’s return. In verse 3 we see that our new birth is a living hope. We have a hope now for new birth in the future. As we read on we see that our inheritance is kept in heaven for a future date and that our salvation will be revealed in the last times. All of this implies a future inheritance.
And what does the inheritance look like? We see in verse 4 that it is lasting. It will not be ended by death, impurity, or the ravages of time. And in verse 7 we see that it will bring us inexpressible joy. The Greek word used for joy here is the biggest word for it in the Greek language. It’s the “bestest” kind of joy. A kind of joy that is so intense that you can’t help but react physically. A kind of joy that makes you shake or want to dance. But not only that the joy is also inexpressible. It’s beyond sight, hearing, and human speech. Christ’s return is something we should be really excited about!!
So on the one hand, today’s passage shows us that we are a reborn people. We belong to God and are rooted in him. But we are also joyfully looking forward to a hope that is alive. It is real. It is coming. We can ask “why” storms come our way but the storms will still come. Peter thinks focusing on different questions will better help us during these times of troubles. Questions that remind me of my KOA experience. Rather than spend the time wondering why we chose to go camping the weekend of a big storm we could focus on the roof over our head. Rather than ask why bad things are happening we can be comforted knowing we are rooted in Christ. Rather than ask who scheduled the camping trip we could look to the horizon for the blue sky to come. And rather than focusing on who is to blame for our troubles we can understand that Christ’s return is coming soon.
Life’s Storms
Before I wrap up I wanted to tell a personal story of a small storm that happened to me a while back. Compared to things many go through, this storm was just a drizzle. But when I was in High School it was REALLY important.
In ninth grade I remember going on my first high school mission trip with the church to Spokane Washington. We were going to work at several homeless shelters in the area. And as part of the trip we were going to do a Cantata, a sort of Christian musical. Even though I was new to the group I got a pretty major role that included a duet.
I practiced hard for my part and I must admit I got pretty good. I was really looking forward to the big performance on the trip; in front of all of those we had been helping that week. And so, when the day of the performance came what do you think happened…. I woke up having lost my voice. I had no backup. And I spent a lot of time asking… “Why me, God.” I tried to get better. I didn’t talk that day. I drank several leaders’ special concoctions. I spent lots of time in prayer and reading scripture. In fact, one of the benefits of the day was that I got to pray and read scripture with my High School dream girl, Heather. And after talking with her, I remember Heather telling me that she was convinced that God would heal me. And by the end of the day I began believing God would make it work out.
When the performance came, things seemed to be going well; my voice seemed fine during the speaking part. But then it came time for the duet…. It was terrible. I sounded like a cross between a boy going through puberty and a croaking frog. I had never been more embarrassed in my life.
Yet after the performance something neat happened. Several of the homeless men we had been working with that week came up and started a conversation with me. We talked for about 20 minutes about how brave I was to keep singing and how much they appreciated our help that week. It was clear they were trying to make me feel better. At the end I was still embarrassed but I felt good to. That day my church family had really helped me and now these other men who I hardly knew clearly cared to. I realized how the love of God can protect you during a storm. And I briefly got a taste of what heaven will be like as well. I was comforted amidst my storm.
I know this is a small storm compared to what many of us face. I have faced much larger troubles in my own life. You know the kind that completely shake you up. All of us have storms like that from time to time. 1 Peter gives us some sound advice on what questions we can ask in the middle of those times of troubles. Advice that I think can help regardless of the size of the storm. Where are we connected? Are we rooted in Christ and sheltered by God? And what’s coming next? Can we keep our eyes to the horizon; remembering with joy that Christ is coming again? |
